Friday, July 02, 2004

Movie Review - Dracula (1931)

Everybody knows the story of Count Dracula, even if they never read Bram Stoker's novel. It has spawned an entire sub-genre, and everybody has at least seen one of the frequent remakes, spin-offs from Buffy to Buffy to Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (I swear I'm not making that up), or at least Count Chocula cereal. As such, the original movie made from the play made from the novel held no surprises for me, but was enjoyable nonetheless. Other than the haunting strains of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake during the opening credits, there is no background music which tends to add to the creepy overtones. A musical score was later added, but I think it shifts the mood from serious to campy, so I would recommend the original version if available. Bela Lugosi acted the part well - at times being superficially charming, and others like a ravenous beast - but he never over-emoted.
- 3 out of 5 stars

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