When people hear the name ‘Dracula’ we can easily pin a face to it. To some Bela Lugosi exaggerated features spring to mind, to the cinema purist Max Shrek’s Nosferatu is definitive and to the populist (with a short memory) Gary Oldman’s historical interpretation may find a place. But for most of us, when the name ‘Dracula’ is uttered, it is Christopher Lee’s cold stare that fills our imagination.
Hammer Studio’s follow-up to their other successful literary adaptation ‘The Curse Of Frankenstein’ was naturally going to be Bram Stoker’s 1897 potboiler. Taking the two main players (Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee) that made their Frankenstein picture so special and relocating them in Stoker’s story of Transylvanian bloodsuckers gave Hammer Films a raw continuity right from the start. ‘The Horror Of Dracula’, as it was originally titled, was not exactly faithful to its book to screen transition, many things have changed but the essence still remains.
For example, Jonathan Harker is now a vampire hunter masquerading as a librarian seeking employment from the Count (with the view to killing him), in the book he is a humble estate agent completely innocent of the evils that lurk behind the castle walls. Van Helsing (memorably played by Cushing) is every bit the calm English gent, as opposed to the fiery, Dutch oddball the book portrays. There are other omissions and details that have been compressed, character’s names have changed and the whole narrative is much leaner (thankfully) than Stoker’s sprawling melodrama.
However, the film’s strengths are still evident throughout. The adversity between the two forces of good and evil (Van Helsing/Dracula as played by two of cinema’s most enduring icons) is adeptly handled. The modest but classic set and costume design and Bernard Hermann’s rousing score give us an aural and visual atmosphere that is now timeless. And the film conjures the book’s victorian middle-English gentility with ease, this is clumsily handled in Coppola’s 1990’s attempt. This aspect is crucial to tackling the book’s underlying theme, the fear of Eastern Europe washing up on our English shores and corrupting our virgin daughters.
As Hammer’s Frankenstein movies belonged to Peter Cushing, this movie (and its many sequels) is testament to the talents of Christopher Lee. His Dracula is every bit the walking disease of the novel, feeding off humanity. A character that is meant to embody sex and death, which Lee does superbly. A classic certainly, but the climax does feel a bit rushed – alas no fifth star.
OVERALL SUMMARY
THE GREATEST DRACULA MOVIE (if we don’t count Murnau’s 1922 Nosferatu, it wasn’t exactly official). Not as scary as its sequel, Dracula Prince Of Darkness, but still a wonderful cinematic feast, showcasing much of what made Hammer so loved by many. All horror fans should watch this movie.
