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Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

How do you review a film which is not only over 85 years old but is widely regarded as an utter masterpiece of early Hollywood cinema? I guess you should start at the beginning ... Chances are if you were to do an impression of the Count, you'd be inadvertently mimicking Lugosi's shining role as the vampire in pursuit of fresh blood while playing a cat-and-mouse game with vampire hunter Van Helsing.This was, of course, not the first film to be based on Bram Stoker's novel - Nosferatu (1922) and the lost Russian film Drakula (1920) borrowed plot points and the vampirical villain, but neither were could use the copyrighted contents of the book. The 1931 film was, however, the first talking Dracula film, meaning that Bela Lugosi (originally from modern-day Romania) invented the Count's accent everyone copies today.Lugosi's successful, if ultimately tragic, career in horror (alongside the likes of Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney Jr) can be traced back to the original Broadway adaptation and subsequent film held in such high regard today. Even when Dracula is uncentered in the shot as one of five characters on a balcony at an opera, he still commands the screen (as you can imagine he surely would've done on stage four years before).Dwight Frye also gives an intense performance as solicitor-turned-slave Renfield. His descent into submissive madness might be considered a bit campy these days, but that laugh on the ship gives me goose bumps every single time I hear it.Interestingly, there's no music in the film with the exception of the classic Swan Lake opening titles. When it's meant silent in Lucy or Mina's pitch black bed chamber, it's totally silent and much tenser than it might've been with a soundtrack. A version was released in 1998 with an orchestral score written by Philip Glass - the music in this version of the film (now the most viewed) is subtle and does its job admirably without too much distraction from the original directorial intentions.While the film is not scary anymore (in 1931, it surely would've been) it's worth a watch for the technical advancements it shows (including a simple tracking shot which was revolutionary at a time of static cameras) and its significance to film and the horror genre. No-one can deny its impact.Many of the film's lines have passed into folklore, Dracula's voice is rarely altered, and his slicked-back appearance became the standard for vampires since. It's not just part of our pop culture; it might just be the earliest inclusion in pop culture full-stop ... and it's still relevant nearly a century later. Best Quote: "For one who has not lived even a single lifetime, you're a wise man, Van Helsing."

Bela is still the best! The most iconic and memorable Dracula film to date. It might not be scary exactly, but it's mesmerizing, haunting and beautiful(in that gothic way). One thing to note though, it follows the novel rather loosely so if you expect a great adaptation, then this is almost rather an "inspired by" rather than the story from the book transferred to the silver screen.

Like so many early talkies, Dracula plays like a stiff amateur stage play that happens to get captured on film. The more movies I see from the early talkie years the more I'm amazed Hollywood survived. It certainly went about 12 steps backward from the height of the silent era, in terms of camera movement, photography and even acting. Lugosi's goofy stare is creepy at first, but each time Browning trots it out it gets closer and closer to camp. Henfield over-acting his craziness, Harkar immediately grating on my nerves, the dames being indistinguishable from one another. And the talking, the talking, the talking. Dracula doesn't hold a candle to Nosferatu. It's not even in the same league.

I thought that Dracula was a extremely interesting film. I enjoyed that it was one of if not the film that put vampire movies on the map. The lighting in this film was excellent. The lighting really contributed to how creepy and gloomy the film felt. I also really enjoyed the sound. When in Dracula's castle you can hear eerie noises and scratching. Both lighting and sound really made this film for me. Plot wise the film was average. Overall I enjoyed this film and think it deserves a watch especially if you enjoy monster flicks.