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After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Louis Jourdan as Dracula is fine to me, I have no problem with him as the Count. I really don't have a problem with most all of the other actors either - pretty much everyone was fine in the film.What I dislike about it is that it's rather drab and dry - it has no pizazz to it. The only pizazz we have is a psychedelic red and orange film with some black & white footage when something happens and I don't think that Bram Stoker would have liked or approved of the psychedelic parts of the film nor do I believe that is what he had in mind. What were they thinking? And the rest of the film is very dull.My childhood memories of this film were "it's quite good" until I saw it again recently and now I've changed my mind. I guess just seeing Dracula and the psychedelic colors were enough for me as a kid but not anymore.3/10

I finally saw this for the first time, and I agree with the general opinion that it is probably the most faithful rendering of Stoker's book. I thought Frank Finlay gave the best performance, as Van Helsing... but as for Louis Jourdan, he disappointed me somewhat as The Count. He played the King of Vampires as calm and charming, and not nearly savage or evil enough when the need arose (such as when he is supposed to turn with rage against his brides, for instance). He still manages to be villainous, though, and thankfully not a romantic hero. But I just wish he could have been more hateful or emotional when the situation called for it. It's still unfathomable to me that NO VERSION of this story has ever got it all accurate.. and in this case, the biggest thorn in my side with the BBC rendition is that Dracula doesn't appear as an older man who gradually gets younger as he drinks blood.I did enjoy this presentation quite a bit overall despite some complaints, though. Oh - another quibble was that surrealistic "Andy Warhol" stuff that went on with characters' faces now and then. Just silly. Very good staking sequence, though. Another thing I am starting to feel more than ever, is that Dracula probably should be told as a rather slow-paced and calculated tale. From the Bram Stoker book, to the Lugosi version, to the Palance film, to this BBC adaptation... it's a deliberately lightly-paced story that builds slowly and gradually. After I saw the Jourdan movie I again sketched my head wondering how so many people can still think the wild westernly-paced HORROR OF Dracula -- which is possibly the LEAST Stoker-ish film of them all to date -- can be considered "THE Best Dracula Telling" ! While full of action and dynamic lunging about and bombastic music soundtrack, it's very unlike the Stoker classic. *** out of ****

The last time I had seen this was on TV back in the early 90's. That was to my knowledge the last time the BBC aired this classic. I recently ordered this from Amazon and it arrived this morning and I refrained from viewing it till nightfall. I started it about 10:55pm and it finished around 1:28am as I paused it for a snack break but only for a few moments. Anyway, all the memories came flooding back like it was just yesterday I had viewed this, not the early 90's.The atmosphere in this is amazing so it is. The music is perfect for every situation, it is creepy and tense, and works wonders for the movie. The set pieces for every location are exceptional too (the graveyards and castle and forest thick countryside). They really do stand out and grab hold of you and don't let go as you are pulled into the storyline through the exceptional music and surroundings. Night time for example when Jonathan was stranded at the pass waiting on Dracula turning up for him, the storm in that scene was VERY atmospheric. The thing is it probably helped that I was watching it when it was raining outside and the wind was blowing strong, that and with it being night made it all the more enjoyable to view.At this moment in time I am listening to the "Nox Arcana" Gothic ambient album called "Transylvania" and it is giving me goose bumps as the movie is still fresh in my mind, this is because it is not long finished (about 10 minutes ago). I highly recommend this album to those into the creatures of the night and their activities. A nice atmospheric piece listening to it in the dark (like I am at the moment).The cast in this production is flawless. Louis Jordan as Count Dracula worked really well. He brought a sort of stern not to be messed with look to the Count in his performance, and yet still managed to be seductive to the ladies as well. Frank Finley is on top form as Professor Van Helsing (but when is Frank never a joy to watch). Judi Bowker as Wilhelmina 'Mina' Westenra is eye candy for me. She is a honey so she is. Her performance is not flawed in anyway what so ever. I think everyone else I have not mentioned gave 100% to their roles. The cast was very well chosen indeed, well done!.In my opinion this is THE BEST version of the book to movie by far. The BBC are damn good at making atmospheric shows (Survivors, Count Dracula). It is this sort of movie (TV movie in this case) starring Louis Jordan that makes me support British horror over everything else when up against other countries in the same genre. And in saying that this Louis Jordan Dracula production, along side Hammer Films, cannot be beaten for exceptional set pieces and atmosphere. It's things like Hammer movies and Count Dracula (1977) that make me proud to support the British movie and TV industry when gems like this turn up. I'd like to see Danny Boyle and Neil Marshall do something along this line of movie, they would be good at it. Danny Boyle and Neil Marshall are the new Terence Fisher's of British horror.

When this PBS version of Dracula first was shown on TV it contained a scene in Dracula's castle where the "brides" were about to attack Jonathan Harker and Dracula walked in and stopped them. In place of Harker he offered them an infant to feast upon. At this point Jordan, as the Count, opened up a sack and withdrew a real, live infant, which he held up over his head and offered to the vampire brides to feed upon. All subsequent showings of Count Dracula had this scene edited out. This was part of Stoker's novel but, I suppose, censorship dictated that the scene should be omitted. I don't know if there is a full,uncut version of this PBS version, but, regardless, if you want to know what the original Stoker's Dracula was all about, attempt to get a copy of this PBS version.