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Order this DVD from Amazon.com
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Dracula
The Legacy Collection
(Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
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| DVD Release Date:
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April 27, 2004
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| Length:
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75
mins.
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| Rated:
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NR
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| Format:
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Full Frame (1.33:1/16x9)
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| Audio:
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English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
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| Subtitles:
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French, Spanish, Closed-Captioned
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| Extras:
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Dracula: Stephen Sommers on Universal's Classic Monster: Dracula, The Road to Dracula, Poster Montage, Theatrical Trailer, Audio Commentary with Film Historian David J. Skal, New Score by Philip Glass Performed by the Kronos Quartet, Dracula (Spanish Version): Introduction to the Spanish Version of Dracula by Lupita Tovar Kohner, Dracula's Daugher: Theatrical Trailer, Son of Dracula: Theatrical Trailer, House of Dracula
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When a film makes an impact on the society, it is usually the characters who become memorable. And sometimes it is a particular actor who immortalizes the character. Such is the case of Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula. Personally, I think Gary Oldman as The Count in Coppola's version is the best Dracula, but one cannot dispute Lugosi as the one who made the role. I remember as a child being spooked watching the 1931 version on a Saturday afternoon horror special. Lugosi was forever etched in my mind as THE Dracula (note that I didn't say THE vampire - that honour is bestowed upon Max Schreck).
So after sitting down and watching the new Dracula DVD set, Lugosi's immortal reputation still remains. Bram Stoker's ageless story still holds up with a classic eerie sense about it, lavish and amazing sets for the time, and of course the mesmerizing performance by Lugosi. It is a worthwhile addition to your horror genre collection.
Like the Frankenstein and Wolf Man DVDs, there are extra films, sequels if you will, and various special features. One feature allows you to watch Dracula with its original score, which is very low key, or with a score by Philip Glass. If you liked Murnau's Nosferatu, then you may get more out of watching Dracula with its original score, and it also seems to have that 'classic horror film' element when there is little music.
There is a unique extra film in the DVD set - a Spanish version of Stoker's story, which was apparently filmed at the same time, and used the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version. It is neat to watch based on these facts, but Carlos Villarias' performance as Dracula is not really up to par.
There are three other movies that are sadly forgettable; Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula, and House of Dracula. Only the latter film is entertaining, albeit corny. Dracula's Daughter and Son of Dracula don't even seem to have a horror feeling to them. Very little suspense and eeriness are created when compared to the 1931 original.
The special features are all right, but not as good as those in the Frankenstein DVD set. Once again, there is a five-minute blurb with Stephen Sommers' take on Dracula. There is a vast poster montage, and every trailer is shown for the five films. There is an original documentary hosted by Carla Laemmle (Carl Laemmle's niece) who actually uttered the first words in the film, howver the documentary is fairly cheesy. The audio commentary by film historian David J. Skal isn't too bad. He divulges into some neat information such as where the word Nosferatu comes from, but then he also goes into some redundant facts about the alcoholic demise of some of the actors. Listen to it if your are really interested in Dracula.
| Dracula: |
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10/10 |
| Dracula's
Daughter: |
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5/10 |
| Son
of Dracula: |
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5/10 |
| House
of Dracula: |
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6/10 |
| The Extras: |
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7/10 |
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Eli Dingle - Contributor
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