Runtime: 109 minutes
Directed by: John Badham
Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, Trevor Eve
From: Universal
A movie I saw due to a messageboard post--yes, another example of this. It just took someone bringing it up yesterday as a suggestion to give me enough of a push to finally check something out that I've thought of giving a chance to these past several years. Turns out, I should not have hesitated for so long on pulling the trigger.
It is in essence the standard Bram Stoker tale: there's the English setting, Dr. Van Helsing, Mina, Jonathan Harker, Renfield, etc. Yet this is more sensual and erotic than the '31 Bela Lugosi or '58 Christopher Lee versions. This adaptation (based on a Broadway play starring Frank Langella) wisely had Langella reprise the role and he was great as a suave yet menacing figure who woos a young lady to be his new bride. This is more about mood and atmosphere-which is great-than gory moments—although there are some shocking visceral moments.
John Badham's direction, a nice John Williams score, the other main players being Laurence Olivier and Donald Pleasence, a fine supporting cast, appropriate early 20th century sets & the dark setting help make this a spooky good time. To clarify, Universal has done something interesting with this movie since the Laserdisc days: Badham wanted to film this in black and white but the studio refused. Instead, starting with the Laserdisc the version that is easiest to find (including via streaming) has a totally desaturated look. Without having seen the much brighter theatrical version-which is included on the Shout Factory Blu release as a bonus-this muted appearance fits the general ambiance of the picture. Except for two artsy-fartsy moments in an otherwise straightforward adaptation, this is a measured yet still engrossing version of a familiar tale that is worth a shot if you dig both the '31 films-English & Spanish-or the Hammer movie from '58.
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