Dracula... and Dracula

Dracula (1931)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: Tod Browning (but cinematographer Karl Freund did a lot of the actual directing, or at least that's the rumor)

Starring: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan

From: Universal

Dracula (1931)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: George Medford/Enrique Tovar Avalos

Starring: Carlos Villarias, Lupita Tovar, Barry Norton, Pablo Alvarez Rubio, Eduardo Arozamena

From: Universal

This is what I saw Sunday night in a movie theatre, two versions of 1931's Dracula. I explain why there's an English and a Spanish version in my Letterboxd reviews below, the Browning version first:

Sunday night via Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events I got to watch a double feature of both this version of 1931 Dracula and the Spanish language version, which I'll post a review of in a few hours. I had seen both before on DVD but that was years ago so I figured this would be the perfect way to watch both again. Attendance wasn't great where I was at to see this, but that is alright.

I presume most are familiar with Bram Stoker's take so there's no need for me to spend much time recapping the plot revolving around Dracula meeting up with Renfield, him becoming insane as the big D's new follower, him ending up in England, him going after Mina, Dr. Van Helsing attempting to stop his reign of terror, etc.

There are some things that could be carped about, from the hammy acting to how it is apparent that the version which exists today is edited down from what it originally premiered at; I presume the longer version is lost to time forever, and it is unfortunate as it makes the plot move too fast at times and there's a danging plot thread or two. Also, I am not sure why armadillos were included in the menagerie of animals in Dracula's castle. Yet I can still rate this highly.

A big asset is the production design; there are some awesome sets and along with how this movie is done, that helps set the mood and atmosphere. The lack of film score adds to the eeriness. But the best part is Bela Lugosi in the title role. He was Hungarian but was born in Romania not too far from Transylvania so it's not a stretch to imagine him being a resident of that area, but it is his performance that is tremendous. He is filmed pretty well by director Tod Browning but it is his acting that made his performance legendary. He's what you'd expect Dracula to be, which is equal parts menacing, charming and seductive to the ladies. While I was amused by Dwight Frye and his over the top performance as the now insane Renfield and Edward Van Sloan was cool as Dr. Van Helsing, it is Lugosi that is the definite highlight. His real life fate and how he ended up addicted to drugs and in the twilight of his life having to work in Ed Wood movies... a shame.

Anyhow, not to spoil my review of the Spanish language version of Dracula but both are worth seeing as they each have their strengths and weaknesses.

Now, here's the Spanish version:

As I mentioned in my review of the Bela Lugosi Dracula, Sunday night (and also tomorrow) Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events presented that version and this version on the big screen back to back; I had seen both before but that was years ago and as I imagine this is rarely shown in a theatre, I made sure not to miss this opportunity.

Aside from some minor changes this is pretty similar to the Browning Dracula and thus the original Bram Stoker tale. So let me message that in the early days of sound, sometimes there'd be a foreign language version of a Hollywood movie; I presume that the process of dubbing was too complicated at the time so that's the route they went, and once that became easier it was just easier and cheaper to do that instead of film an entirely new movie. I also presume that most of these foreign language versions have been lost and gone forever for many years; it wasn't until the 70's that a copy of this was found, and a few minutes of the film look quite bad compared to the rest.

It has been a popular thing for years to say that this is actually better than the Lugosi version; me, I say that the two have their strengths and weaknesses and they should both be watched if at all possible. This is a half hour longer, which for the most part (but not all the time) is a benefit as it further explains some things and it also adds more characterization. It it shot differently; whether it's for the better or worse is up to you. Eva (i.e. Mina) as played by Lupita Tover is very interesting and is played quite well. By the way, Ms. Tovar is 105 years old and is still alive, which was a big surprise to me when that factoid was mentioned after the movie.

It's just unfortunate that while Carlos Villarias was fine in the title role, compared to Lugosi's performance it is clear that old Bela was the better of the two. Plus, I realized this in the middle of the movie that Carlos looked like... Nic Cage! It makes me sad that we likely will never get to see Nicolas Cage as Dracula as that sounds like something which should be amazing, especially if he plays the role the same that he did in Vampire's Kiss... although if he did that he'd be more in line to play Renfield; to think that the actor who played that role in the Spanish movie was even more over the top than in the American film.

I say that the Browning directed movie is just a little bit better than this but like I said, both should be seen so that you can make your own decision between the two.