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Dracula (1931 English and Spanish versions)

“For one who has not lived even a single lifetime, you're a wise man, Van Helsing.”

A bit of a switch up with this review, as it’s a dual (Doux?) review. I’ll begin my chronological journey through the Universal classic horror collection boxed set with Dracula, both the more well-known English version starring the iconic Bela Lugosi, and the Spanish version with Carlos Villarias as the undead count.

When Universal decided to make a film adaptation of the stage play of Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula back in 1931, they made two versions of it filmed on the same day with the same sets, with the Spanish version following the English one, so George Melford, who directed the Spanish version, used the fact that he could observe the English version during the day and then try to one-up it when he filmed the Spanish version at night, and due to that fact, I have to give the Spanish version kudos for a more exciting presentation and cinemaphotography than the English version.

The films are of course very similar, but the Spanish version, which had less stringent editing requirements, is 20 minutes longer, a bit more risqué (although very tame by modern standards), and more dynamic than the English version. Both play fast and loose with the source material, but still generally follow key points of the book, and both are enjoyable to watch.

In both films, we start with Renfield’s trip to meet the count in his native Transylvania and discuss the lease of Carfax Abbey in London, England. This early portion sets the stage for what’s to come and I find both versions have a light dash of comedy (with the coach ride’s bumpiness being exaggerated to an extreme degree) but then set a dark and foreboding tone that work very well in black and white, with the grays and blacks lending an otherworldly shadow and darkness to everything.

"Pardon the mess. The maid hasn't been paid in centuries."

This atmosphere reaches a fever pitch on the boat ride to England, with both versions of Renfield playing their roles brilliantly as we are treated to the ghastly results of the doomed ship’s journey thanks to its unholy cargo and sole remaining maniacal occupant.

Things then move to Carfax Abbey and the adjacent Seward Asylum as Dracula moves to ingratiate himself with the Sewards and company, and despite his odd behavior, he does hit it off well with them at first, especially with Lucy/Lucia Weston, but things go south quickly as one expects when a vampire is involved. The arrival of Professor Abraham Van Helsing to investigate the situation sets the conflict between monster and humans into motion almost immediately upon his arrival at the scene. He doesn’t take long to deduce what the eccentric eastern European nobleman actually is.

The last half of the film focuses on this interaction between Dracula, Van Helsing, the Sewards and John Harker, with Renfield’s condition and outbursts intruding upon the scene and the asylum staff being caught up between all this. Some comic moments are thrown in, but they are few and far between, which is a good thing, as the film’s atmosphere isn’t spoiled by things getting too light-hearted for too long. Since we know what Dracula is, even if the main cast doesn’t, it always feels tense when he’s socially interacting with them, and I rather like that we know things they don’t know for a significant portion of the movie. Van Helsing is the link between a knowing audience and the ignorance and incredulity of the rest of the cast. He convinces them that they are in danger and what the source of the danger is, despite their reluctance to believe in things such as vampires in the first place.

One wonders what would have happened had the good professor not been called upon to shed some light on the situation, as even with his aid, tragedies abounded in and around the abbey and asylum. Dracula has quite the effect on Lucy/Lucia and of course even more pronounced with Mina/Eva, which is a significant driver of the conflict as the film progresses. The film ends in a dramatic fashion, with Van Helsing leading the others in a showdown with Dracula, a showdown that ramps things up from the more sedate portions of the movie, with some nice action and a satisfying resolution, although no one walks away unscarred from the events of the film.

Both movies have their own cast of course, with a few minor differences in a the names of a couple of the characters. The actors playing Dracula have already been mentioned above, and while both are good, Lugosi’s ominous and menacing presence work better than Villarias’ more mercurial performance as the count. In fact, some of Villarias’ facial expressions come off silly which harms his otherwise solid performance as the title character. On a personal note, my high school friend Robb looks a lot like him, and made similar faces when we were joking around, so that very well may affect why I feel that way.

One looks ominous, the other a bit silly, to be honest.

For Renfield, we have two sublime performances from Dwight Frye and Pablo Alvarez Rubio. I really can’t decide which version is better, but Rubio gets more screen time as the weak-minded servant to the count in the Spanish version than Frye does in the English version, so we get to see him really excel more often.

For Professor Van Helsing, we have Edward Van Sloan and Eduardo Arozamena. I do find Van Sloan just a bit better here, but really found both to be great at this pivotal role. Both play the wise and learned character very well, which is crucial to the film’s story and immersion. Van Helsing is the one that parses things out and is the one who challenges the undead count the most, so a poor performance here would be disastrous.

"What is that smell?"
"No thanks, I gave at the office."

For our leading lady and the focus of Dracula’s desire, we have Mina/Eva Harker played by Helen Chandler and Lupita Tovar. Tovar really shines as the Spanish version’s leading woman and is far more interesting and alluring than Helen Chandler is at this role. Chandler isn’t outright bad, but she just doesn’t have Tovar’s magnetism and dynamic performance, so her performance comes off much flatter and lacks the energy that Tovar brings.

Both John (Juan) Harkers don’t fare so well with David Manners and Barry Norton being mostly bland and forgettable in the role. For a man that’s supposed to be Mina/Eva’s heartthrob, there isn’t a lot of chemistry to be seen between them, although the Spanish pairing fares a bit better overall. This character is just too passive to be all that engaging for the audience.

Doctor Seward is played by Herbert Bunston and Jose Soriano Viosca. Both are fine in the role, but it’s perhaps the least important character of the main cast, and generally has the least to do. He has to be there as Mina/Eva’s father and owner of the sanitarium, but that’s about it.

Mina/Eva’s friend Lucy/Lucia Weston is played by Frances Dade and Carmen Guerrero. She isn’t in the film all that long in either version, but I feel both actresses did a solid job with the role, a more playful and coquettish character than our leading ladies are for most of the film. She also finds the count and his odd mannerisms and witticisms fascinating, unlike the rest of the main cast.

For a bit of comic relief, both films have Martin, an orderly at Seward’s asylum and often seen trying to keep Renfield in check. Played very well by both Charles K. Gerrard and Manuel Arbo, he’s an enjoyable character that helps with the mood at times, but not so silly as to be annoying or ruin the experience of the film, although the Spanish version is more straight-faced than the goofier English version. I find both Martins to be far more interesting and engaging characters than either film’s John Harker!

The films lack music barring the rendition of Swan Lake for the opening credits. The film can be dead silent at times, such as when the count is first revealed, and the silence, while strange to many of us used to mood music being present in movies, actually works. It makes Lugosi’s initial appearance an especially chilling and eerie affair, which really sets the mood for the early scenes in castle Dracula.

In the end, which film you prefer is likely to be up to your own language preferences, and which performers you find more engaging. For me, it’s mostly a toss-up, and I have to rate both films to a similar level of classic horror excellence. You can’t go wrong watching either, or even better yet, both films. They’re not quite as good as some of the Universal horror films to come shortly after, although significantly better than most of the middle and later films of this collection, both are great films that you shouldn’t miss if you enjoy classic horror.

-- Lugosi’s performance as Dracula was so iconic that we often think of his portrayal of the character when anyone mentions Dracula or vampires, even over 90 years after the film was released. You might say that it’s become universal.

-- Funnily enough, despite the previous point, neither Dracula actor has fangs in their appearances here.

-- Watching the Spanish version with English subtitles, I really wish I recalled more of two years of the language classes I took in 7th and 8th grade, but that’s a long time ago now, and I’m very rusty.

-- Dwight Frye died young, but he played in several of the classic Universal horror movies, so we’ll be seeing him again.

-- Lupita Tovar lived to 106! Maybe she actually was a vampire after all…

-- In 1999, Philip Glass was commissioned to create a soundtrack for the movie. I can’t rate it myself as I’ve not heard it as of yet.

I give both films three and a half vampire fangs out of four. Not quite as good as the best of this collection, but still great films for both their significance and as films in their own right.

Morella is a Gen Xer who likes strange things a bit too much.

4 comments:

  1. Quick addendum. Both do have some music as they come to an end with the Spanish version more boisterous than the English version, but the opening and ending tunes are it for both films.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You just cost me £16 buying two versions of Glass’s Dracula soundtrack (one with solo piano). Thanks a bunch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice! I need to listen to it/them as well.

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    2. https://music.apple.com/gb/album/philip-glass-dracula/219413609

      https://music.apple.com/gb/album/philip-glass-dracula/217426337

      Delete

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