Dracula (John Badham, 1979)

I'm not counting myself as an avid fan of vampire movies, to be honest. But I like them when they deliver something different or just is outstandingly good. John Landis Innocent Blood is a favorite. So Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot and Jess Franco's Count Dracula. Those are just three examples of vampire flicks that has "it" and still holds up today. Another favorite is the very underrated Dracula, the 1979 version directed by mainstream-guru John Badham. It was released during a year when the vampires flocked on the big screen - including the fun George Hamilton comedy Love At First Bite. Some say the the disappointing box office of Dracula is the comedy's fault. The audience just couldn't take vampires seriously after that. Could be true and this version of the good old count is a serious, slightly different take, with Frank Langella playing the sexy, hunky Dracula - which could be considered funny comparing with George Hamilton's hilarious performance.

But the truth is, this Dracula is one of the best. And it even takes a lot of freedom with the original story, for the best according to me. It's based on a stage show, also starring Langella, a huge hit and I guess Universal hoped for a similar success at the cinema box office. In the end it took in a little bit over 20 million dollar, which I guess wasn't that good - but in the eighties it became one of the biggest rental hits ever! Isn't strange how the showbiz works? It's clear that the producers spent a lot of money on Dracula. In fact, it still looks absurdly expensive with amazing sets, fantastic matte paintings by the great Albert Whitlock and one of the few scores composed by the boring John Williams I like. It's so good I can swear it's almost ripped off in Francis Ford Coppola's (fun) 1992 version. It has the same gothic rollercoaster melodies, like Danny Elfman but good. 

Frank Langella completely owns the film with his presence. Badham uses Langella's famous astigmatic eye condition (They vibrate, all the time. Check that out next time you see him!) in several effective close-up's, but he mostly tries to capture his leading man's natural sexual charisma, and he's a hunk. Oh boy, he is. But most of all he's a fantastic actor and his version of Count Dracula is a charming, social, not at all crazy, man who likes other people (probably because he can drink their blood whenever he wants) and handsome. At first it's unusual to see a Dracula that doesn't behave like an asshole, so Langella is a welcome change. Donald Pleasence is there to, having a lot of fun with his part (and he has that candy bag ready all the time, which is a story of it's own). He supposedly was offered the Van Helsing part but turned it down because it was too similar to Dr Loomis in Halloween. And then we come to the weakest part in this film, Van Helsing. I like the character, he's good and human and a bit weird - but Laurence Olivier completely destroys the screen with his terrible over-acting. Olivier CAN be good, but when he's crap he's shittier than shit. Sorry if I upset anyone here, but that's a fact. Still loves him more than life itself in The Marathon Man. 

It's a pretty violent film also, with some nice graphic violence and a mean-spirited Dracula killing people without hesitation. Fun. We like that. That opening throat rip is very fine! I know some conservative fans out there hates the fact that Badham, when it was restored for the old laserdisc release, desaturated the picture a lot - which renders it almost colourless in couple of sequences. But Badham's original intent was to shoot it in black & white and not the colorful silliness that the cinema version offered. Universal refused and it wasn't until the early nineties Badham could make the film a little bit closer to his vision - and it's beautiful, it gives the film a perfect atmosphere of dread. The first scenes in Draculas house almost looks B&W, which looks stunning.

Respect to Badham for doing this. I love it.

Dracula is together with Franco's version, my favorite adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic. I hope to see it released on blu-ray one day for an even more beautiful, haunting look of this classic tale of love... and blood.

Comments

[Megatron]

"I'm not counting myself as an avid fan of vampire movies, to be honest."

Me neither, but some vampire movies I like, Near Dark (1987), for example.

"John Landis Innocent Blood is a favorite."

Yeah....very nice take on the Vampire genre, almost forgotten now.

"So Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot"

Another good choice by you, Fred/ninja.

"Another favorite is the very underrated Dracula, the 1979 version directed by mainstream-guru John Badham."

Badham did some stuff that I liked, Blue Thunder(1983), WarGames(1983), The Hard Way (1991) and of course Saturday Night Fever(1977), Short Circuit (1986).

But Nick of Time (1995) was a big disappointment.

"Frank Langella completely owns the film with his presence. Badham uses Langella's famous astigmatic eye condition (They vibrate, all the time. Check that out next time you see him!) in several effective close-up's, but he mostly tries to capture his leading man's natural sexual charisma, and he's a hunk."

Never notcied his eye condition before.....good performer and as Dracula....?

Must be one of the cooler interpretations of this horror icon.

"I like the character, he's good and human and a bit weird - but Laurence Olivier completely destroys the screen with his terrible over-acting. Olivier CAN be good, but when he's crap he's shittier than shit. Sorry if I upset anyone here, but that's a fact. Still loves him more than life itself in The Marathon Man."

No, I think I understand....Olivier was great but sometimes his stage background would stand in the way of his performances.

Brando(in his biography) told of some ancedote about Olivier, when Olivier refused to use an accent for an character, because he thought cockney accent was too lowbrow or something like that.

But I still love Olivier in The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (1944), The Boys from Brazil (1978), Marathon Man (1976).

"But Badham's original intent was to shoot it in black & white and not the colorful silliness that the cinema version offered. Universal refused and it wasn't until the early nineties Badham could make the film a little bit closer to his vision - and it's beautiful, it gives the film a perfect atmosphere of dread. The first scenes in Draculas house almost looks B&W, which looks stunning."

As the saying goes....Universal, the film company that doesn´t like film".

The top brass forgot the original universal horror film by Whale & co.

B&W is something directors has to fight for.....even today.

"Dracula is together with Franco's version, my favorite adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic."

Two films I haven´t seen yet.....great review and thanks.

[Douglas Cartland]

Can't agree more, Laurence Olivier's cringeworthy accents is the stuff of nightmares...

[George]

WIth all due respect, you were probably too young to see this film in theaters in 1979. I go along with all you say in your review, but this movie has to be seen in its original splendor, with rich colors (what you call the "colorful silliness that the cinema version offered"). At least people shoulb be offered a choice. I will not buy a copy, unless it gives me the luscious rich colors I saw back then.