Film Review: Dracula (1979)

Film Review: Dracula (1979) | Ecency

(source:tmdb.org)

Count Dracula is arguably the most iconic of all characters in the history of the horror genre and, as such, he has spawned countless film incarnations. However, relatively few of them have tried to be faithful to Bram Stoker’s original novel. Dracula, the 1979 film directed by John Badham, could be seen as one of them, although its script wasn’t based on the novel itself, but on the 1924 stage adaptation by Hamilton Deane. This version, sanctioned by Bram Stoker’s estate as official, was revised by John Balderston for a Broadway adaptation in 1927. This stage version starred Bela Lugosi, who would later repeat the role in the classic 1931 film, in many ways responsible for setting the broad parameters of Dracula’s character in popular culture. In the 1970s, the play was revived on Broadway with Frank Langella in the starring role; its impact was such that Hollywood producers hired him to repeat it on the big screen.

The plot begins one stormy night in 1913 with a shipwreck off the coast of England. Apparently the only survivor is Count Dracula, a mysterious Romanian aristocrat who has purchased the abandoned Carfax Abbey. He was rescued by Mina Van Helsing (played by Jan Francis), a guest in the home of Dr Seward (played by Donald Pleasence), manager of the local lunatic asylum. Dracula visits Dr Seward and can’t fail to notice his daughter and Lucy’s best friend, Lucy (played by Kate Nelligan), and expresses his admiration in a way that doesn’t sit well with Lucy’s fiancé Jonathan Harker (played by Trevor Eve), who also happens to be Dracula’s solicitor. Soon afterwards, Mina is visited by Dracula, seduced and bitten, only to suddenly die shortly afterwards. Mina’s father, Professor Abraham Van Helsing (played by Laurence Olivier), arrives at the Sewards’ home and, after some strange incidents involving the apparent reappearance of his daughter, concludes that she was turned into a vampire and that Dracula might be responsible.

Despite being based on a stage play, Dracula manages to deliver a proper big-budget film experience to the audience. This is due to very good direction by John Badham, capable use of special effects, interesting production design (especially in the case of Dracula’s new home, Carfax Abbey) and a very effective music soundtrack by John Williams. The script by W. D. Richter generally doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and mostly stays close to the original source, with the characters of Mina and Lucy being switched as the only notable deviation.

What raises this Dracula above the others is the acting. Frank Langella, who had already perfected the role on stage, delivers a perfect performance and, while being true to the source, adds a new dimension to the iconic character. His Dracula isn’t introduced as a blood-sucking monster nor a menacing presence, but enters the film as a refined, well-mannered and well-spoken aristocrat and is later revealed to be a sort of romantic hero, both blessed and cursed with immortality and driven by the desire to find a perfect partner. It takes Laurence Olivier delivering an incredibly moving portrayal of Van Helsing as a grief-stricken father for the consequences of Dracula’s actions to be seen by the audience and for the conflict between the two sides to actually begin. Kate Nelligan delivers another memorable performance as a woman who attracts Dracula not simply for being beautiful, but also for being an independent and strong-willed woman; the chemistry between Nelligan and Langella is palpable and results in a strange but effective lovemaking scene that would look cheesy in any other film. Nelligan’s Lucy is far from a helpless victim and actually becomes Dracula’s formidable ally after she is turned. Even the supporting actors deliver memorable performances, which includes Donald Pleasence as a sort of comic relief and Trevor Eve, who does a very good job with the potentially thankless role of Dracula’s romantic rival.

Dracula is a very good film and arguably one of the best, if not the best, Dracula film ever made. Its reputation, however, has in many ways been influenced by a relatively modest box-office take and comparisons with the overhyped and ultra-stylish Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel. But the worst was the decision of John Badham in 1991 to issue a new digital version with deliberately desaturated colours, which was supposed to be closer to his original idea of Dracula being in black-and-white (vetoed by producers in 1979). That small detail made Dracula too “artsy” and significantly less attractive than in its original 1979 form. The film became the subject of intense debate among critics and film scholars, a debate further spawned by the 2019 DVD edition that finally offered viewers the chance to see both versions and decide for themselves. The controversy might have harmed Dracula, but it also served as proof of the film’s quality.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)