Lugosi sinks his teeth into the most famous bloodsucker

DRACULA (1931)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

 Whether it is Bela Lugosi's frighteningly icy stare or Dwight Frye's madly incessant need for bugs, this "Dracula" is among the most beautiful interpretations of Bram Stoker's famous novel (though it does take all kinds of liberties from the original text). It is certainly Lugosi who brings an eerie sense of menace to the film, and he makes you actually feel uneasy while watching it.

At the beginning of this dreamlike film, we are treated to the sight of a carriage on its way to Transylvania. Mr. Renfield (Dwight Frye) is in the carriage which will take him to Castle Dracula for a business venture. "Castle Dracula?" asks one of the superstitious gypsies. "No!!!" Nevertheless, despite ominous warnings from the townspeople, Renfield continues on his journey. He finally arrives at the castle (minus a driver) and meets the graceful Count (Bela Lugosi) at the top of a staircase. Here Lugosi has one of his many famous lines during the first half-hour: "I am Dracula, and I bid you welcome," says Lugosi.

We finally enter the vast dining room where dinner awaits but there is no servant. The Count acts as host and stares at Renfield, wraithlike and obviously hungry for his blood. Renfield cuts his finger with a butterknife and attracts some bloodcurling attention from Dracula before being abruptly stopped by a dangling crucifix.

Afterwards, Renfield falls victim to the Count's fangs and becomes his servant, as they make the trek to Dracula's new property at Carfax Abbey in England. It is there where the Count immerses himself in the company of Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), his daughter, Mina Seward (Helen Chandler), and Jonathan Harker (mild-mannered David Manners). Of course, there are some pretty necks to take advantage of in the meantime, while the corpses with neck wounds baffle everyone except for vampire expert Dr. Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). Meanwhile, the deliriously mad Renfield (with his famously chattering laugh) is a patient at Dr. Seward's hospital, and thus contemplates with his lack of sanity and unwillingness to do his Master's bidding.

"Dracula" was directed by Tod Browning, who a year later helmed the controversial and frightening horror film "Freaks." Here, his astute direction plays tricks with the audience, and he does a competent job with the superb cinematographer Karl Freund. This telling of Dracula leaves everything to the imagination. In one shockingly good scene, Harker notices that there is a wolf outside the house after Dracula hastily leaves. Naturally, the wolf is Dracula, but in this film, we never see him change into a bat, wolf or fog. In fact, Lugosi never has any noticeable fangs! To make the film really work your imagination, we never see him arise from a coffin. Each time a coffin's lid is open, we see a close-up shot of a hand lifting it while the camera pans away to the left and back to the right to witness the Count standing next to the coffin with the lid closed!

What makes this "Dracula" indelible in everyone's minds is Lugosi - he was perfectly cast as the Hungarian accented Count. His frozen stares and piercing eyes evoke an unforgettable image of an animal seeking its prey yet doing it with poise and subtlety. This by no means is the best of the vampire flicks (both "Nosferatu" versions can lay claim to that status) yet all the sequels and remakes of the world will never match Bela Lugosi's bloody good performance.

Footnote: Originally, "Dracula" was released without an actual musical score, despite the use of the famous "Swan Lake" excerpt by Tchaikovsky played during the introductory and closing credits. Recently, avante-garde composer Philip Glass composed a truly melodic and moody score to accompany the film for the first time.