Grade: A
Synopsis: The vampire Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) travels to England and preys on a doctor’s daughter.
Dracula is the vampire movie. Sure, F.W. Marnau’s Nosferatu may have been first, but show 10 people a picture of Lugosi as Dracula next to a picture of Schreck as Orlok and I’ll wager more people recognize Lugosi any day. Hell, half the people probably won’t have seen either film, but they’ll still know Lugosi’s Dracula.
Lugosi’s become so synonymous with the role that his interpretation has become more definitive than author Bram Stoker’s, and for good reason. He comes across as simultaneously charming and menacing, and his scenes opposite Edward Van Sloan’s Van Helsing are dynamite.
For his part, director Tod Browning moves the story along at a break-neck pace, allowing the audience to fill in the most of the story’s transitions. Further, he does a great job building suspense without any soundtrack, just an eerie quiet and a lot of atmosphere.
Finally, aside from the string operated bats, the film ages very well. The sets look great and the script’s liberal use of black comedy (“I never drink… wine”) keeps the dialog from going stale.
Unfortunately, the film isn’t perfect. Helen Chandler and David Manners have little chemistry and their scenes pale next to Lugosi’s and Van Sloan’s. Thankfully, Browning seemed to realize this and minimizes their parts, but nonetheless, they are the weak link.
Bottom Line: This Dracula is the one against which all others are judged. Highly Recommended.
