Dracula (1931) (Exclusive Series) (Tubi/Peacock)

Initial release date: February 14, 1931

Studio: Universal Pictures

Tagline: A Nightmare of Horror!

Plot: The dashing, mysterious Count Dracula, after hypnotizing a British soldier, Renfield, into his mindless slave, travels to London and takes up residence in an old castle. Soon Dracula begins to wreak havoc, sucking the blood of young women and turning them into vampires. When he sets his sights on Mina, the daughter of a prominent doctor, vampire hunter Van Helsing is enlisted to put a stop to the count's never-ending blood lust.

Cast

Bela Lugosi - Count Dracula

Helen Chandler - Mina

David Manners - John Harker

Dwight Frye - Renfield

Edward Van Sloan - Van Helsing

Herbert Bunston - Doctor Seward

Frances Dade - Lucy

Writer: Garret Fort

Director: Tod Browning

Not Rated (75 min)

After all these years, I was finally able to check out one of the early Universal monster classics! And, of course, I had to take a look at the 1931 film 'Dracula.'

This is definitely an absolute classic. 'Dracula' isn't quite as scary as some of the modern horror movies go. But, from what they had to work with decades ago, they did a phenomenal job.

The 1931 film has a nice little creepy atmosphere and Bela Lugosi is probably one of the BEST Dracula performers out there. There may be numerous other 'Dracula' adaptations out there to enjoy, but nothing can ever beat the 1931 original.

You can stream the original 'Dracula' via Tubi and Peacock. And, you can also rent it via YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Redbox, Vudu and Amazon Prime.

*** Due to time constraints with my schedule, I won't be able to check out 'Frankenstein' and 'The Wolf Man' like initially planned. Will likely check them out next year as long as they are available on any streaming platforms! I will be working on a special write up all about the Universal Monster franchise, which I should have finished up and posted by some point this weekend!!***

Here are SEVERAL interesting tidbits for 'Dracula':

• Lugosi was so eager to repeat his stage success and play the Dracula role for the film version, that he agreed to a contract paying him $500 a week for a seven week shooting schedule, a paltry sum even during the days of the Depression. In fact, his salary was only 1/4 that of actor David Manners (Harker). However, this fact might be misleading. Although Manners earned #2,000 a week, he likely didn't pocket all of that money. Manners was under contract to Warner Bros, which had "loaned out" their contract player at a rate considerably higher than the performer's weekly salary.

• In the scene where Dracula and Renfield are traveling to London by boat, the footage shown is borrowed from a Universal silent film called 'The Storm Breaker' from 1925. Silent films were projected at a different framers-per-second speed from that later adapted for sound films, accounting for the jerky moments and quicker than normal action of these shots.

• Dracula's castle was a painting on glass in front of the camera. The coach traveling along the road was real but the background was not.

• Although it was his most famous role, Lugosi played Dracula only once more on screen, in the comedy 'Abbot and Castello Meet Frankenstein' in 1948.

• Dracula never once blinks his eyes, an effect that enhances the undead character's otherworldly aura, abetted by Lugosi's famous, menacing stare.

• The original Broadway production starring Lugosi opened at the Fulton Theater on October 5, 1927 and ran for 261 performances. Also in the original cast was Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing and Herbert Bunston as Doctor Seward. These three were the only actors from the 1927 Broadway production to repeat their roles in the film.

• The large, expensive sets built for the Transylvania castle and Carfax Alley sequences remained standing after filming was completed, and were used by Universal for many other movies for over a decade.

• The movie's line "Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make" was voted as the No. 83 movie quote by the AFI (out of 100).

• Some of the original prints of the film were tinted green to give it a more eerie look.

• Generally regarded as the film that kick-started the Horror genre in Hollywood.

• Bram Stoker's novel had already been filmed without permission as 'Nosferatu' in 1922 by German Expressionist filmmaker F.W. Murnau. Stoker's widow sued for plagiarism and copyright infringement, and the courts decided in her favor, essentially ordering that all prints of the film be destroyed.

• The film's historic dramatics from the stage play are also reflected in its sound effects, which are limited to fog, lighting and large flexible bats. Dracula's transition from bat to person is always done off camera.

• The film also employs extended periods of silence and character close-ups for dramatic effect, and employs two expository inter-titles and a close-up of a newspaper article to advance the story, a seeming holdover from silent films.

• Owing to the costs of adding an original musical score to a film's soundtrack, no score had ever been composed specifically for the film. In 1998, composer Philip Glass was commissioned to compose a musical score for the classic film.

• 'Dracula' was a big gamble for a major Hollywood studio to undertake. In spite of the literary credentials of the source material, it was uncertain if an American audience was prepared for a serious full length supernatural chiller.

• When the film finally premiered at the Roxy Theatre in NYC on February 12, 1931 (released two days later throughout the US), papers reported that members of the audience fainted in shock at the horror on screen.

• This publicity, shrewdly orchestrated by the film studio, helped ensure people came to see the film, if for no other reason than curiosity. Within 48 hours of its Roxy Theatre opening, it had sold 50,000 tickets, building a momentum that culminated in a $700,000 profit, the largest of Universal's 1931 releases.

• After the commercial/critical success of 'Dracula, Universal released 'Frankenstein' later that same year. Universal in particular would become the forefront of early horror cinema, with a canon of films, including 'The Mummy,' 'The Invisible Man,' 'Bridge of Frankenstein' and 'The Wolf Man.'

• Since its release, 'Dracula' has become widely regarded as a classic of an era and of its genre. In 2000, it was selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

https://youtu.be/VoaMw91MC9k