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"I don t drink...wine."- The Dracula Thread

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  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    ToTheRight wrote: »
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    The same year as DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS came out, also saw the release of the low-budget movie BILY THE KID VS DRACULA. Directed by William Beaudine, and with John Carradine reprising his role from the Universal mash-up films. Shot simultaneosly as JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN S DAUGHTER by the same director.
    Stuntman Chuck Courtney as Billy the Kid.

    Here is a review of the movie.

    Great review. BILLY THE KID VS DRACULA is a fond favorite of mine. A lot of fun. Some great Carradine moments:
    HOW DARE YOU INTERFEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!!!

    Tonight Ii went to a 16mm screening of DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968).
    I had a blast and there was a decent turn out. This was an open matte Technicolor print, though a few frames were replaced with a reddish faded Eastmancolor stock.
    I'd never seen a film print screening of a Hammer horror before tonight and it goes to show how vibrant and rich film stock is compared to digital DVD or Blu-ray.
    For instance on the DVD the blood is very bright and looks a bit like stage blood. On film it's thicker and richer. Darker. I have yet to see HAS RISEN on Blu-ray.

    The film had it's share of scratches, but that made it all the more charming, and the sound was excellent. Looked to be a 1:33 aspect ratio as opposed to 1:85 or whatever.
    Lee projected on the big screen as Dracula oozes in menace and danger. Damn, now I want to see all of his Drac flicks on film.

    DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE was directed by Freddie Francis, as Terence Fisher had fallen sick. This one takes place in 1906, and was shot at Pinewood.

    Fourth film in the Hammer series, and the third featuring Dracula himself. The second entry was BRIDES OF DRACULA(1960), also directed by Fisher.Dracula isn t present there.
    Brides-of-Dracula-The_03.jpg
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    Brides of Dracula is a great one nonetheless.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    How I first discovered the novel : https://vraiefiction.blogspot.com/2018/10/when-i-first-read-dracula.html?m=1
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,191
    I quite enjoyed reading that, @Ludovico !
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The same year as DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, an episode of the British tv series Mystery and Imagination was an adaptation of Stoker s novel (titled Dracula), with Denholm Elliott as Dracula.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I quite enjoyed reading that, @Ludovico !

    Thanks.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    Thunderfinger wrote: »

    Great video, but they left out Anouska Hempel's bite and Wendy Hamilton's in SCARS.

    Fun to watch this though. I really feel Lee looked better and better as the series progressed. By AD 1972 he looks truly imposing.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Agree about his looks.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    The same year as DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, an episode of the British tv series Mystery and Imagination was an adaptation of Stoker s novel (titled Dracula), with Denholm Elliott as Dracula.

    I've watched this in bits and pieces on Youtube. Quite interesting take, Elliot looks pretty cool as the Count. I've seen a couple color photos that show his cloak as a deep blue rather than black.
    Not sure if I like this or the Norman Welsh TV adaptation more.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I too have just watched bits and pieces. Doesn t interest me that much.

    Elliott sure is far removed from his Marcus Brody character there.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    I too have just watched bits and pieces. Doesn t interest me that much.

    Elliott sure is far removed from his Marcus Brody character there.

    I like his rapport with Jack Palance in THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. Interesting to see 2 television Draculas side by side. Palance was one of my favorite Counts.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I haven t seen that. Palance was awesome. Interesting that they picked him as Dracula after the Marvel series came out, because Marvel s original Dracula as depicted by Gene Colan looks a lot like Palance.
    GeneColan_TombofDracula_AE-hi46-14.jpg
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    I haven t seen that. Palance was awesome. Interesting that they picked him as Dracula after the Marvel series came out, because Marvel s original Dracula as depicted by Gene Colan looks a lot like Palance.
    GeneColan_TombofDracula_AE-hi46-14.jpg

    Colan said in interviews he based his likeness a bit on Palance. I always thought the comic's Dracula had an interesting cloak. Looks like a giant collar or even a hood in some panels. He also has lower fangs.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The Marv Wolfman/Gene Colan run is the very best.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    I used to have several issues of DRACULA LIVES! as well. Different artists, but several seemed inspired by Colan's Count. Most gave him the John Carradine pencil thin mustache.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Christopher Lee also appears as a vampire in the 1969 spoof THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN directed by Joseph McGrath. John Cleese and Graham Chapman appear in a few scenes written by themselves pre-Monty Python. All songs written by Paul McCartney. It is unclear wether Lee is supposed to be Dracula.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    In 1969, Christopher Lee played Dracula in a Spanish-Italian-German-British co-production outside the Hammer series, released in 1970: NACHTS, WENN DRACULA ERWACHTS/IL CONTE DRACULA/EL CONDE DRACULA/LES NUITS DE DRACULA aka COUNT DRACULA
    Directed by Jesus Franco and with later Dracula Klaus Kinski as Renfield. I think this was the first Lee film I saw in the cinema,some time in the 80s.It follows the novel more closely than the Hammer films.
    4ba1e4675aa34e115b7a27ed6fdbb7ca--vintage-film-vintage-horror.jpg
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,191
    That is a very good film, @Thunderfinger, and one I prefer over anything Hammer the man has done. I love this film's general mood, its eerie vibes, the acting, the stylistic choices. This is one of my favourite Dracula films.
  • Some_Kind_Of_HeroSome_Kind_Of_Hero
    Posts: 6,844
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    a Spanish-Italian-German-British co-production

    The Netherlands didn't want in on the action?
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,191
    They were making smaller but sexier films over there at the time.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    That was a terrible movie. Only good thing in it was Christopher Lee and that they sort of tried to be close to the book at some point. Lee looked very much like the Dracula of the novel in it. Otherwise what a turkey.
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    edited November 2018 Posts: 16,170
    The Franco film I believe is still the only version to attempt Dracula's looks specifically as described in the book. Lee would later refer to the film as indifferent, but was glad to have been able to present the character true to the book.

    I like the film very much, though I do have to be in the mood for it.

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Despite Lee tiring of the Dracula role, 1970 was a busy vampiric year. It also saw the release of Hammer s fifth film in the series, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, the directorial debut of Peter Sasdy.
    v1.bjsxODgyMDk7ajsxNzg2NzsxMjAwOzIwMDA7MTk4Mw
    From the Bond films we recognize Geoffrey Keen (the Defense Minister TSWLM-TLD) and Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso, LALD)
  • ToTheRightToTheRight
    Posts: 16,170
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Despite Lee tiring of the Dracula role, 1970 was a busy vampiric year. It also saw the release of Hammer s fifth film in the series, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, the directorial debut of Peter Sasdy.
    v1.bjsxODgyMDk7ajsxNzg2NzsxMjAwOzIwMDA7MTk4Mw
    From the Bond films we recognize Geoffrey Keen (the Defense Minister TSWLM-TLD) and Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso, LALD)

    I love James Bernard's beautiful score in TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, probably my favorite music in the series.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    edited November 2018 Posts: 45,489
    1970 also saw the release of the Jerry Lewis directed comedy ONE MORE TIME (made the previous year). Christopher Lee has a cameo as Dracula here as well.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,146
    Is this the right place to do a ranking of the Hammer Dracs?

    1. Dracula (1958) 10/10
    2. The Brides of Dracula (1960) 9/10
    3. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) 8/10
    4. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) 8/10
    5. Scars of Dracula (1970) 7/10
    6. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) 6/10
    7. Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970) 6/10
    8. The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) 5/10
    9. The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1972) 5/10
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Despite Lee tiring of the Dracula role, 1970 was a busy vampiric year. It also saw the release of Hammer s fifth film in the series, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, the directorial debut of Peter Sasdy.
    v1.bjsxODgyMDk7ajsxNzg2NzsxMjAwOzIwMDA7MTk4Mw
    From the Bond films we recognize Geoffrey Keen (the Defense Minister TSWLM-TLD) and Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso, LALD)

    This is one I suspect where Dracula was added later on in the creative process. A very flawed movie but the premise is interesting : instead of horny teenagers exploring taboos, like the next decades will have as starting point of many horror stories, you have depraved middle aged men trying to get more excitement in their life and thus making themselves and their loved ones vulnerable. Dracula was not really needed.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Is this the right place to do a ranking of the Hammer Dracs?

    [/b]

    Definitely the place for that.
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Despite Lee tiring of the Dracula role, 1970 was a busy vampiric year. It also saw the release of Hammer s fifth film in the series, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, the directorial debut of Peter Sasdy.
    v1.bjsxODgyMDk7ajsxNzg2NzsxMjAwOzIwMDA7MTk4Mw
    From the Bond films we recognize Geoffrey Keen (the Defense Minister TSWLM-TLD) and Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso, LALD)

    This is one I suspect where Dracula was added later on in the creative process.

    You are right. Lord Courtley was the vampire baddie in the original script, but the American distributor refused to distribute the film without Dracula, so Lee was persuaded by Hammer to return.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,134
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    Is this the right place to do a ranking of the Hammer Dracs?

    [/b]

    Definitely the place for that.
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Despite Lee tiring of the Dracula role, 1970 was a busy vampiric year. It also saw the release of Hammer s fifth film in the series, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, the directorial debut of Peter Sasdy.
    v1.bjsxODgyMDk7ajsxNzg2NzsxMjAwOzIwMDA7MTk4Mw
    From the Bond films we recognize Geoffrey Keen (the Defense Minister TSWLM-TLD) and Madeline Smith (Miss Caruso, LALD)

    This is one I suspect where Dracula was added later on in the creative process.

    You are right. Lord Courtley was the vampire baddie in the original script, but the American distributor refused to distribute the film without Dracula, so Lee was persuaded by Hammer to return.

    I knew it! It made perfect sense as the vampiric elements and Dracula were shoehorned. I wished they'd stuck to the original script.
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