Count Dracula (4 Stars)

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" has been filmed more often than any other story, supposedly 43 times so far. I own 9 versions of the Dracula story in my DVD collection. German film director Werner Herzog was so obsessed that he filmed the story twice with the same cast. There has even been a Japanese ballet version. What is it about this story that captures people's fantasy? Why does it never lose its appeal? Maybe it's because it's a story about eternal life, something that everyone wants. Maybe because it's a tale of good and evil. I can't give a definitive answer, I can only speculate.

The version that I'm reviewing here was filmed by the BBC for television broadcast in 1977 and split into two parts because of its length. Of all the versions I've seen it keeps closest to the original novel. It lacks the romantic pathos of Friedrich Murnau's 1922 version, and it isn't as sexual as Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version, but it lacks none of the suspense. By remaining accurate to the original book, even quoting snippets of dialogue, it stands as a masterpiece. The BBC evidently didn't invest much money in the film, but that's not a problem, except in the scenes where they attempted to produce special effects, which all turned out shoddy looking. If they had omitted the special effects altogether the film would have been better. I also have to chuckle about Richard Barnes' awful American accent, which is almost as bad as Tom Cruise's pathetic Irish accent. When casting an American character it would be wise to choose an American actor.

Nevertheless, this is a competent retelling of the tale. This is worth watching and comparing with all the other versions available.