Dracula (1931 version) (5 Stars)

Today would have been my mother's 90th birthday, if she hadn't died in April 2010. It's appropriate that I watched this film today. One of my happiest memories from my childhood was watching horror films with my mother on Friday night. They were the vintage horror films, from Universal Studios and Hammer Horror.

My mother and I were very close. We had similar personalities and temperaments. On the other side of the family, my father and my sister were similar. My sister was always angry when my mother told her she was like her father, but it was obvious to everyone that they were alike. My mother and I bonded from an early age, closer than a normal mother-son relationship. We were friends. Close friends. She used to complain to me about the problems she had with my father. I'm not saying that he was a bad man, but he was emotionally cold. He was incapable of expressing affection, because he considered it a sign of weakness. My mother needed affection (just like me), and she suffered when he didn't give it.

It was my mother who gave me my love for Chinese meals. We often went for a meal together, just the two of us. Neither my father nor my sister were interested in foreign food. My mother also gave me my love for horror films.

Many actors have played Dracula over the years. Whatever disagreements there might be over the acting abilities, none are as iconic as Bela Lugosi. Whenever someone mentions Dracula, it's Bela Lugosi's face that people think about.

How does he do that with his hands?

The 1922 version omitted a lot of details from Bram Stoker's novel. The 1931 version includes more, though not everything. I'm happy to say that we see Dracula's three brides, played by Dorothy Tree, Geraldine Dvorak and Cornelia Thaw. I can't guarantee that I've put the names in the right order.

Purists, including me, don't approve of the colourisation of old black and white films. I have to say that the three brides look much better in colour. Don't you agree?

So what will my next Dracula film be? I already know, but I'll let it be a surprise for my readers.

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