Dracula (1931)

     I feel like anything that I can say about this movie has already been said.  Most anyone that loves these classic movies, loves Lugosi's Dracula.  And they should because I'm not sure that any actor has ever owned a role like Lugosi did in this movie.  That commanding presence, that thick accent, those hand gestures.........all iconic.  A role that ended up being both a gift and curse to the man.  But I'm not covering any new ground by pointing those things out.  We're all aware of it.  We're also well aware of how good Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan are in this and how atmospheric this movie is, so I don't feel the need to go into any of that in great detail.

     There is no question that this movie is great.  The only real questions surrounding this movie generally are "Do you enjoy watching this with the updated Philip Glass score?" or "What color was the inner lining of Lugosi's cape?".   I've tried to watch Dracula with the Philip Glass score and I didn't care for it.  After about 20 minutes, I stopped.  The fact that there is no music in this movie, save for the Swan Lake piece, adds an eerie quality to it.  And what about that snippet of Swan Lake that we hear at the beginning credits?  We hear it again at the beginning of The Mummy but I have to be honest; every time I hear that music, I think of Lugosi's Dracula.  And for the record, the inside of Lugosi's cape in the movie is gray.  At least that's my understanding.  We envision it as red, but if the cape were red, it would have been much darker on film.  I believe Lugosi went through many colored capes in his career.  Before filming Dracula, Lugosi of course played him on stage.  Some early reviews pointed out that the inside of the cape was purple, others say orange.  I think I read that his Dracula cape from A&C Meet Frankenstein was of a pink/salmon color.  But in Dracula (1931) it was said to be a grey/silver.

     It is often pointed out that we never get around to staking poor Lucy in the heart.  It was scripted but never shot due to budget/time restraints.  So Lucy must still be wondering about London, preying on children right?  I think for the benefit of this movie and the sequel (Dracula's Daughter),  I'm going to assume that Dracula took care of Lucy himself, deciding that she was drawing too much attention.  This is London after all, not Transylvania.  The vampires ability to survive depends on laying low and in secrecy.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

     One last thing.  I can't recommend the Blu-Ray enough.  If not for the picture, then definitely for the sound quality, which is amazing.  Lugosi never sounded clearer or better.
                                                             GRADE: A+