Dracula [DVD]

I recently watched through all the major Dracula movies, and this was not one I was looking forward to. From what little I had heard, I was tempted to skip this one.I'm glad that I didn't. Langella's Dracula is a refreshing take on the role, playing him as a sharp and engaging aristocrat who also just happens to be a vampire. Donald Pleasance and Laurence Olivier are also brilliant to see on screen together.The one problem is the colour grading - the version available is not the theatrical version, the director has revisited the movie and muted the colours significantly, resulting in quite a dull picture on screen. This didn't ruin the movie for me, but I wish I could have seen the more vibrant version that appeared in cinemas.

John Badham's 70s version of Dracula hasn't been especially well-loved: an adaptation of the popular Broadway revival of the stage version, it lacks one of the key things that made the stage version so memorable (Edward Gorey's monochrome production design), makes considerable diversions from the novel (being as it is based on the stage version, which does the same), and has a fangless Dracula - Langella refused to don the teeth.BUT: it has Frank Langella, and he is majestic. Crueller sorts have compared him to a Lothario tennis-coach Dracula, but his charisma in this flows off the screen in abundance. His is a softer Dracula, sensual, enticing; a bit like Louis Jourdan in the earlier BBC version. Still brutal and animalistic but a lover more than a fighter.Universal's bluray of this is profoundly disappointing: the most problematic issue is that it still features the director's revisionist version of the film. Unfortunately, since the laserdisc days, Badham has preferred to make his film available only in a desaturated version mimicking a near black-and-white palette. This would not be a problem if a) the film was shot like that, which it wasn't; Gilbert Taylor's cinematography was wonderfully lush and b) if he chose to make the original version available alongside it, which he neglected to.Depending on your player and display, you can goose some colour back into the proceedings without it looking too artificial, but it's a poor solution.This really is a crying shame as this 70s Dracula is a terrific romp, has a wonderfully magnetic performance from Langella, a rousing John Williams score (one of his best) and a great supporting cast (dour Trevor Eve aside). Just ignore the Maurice Binder-designed laser-tunnel disco love scene. Or turn up the volume to 11 and enjoy it for what it is, I certainly do!Four stars for the film, three for the bluray incarnation. Shamefully, the UK bluray has also lost the special features (commentary, making of) present on the DVD and US bluray. Thanks, Universal!

Count Dracula arrives in England in the early 20th century. Nothing like the original novel though to be fair most Dracula movies are nothing like the original novel this does have an excellent cast that makes this 70's version coming so soon after the superior for me Hammer movies worth watching including Frank Langella excellent as Dracula even without the fangs reviving his role from the 70's Broadway play, Donald Pleasance as Dr Seward, Trevor Eve as Jonathan Harker and a clearly slumming it Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing. It's a decent enough watch just not up among the all time great Dracula movies. Doctor Who fans can watch out for a very brief appearance from a young Sylvester McCoy, the 7th Doctor.

Firstly I have to say I really enjoyed this take on dracula,original stylish and gothic, however it is let down by a washed out and drained looking picture! Come on universal give this film what it deserves, and find the original cinema quality print and a proper blu ray release! Very disappointed hence three stars!

Haven't watched this for years, about 30 years. It's still a fantastic film about the Count and doesn't look too dated, in fact it still looks great. The HD transfer is fantastic.The issue over the de-colourisation, which put me off buying it, isn't has bad as I thought. The main issue with that is that the lack of colour makes some scenes look almost green, rather than colour or black and white. i thought it would really put me off watching it but it didn't. I can see, in a lot of scenes, where the lack of colour actually does make it look better. However, other scenes, such as scenic moments outside could definately do with the colour putting back, it made the area and country side look far to bleak.The acting, still great, Frank Langella makes for one of the most engaging, and attractive, Dracula's ever and Trevor Eve was great has Harker.All in all, still love this film, still holds up after all these years and doesn't look that date, considering it was released in 1979. I now believe it is definately OK to buy it now, and not just rent it on Amazon Instant.

Overall I would say this is a very good movie that portrays the legendary character of Count Dracula and other important characters in the story that stems from Bram Stoker's novel. The plot flows well in the movie and all characters are well rounded and credible; I liked the portrayal of Dracula as a romantic-Gothic hero and I think this was an original and brave choice. If anything, there may be a couple of scenes that perhaps were meant to be scary and horror-like, but they may seem naive today, for instance when Dr. Van Helsing meets his undead daughter Mina in the mines by her grave. However, it was 1979 therefore it must have been an effective scene then, accompanied by all very good acting.