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{{short description|1970 film}}
{{Short description|1970 film by Jesús Franco}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Count Dracula
| name = Count Dracula
| image = Condedracula.jpg
| image = Condedracula.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption = International theatrical release poster
| caption = International theatrical release poster
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|de|'''Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht'''}}
| director = [[Jesús Franco]]<ref name="filmportal">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/nachts-wenn-dracula-erwacht_ea43d4a6cef35006e03053d50b37753d|work=Filmportal.de|title=Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht|access-date=29 October 2012}}</ref>
| director = [[Jesús Franco]]<ref name="filmportal">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/nachts-wenn-dracula-erwacht_ea43d4a6cef35006e03053d50b37753d|work=Filmportal.de|title=Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht|access-date=29 October 2012}}</ref>
| producer = [[Harry Alan Towers]]<ref name="filmportal" />
| producer = [[Harry Alan Towers]]<ref name="filmportal" />
| screenplay = {{plainlist|
| screenplay = {{plainlist|
* Augusto Finocchi<ref name="filmportal" />
* Augusto Finocchi<ref name="filmportal" />
* Jesús Franco
* '''English version:''' {{hlist|[[Peter Welbeck]]}}
* '''English version:''' {{hlist|[[Peter Welbeck]]}}
* '''Spanish version:''' {{hlist|Jesús Franco}}
* '''Italian version:''' {{hlist|Carlo Fadda<br />Milo G. Cuccia}}
* '''Italian version:''' {{hlist|Carlo Fadda<br>Milo G. Cuccia}}
* '''German version:''' {{hlist|Dietmar Behnke}}<ref name="Archivio" /><ref name="BFI" />
* '''German version:''' {{hlist|Dietmar Behnke}}<ref name="Archivio" /><ref name="BFI" />
}}
}}
Line 33: Line 33:
* Luciano Trasatti<ref name="filmportal" />
* Luciano Trasatti<ref name="filmportal" />
}}
}}
| editing = {{ubl|[[Bruno Mattei]]|Derek Parsons<ref name="filmportal" />}}
| editing = {{ubl|[[Bruno Mattei]]|Derek Parsons<ref name="filmportal" />|'''Spanish version:'''|María Luisa Soriano}}
| production_companies = {{plainlist|
| production_companies = {{plainlist|
* Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica
* Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica
Line 40: Line 40:
* Towers of London<ref name="filmportal" /><ref name="Archivio" />
* Towers of London<ref name="filmportal" /><ref name="Archivio" />
}}
}}
| distributor = [[Variety Distribution]]
| distributor = {{ubl|
⚫
* [[Gloria Film]] (West Germany)
⚫
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1970|04|03|Germany|ref1=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/nachts-wenn-dracula-erwacht_ea43d4a6cef35006e03053d50b37753d|work=Filmportal.de|access-date=29 October 2012|title=Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht}}</ref>}}
* INDIEF (Italy)<ref name="Archivio" />
* Arce Film (Spain)
* [[Hemdale]] (UK)
}}
⚫
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1970|04|03|West Germany|ref1=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/nachts-wenn-dracula-erwacht_ea43d4a6cef35006e03053d50b37753d|work=Filmportal.de|access-date=29 October 2012|title=Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht}}</ref>|1970|11|16|Spain|1973|07||UK|1973|09|10|Italy}}
| runtime = 97 minutes
| runtime = 97 minutes
| country = {{plainlist|
| country = {{plainlist|
* West Germany<ref name=lumiere>{{Cite web |title=El conde Drácula |url=https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/movie/14277# |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=[[European Audiovisual Observatory]]}}</ref>
* Spain
* Italy
* Italy<ref name=lumiere/>
* Spain<ref name=lumiere/>
⚫
* West Germany
⚫
* United Kingdom<ref name="filmportal" /><ref name="BFI">{{cite web|title=El Conde Dracula (1970)|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7048476c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202073920/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7048476c|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2017|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date= 25 January 2017}}</ref>
* Liechtenstein
⚫
* United Kingdom<ref name="filmportal" /><ref name="BFI">{{cite web|title=El Conde Dracula (1970)|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7048476c|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date= 25 January 2017}}</ref>
}}
}}
| language =
| language = English
| budget =
| budget =
| gross =
| gross =
}}
}}
'''''Count Dracula''''' ({{lang-de|Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht|translation=''At night, when Dracula awakens''}}) is a 1970 [[gothic horror]] film directed by [[Jesús Franco]], based on the novel ''[[Dracula]]'' by [[Bram Stoker]]. It stars [[Christopher Lee]], [[Herbert Lom]] and [[Klaus Kinski]].


'''''Count Dracula''''' ({{langx|de|'''Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht'''|lit=At night, when Dracula awakens}}; also known as '''''El Conde Dracula''''', '''''Bram Stoker's Count Dracula''''', '''''Il Conte Dracula''''') is a 1970 [[horror film]] directed and co-written by [[Jesús Franco]], based on the novel ''[[Dracula]]'' by [[Bram Stoker]]. It stars [[Christopher Lee]] as Dracula, [[Herbert Lom]] as [[Abraham Van Helsing|Van Helsing]], and [[Klaus Kinski]] as [[Renfield]], along with [[Fred Williams (actor)|Fred Williams]], [[Maria Rohm]], [[Soledad Miranda]], [[Paul Muller (actor)|Paul Muller]], and [[Jack Taylor (American actor)|Jack Taylor]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Count Dracula |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150159407 |access-date=25 August 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref>
⚫
Although ''Count Dracula'' stars Lee in the title role, it is not a [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer]] production like [[Dracula (Hammer film series)|his other Dracula films]], being produced instead by [[Harry Alan Towers]]. Klaus Kinski, who would play Dracula himself nine years later in ''[[Nosferatu the Vampyre]]'', is also featured in the film as Renfield. ''Count Dracula'' was advertised as the most faithful adaptation of [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3656804/Great-adaptations-Dracula.html |title= Great Adaptions - Dracula |access-date=27 January 2009 |work= The Daily Telegraph|date= 27 November 2006| location=London | first=Philip | last=Horne}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=not mentioned in source provided|date=December 2015}} Among other details, it was the first film version of the novel in which Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds upon fresh blood.


The film was an international co-production between West Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.<ref name="lumiere" /><ref name="filmportal" /> Although ''Count Dracula'' stars Lee in the title role, it is not a [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer]] production like [[Dracula (Hammer film series)|his other Dracula films]], being produced instead by [[Harry Alan Towers]].
The film was shot at the [[Tirrenia Studios]] and [[location shooting|on location]] in Spain. The film's sets were designed by the [[art director]] [[Karl Schneider (art director)|Karl Schneider]].

⚫
On initial release, ''Count Dracula'' was advertised as the most faithful adaptation of [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel to date.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horne |first=Philip |date=27 November 2006 |title=Great Adaptions - Dracula |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3656804/Great-adaptations-Dracula.html |access-date=27 January 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=not mentioned in source provided|date=December 2015}} Among other details, it was the first film version of the novel in which Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds upon fresh blood.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
Jonathan Harker, a lawyer traveling from London to Transylvania to secure property for Count Dracula, arrives at Bistritz to stay for the night. There, he is warned by a concerned lady against continuing his journey. Believing that her concerns are rooted in peasant superstition, he ignores her, but starts to feel unnerved by the way everyone looks at him. Harker later arrives at the Borgo Pass, where the Count's mysterious coachman picks him up.
[[Jonathan Harker]], a lawyer traveling from [[London]] to [[Transylvania]] to secure property for [[Count Dracula]], arrives at [[Bistrița|Bistritz]] to stay for the night. There, he is warned by a concerned lady against continuing his journey. Believing that her concerns are rooted in peasant superstition, he ignores her, but starts to feel unnerved by the way everyone looks at him. Harker later arrives at the [[Borgo Pass]], where the Count's mysterious coachman picks him up.


Harker disembarks at Castle Dracula, and the coach immediately rushes off. Harker approaches the main door and meets a thin, tall, gaunt old man. He turns out to be Dracula and takes Harker to his bedchamber. There, Harker notices that Dracula casts no reflection.
Harker disembarks at Castle Dracula, and the coach immediately rushes off. Harker approaches the main door and meets a thin, tall, gaunt old man. He turns out to be Dracula and takes Harker to his bedchamber. There, Harker notices that Dracula casts no reflection.


Later, Harker goes to sleep and wakes in an ancient crypt where three beautiful vampiresses harass him. Dracula rushes into the room and orders them to leave Harker alone. He then gives them a baby to feed on. Harker wakes up screaming in his room and assumes it was a nightmare, but two small wounds on his neck indicate otherwise.
Later, Harker goes to sleep and wakes in an ancient crypt where [[Brides of Dracula|three beautiful vampiresses]] harass him. Dracula rushes into the room and orders them to leave Harker alone. He then gives them a baby to feed on. Harker wakes up screaming in his room and assumes it was a nightmare, but two small wounds on his neck indicate otherwise.


Harker soon realises he is a prisoner, and tries to escape by climbing out his bedroom window. He finds his way back to the crypt where Count Dracula and his three brides rest in coffins. Harker runs out of the crypt screaming, and jumps out of the castle's tower into the river below.
Harker soon realises he is a prisoner, and tries to escape by climbing out his bedroom window. He finds his way back to the crypt where Count Dracula and his three brides rest in coffins. Harker runs out of the crypt screaming, and jumps out of the castle's tower into the river below.


Harker wakes up in a private psychiatric clinic outside London, owned by Dr. Van Helsing, in the care of Dr. Seward. He is told he was found delirious in a river near Budapest. No one believes his story about Castle Dracula until Van Helsing finds the two punctures on Harker's neck. Harker's fiancée Mina and her close friend Lucy also arrive to help take care of him. Unbeknownst to them, Count Dracula has followed Harker back to England and now resides in an abandoned abbey close to the hospital.
Harker wakes up in a private psychiatric clinic outside London, owned by [[Abraham Van Helsing|Dr. Van Helsing]], in the care of [[John Seward|Dr. Seward]]. He is told he was found delirious in a river near [[Budapest]]. No one believes his story about Castle Dracula until Van Helsing finds the two punctures on Harker's neck. Harker's fiancée [[Mina Harker|Mina]] and her close friend [[Lucy Westenra|Lucy]] also arrive to help take care of him. Unbeknownst to them, Count Dracula has followed Harker back to England and now resides in an abandoned abbey close to the hospital.


As Mina takes care of Harker, her friend Lucy's health strangely declines. Dracula has been secretly appearing to her by night and drinking her blood, growing younger as he feeds off his victim. Quincey Morris, Lucy's fiancé, joins Drs. Seward and Van Helsing in an attempt to save Lucy by giving her blood transfusions.
As Mina takes care of Harker, her friend Lucy's health strangely declines. Dracula has been secretly appearing to her by night and drinking her blood, growing younger as he feeds off his victim. [[Quincey Morris]], Lucy's fiancé, joins Drs. Seward and Van Helsing in an attempt to save Lucy by giving her blood transfusions.


One of the patients at the clinic, R. M. Renfield, becomes of considerable interest to the men. Renfield is classed as a ''zoophagus'': he eats flies and insects in order to consume their life, believing that each life he consumes increases his own. He reacts violently whenever Dracula is nearby. He later dies from shock.
One of the patients at the clinic, [[Renfield|R. M. Renfield]], becomes of considerable interest to the men. Renfield is classed as a ''zoophagus'': he eats flies and insects in order to consume their life, believing that each life he consumes increases his own. He reacts violently whenever Dracula is nearby. He later dies from shock.


Lucy eventually dies, becomes one of the undead and murders a young child. The ordeal is put to an end when Quincey, Seward and Van Helsing ambush Lucy, stake her through the heart and decapitate her. Harker, restored to health, joins the group who now are sure that Count Dracula is a vampire.
Lucy eventually dies, becomes one of the undead and murders a young child. The ordeal is put to an end when Quincey, Seward and Van Helsing ambush Lucy, stake her through the heart and decapitate her. Harker, restored to health, joins the group who now are sure that Count Dracula is a vampire.


Dracula turns his attention to Mina and begins corrupting her as well. Van Helsing suddenly has a stroke and remains in a wheelchair. Dracula visits the weakened man, mocking his attempts to destroy him. Quincey, Harker and Seward track Dracula to the abandoned abbey, but he has fled to Transylvania with the aid of a traveling Gypsy band.
Dracula turns his attention to Mina and begins corrupting her as well. Van Helsing suddenly has a stroke and remains in a wheelchair. Dracula visits the weakened man, mocking his attempts to destroy him. Quincey, Harker and Seward track Dracula to the abandoned abbey, but he has fled to Transylvania with the aid of a traveling [[Romani people|Romani]] band.


As Count Dracula's Gypsy servants take him back to his castle, he is trailed by Harker and Quincey. After battling the Gypsies, the two heroes find Dracula's coffin and set it on fire. Dracula, unable to escape in full daylight, is consumed by flames.
As Count Dracula's Gypsy servants take him back to his castle, he is trailed by Harker and Quincey. After battling the Romani, the two heroes find Dracula's coffin and set it on fire. Dracula, unable to escape in full daylight, is consumed by flames.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
{{castlist|
* [[Christopher Lee]] as [[Count Dracula]]
* [[Christopher Lee]] as [[Count Dracula]]
* [[Herbert Lom]] as [[Abraham Van Helsing|Professor Abraham Van Helsing]]
* [[Herbert Lom]] as [[Abraham Van Helsing|Professor Abraham Van Helsing]]
* [[Klaus Kinski]] as [[Renfield|R.M. Renfield]]
* [[Klaus Kinski]] as [[Renfield|R.M. Renfield]]
* [[Fred Williams (actor)|Frederick Williams]] as [[Jonathan Harker]]
* [[Fred Williams (actor)|Fred Williams]] as [[Jonathan Harker]]
* [[Maria Rohm]] as [[Mina Harker|Mina Murray]]
* [[Maria Rohm]] as [[Mina Harker|Mina Murray]]
* [[Soledad Miranda]] as [[Lucy Westenra]]
* [[Soledad Miranda]] as [[Lucy Westenra]]
⚫
* [[Paul Müller (actor)|Paul Muller]] as [[John Seward|Dr. John "Jack" Seward]]
* [[Jack Taylor (actor)|Jack Taylor]] as [[Quincey Morris]]
* [[Jack Taylor (actor)|Jack Taylor]] as [[Quincey Morris]]
⚫
* [[Paul Müller (actor)|Paul Muller]] as [[John Seward|Dr. John "Jack" Seward]]
⚫
* [[Jesús Puente]] as the Minister of Interior
* Franco Castellani as Renfield's Warden
* Franco Castellani as Renfield's Warden
⚫
* [[Jesús Puente]] as the Minister of Interior
* José Martínez Blanco as Traveller
* [[Emma Cohen]] and Jeannine Mestre as [[Brides of Dracula]] ''(uncredited)''
* [[Teresa Gimpera]] as Crying Mother ''(uncredited)''
* [[Jesús Franco]] as Van Helsing's Servant ''(uncredited)''
}}

==Production==
The production originally planned use [[Barrandov Studios]] in [[Czechoslovakia]], but due to budgetary constrains filming took place at Balcázar Studios in [[Barcelona|Barcelona, Spain]]. The scenes at Professor Van Helsing's sanatorium were shot at [[Tirrenia Studios]] in Italy. Exteriors were shot mainly in Spain, with some [[Second unit director|second unit]] footage in France.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schlegel |first=Nicholas G. |title=Sex, Sadism, Spain, and Cinema: The Spanish Horror Film |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2015 |isbn=978-1442251151 |pages=51}}</ref> The exteriors of Dracula's castle were filmed at [[Santa Bárbara Castle]] in [[Alicante]], which Franco later used to film ''[[Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-04 |title=El castillo de Santa Bárbara fue escenario de películas de terror de J. Franco, según el escritor V. Matellano |url=https://www.europapress.es/comunitat-valenciana/noticia-castillo-santa-barbara-fue-escenario-peliculas-terror-franco-escritor-matellano-20090604161709.html |access-date=2024-05-30 |publisher=Europa Press}}</ref> The film's sets were designed by the [[art director]] [[Karl Schneider (art director)|Karl Schneider]] and set decorator Emilio Zago (jointly credited under the alias 'George O'Brown').

A scene featuring [[taxidermied]] animals that are reanimated—implicitly under Dracula's command—was reportedly improvised by Franco,<ref name="Mosley 2022">{{cite book|last=Mosley|first=Stephen|date=2022|title=Christopher Lee: The Loneliness of Evil|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0d6EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT415|publisher=Midnight Marquee Press, Inc.|isbn=978-1-64430-128-9|quote=[...] an unbelievable sequence, improvised by the director, in which stuffed animals (including a badger, a swordfish, an owl and a fox) are turned and jiggled before the camera to induce the belief that they have somehow come to life.}}</ref> and was accomplished by out-of-frame stagehands turning the animals' bodies towards the camera.<ref name="Mosley 2022" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/70013/count-dracula/|title=Count Dracula (1970)|last=Galbraith IV|first=Stuart|author-link=Stuart Galbraith IV|date=5 January 2016|website=[[DVD Talk]]|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>

Franco originally wanted to cast [[Vincent Price]] as Professor Van Helsing, but he was under contract to [[American International Pictures]]. Franco then turned to [[Dennis Price]], but he was prevented from taking the role due to health issues. In the end, Harry Alan Towers brought aboard his regular actor [[Herbert Lom]]. Due to his late arrival, all of his scenes had to be shot separately from Lee's. Consequently, Dracula and Van Helsing never appear in the same shot together.

[[Dubbing]] for the English-language version was supervised by [[Mel Welles]]. Christopher Lee and Herbert Lom did their own dubbing. The German dub had [[Wilhelm Borchert]] as the voice of Dracula.

==Release==
The film premiered in West Germany on April 3, 1970 under the title '''''Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht''''' (lit. At night, when Dracula awakens). In the United Kingdom, an English dub was released by [[Hemdale Film Corporation]] in July 1973.

===Home media===
⚫
''Count Dracula'' was released on [[DVD]] in 2007 by Dark Sky Films. Special features include an interview with director Jesús Franco, a reading from Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' novel by Christopher Lee, and a text essay on the life of actress Soledad Miranda.<ref name="verdict" /> The DVD has come under criticism for omitting the scene in which a distraught mother pleads for her baby's life at the door of Dracula's castle.<ref name="eccentric" /> The DVD also uses the Italian credits for the film but with the French title card '''''Les Nuits de Dracula'''''.

The film was released uncensored on [[Blu-ray]] and DVD in 2015 by [[Severin Films]]. A [[4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]] release, sourced from an uncut [[original camera negative|camera negative]], was released in 2023 also by Severin Films.


== Reception ==
== Reception ==

=== Critical response ===
Robert Firsching of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "This doggedly faithful adaptation is plodding and dull. Even Christopher Lee (in an uncharacteristically weak performance as Dracula), Klaus Kinski (as the mad Renfield), and seven credited screenwriters cannot make this confused, distant film worthwhile. Franco appears as a servant to Professor Van Helsing (Herbert Lom), and though certainly literate, the film nevertheless fails as both horror and drama."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080226164259/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/11123/El-Conde-Dracula/overview] New York Times Review</ref>
Robert Firsching of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "This doggedly faithful adaptation is plodding and dull. Even Christopher Lee (in an uncharacteristically weak performance as Dracula), Klaus Kinski (as the mad Renfield), and seven credited screenwriters cannot make this confused, distant film worthwhile. Franco appears as a servant to Professor Van Helsing (Herbert Lom), and though certainly literate, the film nevertheless fails as both horror and drama."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080226164259/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/11123/El-Conde-Dracula/overview] New York Times Review</ref>


Brett Cullum of ''DVD Verdict'' wrote, "For curious Dracula fans, Jess Franco's ''Count Dracula'' is a neat find. It's a stellar cast working under a low budget, and it comes off entertaining if not a classic. It's a [[B-movie]] treatment at best, but{{nbsp}}... Lee comes off fiery and committed to making this Count one that will be noticed."<ref name="verdict">[https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/jessfrancoscountdracula.php DVD Verdict Review - Jess Franco's Count Dracula] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220050401/https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/jessfrancoscountdracula.php |date=20 December 2009 }}</ref> Brian Lindsey of ''Eccentric Cinema'' wrote, "Upon weighing [the film's] pros and cons, ''Count Dracula'' emerges a substantially flawed film. But I can still recommend it to any fan of Lee, Franco, Miranda, and even of Stoker's novel."<ref name="eccentric">[http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2007/count_dracula.htm Eccentric Cinema | COUNT DRACULA (1970)]</ref> George R. Reis of ''DVD Drive-In'' wrote, "''Count Dracula'' is flawed in many ways, but for fans of gothic horror, it's still irresistible{{nbsp}}... Barcelona naturally allows for some truly handsome scenery and an appropriate castle for Dracula to dwell in, and the performances of the international cast are above average."<ref>[http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/a-d/coundracla70.htm Count Dracula (El Conde Dracula) 1970 - DVD Drive-In]</ref>
Brett Cullum of ''DVD Verdict'' wrote, "For curious Dracula fans, Jess Franco's ''Count Dracula'' is a neat find. It's a stellar cast working under a low budget, and it comes off entertaining if not a classic. It's a [[B-movie]] treatment at best, but{{nbsp}}... Lee comes off fiery and committed to making this Count one that will be noticed."<ref name="verdict">[https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/jessfrancoscountdracula.php DVD Verdict Review - Jess Franco's Count Dracula] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091220050401/https://dvdverdict.com/reviews/jessfrancoscountdracula.php |date=20 December 2009 }}</ref> Brian Lindsey of ''Eccentric Cinema'' wrote, "Upon weighing [the film's] pros and cons, ''Count Dracula'' emerges a substantially flawed film. But I can still recommend it to any fan of Lee, Franco, Miranda, and even of Stoker's novel."<ref name="eccentric">{{Cite web |url=http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2007/count_dracula.htm |title=Eccentric Cinema {{!}} COUNT DRACULA (1970) |access-date=30 June 2009 |archive-date=27 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627041039/http://www.eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies2007/count_dracula.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> George R. Reis of ''DVD Drive-In'' wrote, "''Count Dracula'' is flawed in many ways, but for fans of gothic horror, it's still irresistible{{nbsp}}... Barcelona naturally allows for some truly handsome scenery and an appropriate castle for Dracula to dwell in, and the performances of the international cast are above average."<ref>[http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/a-d/coundracla70.htm Count Dracula (El Conde Dracula) 1970 - DVD Drive-In]</ref>


Dracula scholar [[Leslie S. Klinger]] said "the picture begins well, closely following the Stoker narrative account of Harker's encounter with Dracula. The film rapidly proceeds into banality, however, and except for the characterization of Lee as an older Dracula and the brilliant Kinski, the film is largely forgettable."<ref>[[Leslie S. Klinger|Klinger, Leslie S.]] ''The New Annotated Dracula''. W.W. Norton & Co., 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-393-06450-6}}, page 561</ref>
Dracula scholar [[Leslie S. Klinger]] said "the picture begins well, closely following the Stoker narrative account of Harker's encounter with Dracula. The film rapidly proceeds into banality, however, and except for the characterization of Lee as an older Dracula and the brilliant Kinski, the film is largely forgettable."<ref>[[Leslie S. Klinger|Klinger, Leslie S.]] ''The New Annotated Dracula''. W.W. Norton & Co., 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-393-06450-6}}, page 561</ref>
Line 102: Line 132:
Film critic [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] called it "one of the world's worst horror films" in his review of [[Pere Portabella]]'s film ''[[Cuadecuc, vampir|Cuadecuc, Vampir]]'', which was shot during the making of this film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2016/06/rare-and-revelatory/|title=Rare and Revelatory {{!}} Jonathan Rosenbaum|website=www.jonathanrosenbaum.net|access-date=8 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613051359/http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2016/06/rare-and-revelatory/|archive-date=13 June 2016}}</ref>
Film critic [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] called it "one of the world's worst horror films" in his review of [[Pere Portabella]]'s film ''[[Cuadecuc, vampir|Cuadecuc, Vampir]]'', which was shot during the making of this film.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2016/06/rare-and-revelatory/|title=Rare and Revelatory {{!}} Jonathan Rosenbaum|website=www.jonathanrosenbaum.net|access-date=8 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613051359/http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/2016/06/rare-and-revelatory/|archive-date=13 June 2016}}</ref>


== Home media ==
== ''Cuadecuc, vampir'' ==
{{main article|Cuadecuc, vampir}}
⚫
''Count Dracula'' was released on DVD in 2007 by Dark Sky Films. Special features include an interview with director Jesús Franco, a reading from Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' novel by Christopher Lee, and a text essay on the life of actress Soledad Miranda.<ref name="verdict"/> The DVD has come under criticism for omitting the scene in which a distraught mother pleads for her baby's life at the door of Dracula's castle.<ref name="eccentric"/> The DVD also uses the Italian credits for the film but with the French title card '''''Les Nuits de Dracula'''''.
''Cuadecuc, vampir'' is a 1970 experimental film by [[Pere Portabella]] that was shot behind-the-scenes of ''Count Dracula'', including candid footage of the stars during the production.


==See also==
==See also==
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* {{IMDb title|0065569|Count Dracula}}
* {{IMDb title|0065569|Count Dracula}}
* [https://www.varietydistribution.it/en/catalogue/count-dracula/ ''Count Dracula''] at [[Variety Distribution]]
* [https://www.varietydistribution.it/en/catalogue/count-dracula/ ''Count Dracula''] at [[Variety Distribution]]
* {{tcmdb title|71559|Count Dracula}}
* {{TCMDb title|71559|Count Dracula}}
* {{amg title|11123|Count Dracula}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091009195615/http://www.darkskyfilms.com/Store/Detail.asp?ProdID=10089 ''Count Dracula''] at the Dark Sky Films website.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091009195615/http://www.darkskyfilms.com/Store/Detail.asp?ProdID=10089 ''Count Dracula''] at the Dark Sky Films website.


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{{Dracula}}
{{Dracula}}
{{Jesús Franco}}
{{Jesús Franco}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1970 films]]
[[Category:1970 films]]
[[Category:1970 horror films]]
[[Category:1970 horror films]]
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[[Category:British horror films]]
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[[Category:German horror films]]
[[Category:British vampire films]]
[[Category:British vampire films]]
[[Category:German vampire films]]
[[Category:German vampire films]]
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[[Category:Films set in castles]]
[[Category:Films set in castles]]
[[Category:German supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:German supernatural horror films]]
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[[Category:1970s British films]]
[[Category:1970s Italian films]]
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[[Category:1970s German films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]

Latest revision as of 19:38, 21 December 2024

Count Dracula
International theatrical release poster
GermanNachts, wenn Dracula erwacht
Directed byJesús Franco[1]
Screenplay by
  • Augusto Finocchi[1]
  • Jesús Franco
  • English version:
  • Italian version:
    • Carlo Fadda
      Milo G. Cuccia
  • German version:
    • Dietmar Behnke
    [2][3]
Story byErich Kröhnke[2]
Based onDracula
by Bram Stoker
Produced byHarry Alan Towers[1]
Starring
Cinematography
  • Manuel Merino
  • Luciano Trasatti[1]
Edited by
Music byBruno Nicolai[1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 3 April 1970 (1970-04-03) (West Germany)[4]
  • 16 November 1970 (1970-11-16) (Spain)
  • July 1973 (1973-07) (UK)
  • 10 September 1973 (1973-09-10) (Italy)
Running time
97 minutes
Countries
LanguageEnglish

Count Dracula (German: Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht, lit. 'At night, when Dracula awakens'; also known as El Conde Dracula, Bram Stoker's Count Dracula, Il Conte Dracula) is a 1970 horror film directed and co-written by Jesús Franco, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It stars Christopher Lee as Dracula, Herbert Lom as Van Helsing, and Klaus Kinski as Renfield, along with Fred Williams, Maria Rohm, Soledad Miranda, Paul Muller, and Jack Taylor.[6]

The film was an international co-production between West Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.[5][1] Although Count Dracula stars Lee in the title role, it is not a Hammer production like his other Dracula films, being produced instead by Harry Alan Towers.

On initial release, Count Dracula was advertised as the most faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel to date.[7][citation needed] Among other details, it was the first film version of the novel in which Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds upon fresh blood.

Plot

[edit]

Jonathan Harker, a lawyer traveling from London to Transylvania to secure property for Count Dracula, arrives at Bistritz to stay for the night. There, he is warned by a concerned lady against continuing his journey. Believing that her concerns are rooted in peasant superstition, he ignores her, but starts to feel unnerved by the way everyone looks at him. Harker later arrives at the Borgo Pass, where the Count's mysterious coachman picks him up.

Harker disembarks at Castle Dracula, and the coach immediately rushes off. Harker approaches the main door and meets a thin, tall, gaunt old man. He turns out to be Dracula and takes Harker to his bedchamber. There, Harker notices that Dracula casts no reflection.

Later, Harker goes to sleep and wakes in an ancient crypt where three beautiful vampiresses harass him. Dracula rushes into the room and orders them to leave Harker alone. He then gives them a baby to feed on. Harker wakes up screaming in his room and assumes it was a nightmare, but two small wounds on his neck indicate otherwise.

Harker soon realises he is a prisoner, and tries to escape by climbing out his bedroom window. He finds his way back to the crypt where Count Dracula and his three brides rest in coffins. Harker runs out of the crypt screaming, and jumps out of the castle's tower into the river below.

Harker wakes up in a private psychiatric clinic outside London, owned by Dr. Van Helsing, in the care of Dr. Seward. He is told he was found delirious in a river near Budapest. No one believes his story about Castle Dracula until Van Helsing finds the two punctures on Harker's neck. Harker's fiancée Mina and her close friend Lucy also arrive to help take care of him. Unbeknownst to them, Count Dracula has followed Harker back to England and now resides in an abandoned abbey close to the hospital.

As Mina takes care of Harker, her friend Lucy's health strangely declines. Dracula has been secretly appearing to her by night and drinking her blood, growing younger as he feeds off his victim. Quincey Morris, Lucy's fiancé, joins Drs. Seward and Van Helsing in an attempt to save Lucy by giving her blood transfusions.

One of the patients at the clinic, R. M. Renfield, becomes of considerable interest to the men. Renfield is classed as a zoophagus: he eats flies and insects in order to consume their life, believing that each life he consumes increases his own. He reacts violently whenever Dracula is nearby. He later dies from shock.

Lucy eventually dies, becomes one of the undead and murders a young child. The ordeal is put to an end when Quincey, Seward and Van Helsing ambush Lucy, stake her through the heart and decapitate her. Harker, restored to health, joins the group who now are sure that Count Dracula is a vampire.

Dracula turns his attention to Mina and begins corrupting her as well. Van Helsing suddenly has a stroke and remains in a wheelchair. Dracula visits the weakened man, mocking his attempts to destroy him. Quincey, Harker and Seward track Dracula to the abandoned abbey, but he has fled to Transylvania with the aid of a traveling Romani band.

As Count Dracula's Gypsy servants take him back to his castle, he is trailed by Harker and Quincey. After battling the Romani, the two heroes find Dracula's coffin and set it on fire. Dracula, unable to escape in full daylight, is consumed by flames.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The production originally planned use Barrandov Studios in Czechoslovakia, but due to budgetary constrains filming took place at Balcázar Studios in Barcelona, Spain. The scenes at Professor Van Helsing's sanatorium were shot at Tirrenia Studios in Italy. Exteriors were shot mainly in Spain, with some second unit footage in France.[8] The exteriors of Dracula's castle were filmed at Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante, which Franco later used to film Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein.[9] The film's sets were designed by the art director Karl Schneider and set decorator Emilio Zago (jointly credited under the alias 'George O'Brown').

A scene featuring taxidermied animals that are reanimated—implicitly under Dracula's command—was reportedly improvised by Franco,[10] and was accomplished by out-of-frame stagehands turning the animals' bodies towards the camera.[10][11]

Franco originally wanted to cast Vincent Price as Professor Van Helsing, but he was under contract to American International Pictures. Franco then turned to Dennis Price, but he was prevented from taking the role due to health issues. In the end, Harry Alan Towers brought aboard his regular actor Herbert Lom. Due to his late arrival, all of his scenes had to be shot separately from Lee's. Consequently, Dracula and Van Helsing never appear in the same shot together.

Dubbing for the English-language version was supervised by Mel Welles. Christopher Lee and Herbert Lom did their own dubbing. The German dub had Wilhelm Borchert as the voice of Dracula.

Release

[edit]

The film premiered in West Germany on April 3, 1970 under the title Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht (lit. At night, when Dracula awakens). In the United Kingdom, an English dub was released by Hemdale Film Corporation in July 1973.

Home media

[edit]

Count Dracula was released on DVD in 2007 by Dark Sky Films. Special features include an interview with director Jesús Franco, a reading from Bram Stoker's Dracula novel by Christopher Lee, and a text essay on the life of actress Soledad Miranda.[12] The DVD has come under criticism for omitting the scene in which a distraught mother pleads for her baby's life at the door of Dracula's castle.[13] The DVD also uses the Italian credits for the film but with the French title card Les Nuits de Dracula.

The film was released uncensored on Blu-ray and DVD in 2015 by Severin Films. A 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release, sourced from an uncut camera negative, was released in 2023 also by Severin Films.

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

Robert Firsching of The New York Times wrote, "This doggedly faithful adaptation is plodding and dull. Even Christopher Lee (in an uncharacteristically weak performance as Dracula), Klaus Kinski (as the mad Renfield), and seven credited screenwriters cannot make this confused, distant film worthwhile. Franco appears as a servant to Professor Van Helsing (Herbert Lom), and though certainly literate, the film nevertheless fails as both horror and drama."[14]

Brett Cullum of DVD Verdict wrote, "For curious Dracula fans, Jess Franco's Count Dracula is a neat find. It's a stellar cast working under a low budget, and it comes off entertaining if not a classic. It's a B-movie treatment at best, but ... Lee comes off fiery and committed to making this Count one that will be noticed."[12] Brian Lindsey of Eccentric Cinema wrote, "Upon weighing [the film's] pros and cons, Count Dracula emerges a substantially flawed film. But I can still recommend it to any fan of Lee, Franco, Miranda, and even of Stoker's novel."[13] George R. Reis of DVD Drive-In wrote, "Count Dracula is flawed in many ways, but for fans of gothic horror, it's still irresistible ... Barcelona naturally allows for some truly handsome scenery and an appropriate castle for Dracula to dwell in, and the performances of the international cast are above average."[15]

Dracula scholar Leslie S. Klinger said "the picture begins well, closely following the Stoker narrative account of Harker's encounter with Dracula. The film rapidly proceeds into banality, however, and except for the characterization of Lee as an older Dracula and the brilliant Kinski, the film is largely forgettable."[16]

Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum called it "one of the world's worst horror films" in his review of Pere Portabella's film Cuadecuc, Vampir, which was shot during the making of this film.[17]

Cuadecuc, vampir

[edit]
Main article: Cuadecuc, vampir

Cuadecuc, vampir is a 1970 experimental film by Pere Portabella that was shot behind-the-scenes of Count Dracula, including candid footage of the stars during the production.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht [Il conte Dracula] (1973)". Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line.
  3. ^ a b "El Conde Dracula (1970)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "El conde Drácula". European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Count Dracula". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  7. ^ Horne, Philip (27 November 2006). "Great Adaptions - Dracula". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  8. ^ Schlegel, Nicholas G. (2015). Sex, Sadism, Spain, and Cinema: The Spanish Horror Film. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 51. ISBN 978-1442251151.
  9. ^ "El castillo de Santa Bárbara fue escenario de películas de terror de J. Franco, según el escritor V. Matellano". Europa Press. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Mosley, Stephen (2022). Christopher Lee: The Loneliness of Evil. Midnight Marquee Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-64430-128-9. [...] an unbelievable sequence, improvised by the director, in which stuffed animals (including a badger, a swordfish, an owl and a fox) are turned and jiggled before the camera to induce the belief that they have somehow come to life.
  11. ^ Galbraith IV, Stuart (5 January 2016). "Count Dracula (1970)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  12. ^ a b DVD Verdict Review - Jess Franco's Count Dracula Archived 20 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b "Eccentric Cinema | COUNT DRACULA (1970)". Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  14. ^ [1] New York Times Review
  15. ^ Count Dracula (El Conde Dracula) 1970 - DVD Drive-In
  16. ^ Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Dracula. W.W. Norton & Co., 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-06450-6, page 561
  17. ^ "Rare and Revelatory | Jonathan Rosenbaum". www.jonathanrosenbaum.net. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
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