Count Dracula (1970 film): Difference between revisions

Count Dracula
Count Dracula
	International theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jesús Franco
Screenplay by	Augusto Finocchi; English version: Peter Welbeck; ; Spanish version: Jesús Franco; ; Italian version: Carlo Fadda; Milo G. Cuccia; ; German version: Dietmar Behnke; ;
Story by	Erich Kröhnke
Based on	Dracula; by Bram Stoker
Produced by	Harry Alan Towers
Starring	Christopher Lee; Herbert Lom; Klaus Kinski; Frederick Williams; Maria Rohm; Soledad Miranda; Jack Taylor; Paul Muller;
Cinematography	Manuel Merino; Luciano Trasatti;
Edited by	Bruno Mattei; Derek Parsons;
Music by	Bruno Nicolai
Production; companies	Filmar Compagnia Cinematografica; Fénix Cooperativa Cinematográfica; Corona Filmproduktion; Towers of London;
Distributed by	Variety Distribution
Release date	3 April 1970 (Germany);
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	Spain; Italy; West Germany; Liechtenstein; United Kingdom;

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Count Dracula (Template:Lang-de) 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.

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. 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.^[5]^{[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.

The film was shot at the Tirrenia Studios and on location in Spain. The film's sets were designed by the art director Karl Schneider.

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 the following day. Harker believes that her concerns are rooted in peasant superstition. He ignores her, but starts to feel increasingly unnerved by the way everyone looks at him. Harker sets off for the rest of his journey and 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. Somewhat hesitantly, Harker approaches the main door, whereupon a thin, tall, gaunt old man opens it. Harker asks, "Count Dracula?" "I am Dracula, enter freely and of your own will," says the man at the door. Dracula takes Harker to his bedchamber where Harker notices that Dracula casts no reflection.

Later, Harker goes to sleep. He wakes in an ancient crypt where three beautiful vampiresses harass him. Dracula rushes into the room in a rage and orders them to leave Harker alone. Dracula explains, "This man belongs to me," then gives the vampiresses 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. Naturally, 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 at the hospital 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 nurses Harker back to health, 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 a blood transfusion from Quincey.

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 while her men helplessly look on. As Van Helsing suspected, Lucy has become one of the undead and murders a young child, but the ordeal is put to an end when Quincey, Seward and Van Helsing ambush Lucy in her tomb, 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.

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.

Cast

Christopher Lee as Count Dracula
Herbert Lom as Professor Abraham Van Helsing
Klaus Kinski as R.M. Renfield
Frederick Williams as Jonathan Harker
Maria Rohm as Mina Murray
Soledad Miranda as Lucy Westenra
Paul Muller as Dr. John "Jack" Seward
Jack Taylor as Quincey Morris
Jesús Puente as the Minister of Interior
Franco Castellani as Renfield's Warden

Reception

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."^[6]

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."^[7] 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."^[8] 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."^[9]

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."^[10]

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.^[11]

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.^[7] 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.^[8] The DVD also uses the Italian credits for the film but with the French title card Les Nuits de Dracula.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht [Il conte Dracula] (1973)". Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line.
^ ^a ^b "El Conde Dracula (1970)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
^ "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
^ Horne, Philip (27 November 2006). "Great Adaptions - Dracula". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
^ [1] New York Times Review
^ ^a ^b DVD Verdict Review - Jess Franco's Count Dracula Archived 20 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b Eccentric Cinema | COUNT DRACULA (1970)
^ Count Dracula (El Conde Dracula) 1970 - DVD Drive-In
^ Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Dracula. W.W. Norton & Co., 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-06450-6, page 561
^ "Rare and Revelatory | Jonathan Rosenbaum". www.jonathanrosenbaum.net. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.

External links

Count Dracula at IMDb
Count Dracula at Variety Distribution
Count Dracula at the TCM Movie Database
Template:Amg title
Count Dracula at the Dark Sky Films website.

[filmportal-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.

[Archivio-2] "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht [Il conte Dracula] (1973)". Archivio del Cinema Italiano On-Line.

[BFI-3] "El Conde Dracula (1970)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 25 January 2017.

[4] "Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 29 October 2012.

[5] Horne, Philip (27 November 2006). "Great Adaptions - Dracula". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 January 2009.

[6] [1] New York Times Review

[verdict-7] DVD Verdict Review - Jess Franco's Count Dracula Archived 20 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[eccentric-8] Eccentric Cinema | COUNT DRACULA (1970)

[9] Count Dracula (El Conde Dracula) 1970 - DVD Drive-In

[10] Klinger, Leslie S. The New Annotated Dracula. W.W. Norton & Co., 2008. ISBN 978-0-393-06450-6, page 561

[11] "Rare and Revelatory | Jonathan Rosenbaum". www.jonathanrosenbaum.net. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2016.

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@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 '''''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]].
-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 Renfierd. ''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.
+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 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]].
@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 As Mina nurses Harker back to health, 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 a blood transfusion from Quincey.
-One of the patients at the clinic, Renfierd, becomes of considerable interest to the men. Renfierd 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, 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 while her men helplessly look on. As Van Helsing suspected, Lucy has become one of the undead and murders a young child, but the ordeal is put to an end when Quincey, Seward and Van Helsing ambush Lucy in her tomb, 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.
@@ Line 84: / Line 84: @@
 * [[Christopher Lee]] as [[Count Dracula]]
 * [[Herbert Lom]] as [[Abraham Van Helsing|Professor Abraham Van Helsing]]
-* [[Klaus Kinski]] as [[Renfield|Renfierd]]
+* [[Klaus Kinski]] as [[Renfield|R.M. Renfield]]
 * [[Fred Williams (actor)|Frederick Williams]] as [[Jonathan Harker]]
 * [[Maria Rohm]] as [[Mina Harker|Mina Murray]]
@@ Line 91: / Line 91: @@
 * [[Jack Taylor (actor)|Jack Taylor]] as [[Quincey Morris]]
 * [[Jesús Puente]] as the Minister of Interior
-* Franco Castellani as Renfierd's Warden
+* Franco Castellani as Renfield's Warden
 == Reception ==
-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 Renfierd), 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>

v t e Jesús Franco
Filmography Unrealized projects
Films directed	Queen of the Tabarin Club (1960) Vampiresas 1930 (1961) The Awful Dr. Orloff (1962) The Sadistic Baron von Klaus (1963) Rififi in the City (1964) Death Whistles the Blues (1964) Dr. Orloff's Monster (1965) The Diabolical Dr. Z (1966) Attack of the Robots (1966) Lucky, the Inscrutable (1967) Succubus (1968) The Blood of Fu Manchu (1968) 99 Women (1969) The Girl from Rio (1969) Marquis de Sade: Justine (1969) Two Undercover Angels (1969) Kiss Me Monster (1969) Venus in Furs (1969) Eugenie… The Story of Her Journey into Perversion (1970) The Bloody Judge (1970 Count Dracula (1970) The Castle of Fu Manchu (1970) The Devil Came from Akasava (1971) Vampyros Lesbos (1971) She Killed in Ecstasy (1971) Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) La venganza del Doctor Mabuse (1972) A Virgin Among the Living Dead (1973) Lorna the Exorcist (1974) Female Vampire (1975) Barbed Wire Dolls (1976) Jack the Ripper (1976) Ilsa, the Wicked Warden (1977) Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1977) Women in Cellblock 9 (1978) Devil Hunter (1980) Sadomania (1981) Bloody Moon (1981) Mondo Cannibale (1981) Oasis of the Zombies (1982) Mansion of the Living Dead (1983) Faceless (1988)
Collaborative works	Eve (1968)