Dracula

source: Dracula

Dracula

Jack Palance is arguably the best of the Draculas'. He is the only actor that ever gave me shivers when I watched, and to me that is one of my main criteria.....that I be scared! Yet I was also fascinated with the way he moved, sort of silent and deadly (as any vampire should). The very fact that his facial structure fit his character (as to his place of origin) was only a bonus. How could we not help but be witness to the dark and sinister side of Jack. His eyes were testament to something deep and mysterious hidden within. And yet are we not drawn to that which is dark and dreadful, that which makes us draw our hand to our mouth as if to stifle the sudden gasp of fear, as if it could protect us from that beautiful doom? Yes...Jack Palance as Dracula is all that and more to me.

I've watched this version of Dracula many times and each time I watch it I'm reminded again of how good it is. This is one of my favorite Dracula movies ever. Made for television in the early 1970s, it's still capable of keeping me interested and still gives me a few chills. Great acting abounds in this film. Nigel Davenport makes a very convincing Van Helsing. The talented Fiona Lewis is excellent as Lucy. Jack Palance is wonderful as Dracula. He is probably the most physically imposing Dracula ever. His Dracula doesn't shrink away and hide from those that might oppose him like many portrayals of Dracula seem to do. Jack's Dracula will confront his enemies with vicious super-human strength, often destroying them in the confrontations. I really like this physically dominating Dracula. He's a great physical danger to others as well as a spiritual one! All in all, this is a great movie and I highly recommend it. 9 out of 10!

Other fans of DARK SHADOWS will recognize the lost-love element as having come from Barnabas Collins' tragic situation in that series. It adds a magnificent new element to the Dracula story without diluting the original. Bob Cobert's music, also familiar to DARK SHADOWS fans, is the perfect accompaniment to the tale of the vampire count. I have watched this numerous times since it became available on tape. The various film adaptations of DRACULA have covered probably most of the ways this can be interpreted, from implied sexual perversion (1931), raw sexuality (HORROR OF DRACULA), flagrant, swept-off-one's-feet romance (1979), to historical retrospective (1992), to modern revisionism (2000). This film takes elements of most of these in a neat TV package with an appropriately British supporting cast. Watch every version anyway; Dracula is a unique addiction!

Fairly enjoyable but workmanlike version of the classic tale. Davenport is fine as Van Helsing but it's Palance everyone wants to see. He does ooze evil and in the final scenes carries a gravitas of an ancient warrior that few have brought to the screen - usually just sultry, sexy and dark. Unfortunately the role calls for most of his time to be spent staring / snarling or marching purposefully with cape a flapping, which is a shame.

This seldom-seen, seldom-discussed Dracula film is all in all pretty entertaining. It is a fairly faithful adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel, although it integrates the Vlad Tepes myth into the storyline as well. One definitely can see this film being an inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's trashy film of the 90's. Jack Palance may not have been the best choice for the role of the toothsome lead. He does overact with his somewhat ludicrous sneers and temper tantrums, but that not withstanding the rest of the cast is quite good(all of them British coincidentally) with Nigel Davenport standing out in a Van Helsing role which I wish had been bigger and Fiona Lewis just being scrumptuous! Dan Curtis does a very competent job directing and the sets, costumes, props, etc... are lavish and beautiful. This is certainly an interesting film to see in the long line of Dracula films made.