Bloody dandy from wild Transylvania
“For one who has not lived one life - you are a wise man, Van Helsing!”
Filming Bram Stoker's novel, director Todd Browning first of all sought to show a spectacle, an attraction, and only then a realistic horror film. Before us, in my opinion, the very first "commercial" Dracula.
A lot of modern viewers will only laugh a picture of Browning, but it will not scare. It caused me admiration and affection at the same time. But, oddly enough, but at the sight of fake bats, rats, spiders, there is not even a hint of laughter. The atmosphere created by the film does not dispose to excessive criticism. With peace of mind, you can even close your eyes to the battleships that have never been in Transylvania. The painted mountain landscapes of the Carpathians should also not cause confusion - this is quite common practice for the cinema of that time.
All these minor flaws recede to the farthest plan when the Great and Terrible BELA LUGOSHA appears in the form of Count Dracula. The hero of Lugosi - the very charm, one solid charisma. It is impossible not to admire the image created by White on the screen. This cold face, as if carved out of stone, with a mysterious devilish smirk — such is Count Dracula before the audience. The character of Bela Lugosi is unpredictable, like a hurricane - in an instant he is smiling and helpful, and in another he is already bursting with anger. However, nothing betrays the true feelings of the graph; on the surface, he is always calm, his speech is slow, monotonous and measured. Only the eyes serve as an indicator of the mood of the spirit of Dracula. Breaking away from observing the work of Lugosi on the screen is almost impossible. I especially remember his crooked grin, a kind of smile when the count is preparing for a bite. It is the smile of death and the smile of eternal life at the same time.
I was pleasantly surprised by Dwight Fry as Renfield. He played a very believable insanity, I personally believed him at 100. Pay attention to his eyes - empty and wild at the same time. I remember his squeezed, sinister laugh through his teeth. When you see Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, associations with Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula are born instantly. The identity of both images is obvious. Moreover, the external similarity of two actors with a difference of 70 years (Van Sloan and Hopkins) is very striking.
The almost complete absence of the soundtrack does not harm this film at all. On the contrary, it gives even more realism. It is worth noting the fact that Browning persistently hides from the viewer all the bloody details. As I have noticed, the image of blood in the film is completely missing. Not a single bite of Dracula is shown. And for this, too, you can thank the director for the fact that he did not vulgarize the history of the Transylvanian dandy.
10 out of 10
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