Velcome to my humble chateau
I first saw Dracula as a kid; my father loved the Universal monsters, and he passed it on to me. We thrilled together at the Wolfman and the Mummy, commiserated with Frankenstein’s monster — if only he hadn’t thrown that little girl in the pond! — and gasped at the Creature from the Black Lagoon. And for us, Dracula looked like Béla Lugosi, talked with a Romanian accent, and wore evening clothes and a cape.
In fact, Tod Browning’s Dracula is where it all started for many vampire lovers. And though it wasn’t the first of its kind by any means — that honor belongs to the 1909 silent The Vampire of the Coast — it surely was the most influential. It began a decades-long line of Universal monster movies; James Whale’s Frankenstein was released later in the same year. Carl Laemmle Sr., founder of Universal, wasn’t too fond of the horror genre, but his son Carl Jr. saw the potential, and production began in 1930.
Dracula is based on Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston’s play and it shows: it’s stagy and mannered, and Browning’s static direction doesn’t help. His camera rarely moves, which can seem stilted to those of us brought up on Hollywood’s current aesthetics of the the constantly moving camera.
Still, when it does move, it can be effective. Here are a couple of examples: as we first see Castle Dracula, two static shots establish our location. Then, once inside, the camera tracks through the basement level where Dracula sleeps, ending on a coffin that is about to open. The sequence effectively contrasts the staid, solid outside world with the dark, fluid unknown of the castle. We don’t know what’s coming, what will be shown us at the end of the track, but we’re pulled along into it anyway. Here it is:
In the second sequence, we see the coachman in closeup waiting for Renfield (Dwight Frye) to arrive, then a long shot of his coach, and then the camera pans suddenly, almost violently to the left as Renfields coach arrives. As it does, his luggage is thrown unceremniously off the roof, and we know, as does Renfield, that we’re not in England anymore. The shot contrasts the darkness ahead — the waiting coach, Dracula himself at the reigns — and the luminous past, presided over by a cross-shaped roadsign. As Renfield gets into the coach, he leaves his old life behind and disappears into the fog. Watch:
As you can see from the clips, the Look of Dracula is heavily influenced by German Expressionism, and it’s no accident: cameraman Karl Freund was a recent emigré from Germany, where he was one of the movement’s leading lights. He shot films for, among others, Murnau (The Last Laugh), Wegener (The Golem) 
and Lang (Metropolis). When he immigrated to the States, he brought over an Expressionist sensibility that, along with Murnau and Lang themselves, heavily influenced 1930s Hollywood. In the case of Dracula, he is widely regarded as an uncredited co-director. It’s a pity that the fluid camera style he developed in Germany didn’t carry over more to this early Hollywood effort.
Still, Dracula’s first act is beautiful and mesmerizing. Lugosi’s stylized, slow-moving performance gives his character weight and an inexorable menace. There are long, silent stretches, reportedly due to Browning’s unease with recording techniques, but which — like 
Dreyer’s Vampyr the following year – add to the otherworldly tone. The supporting actors are all fine, especially Frye and Edward Van Sloane (Abraham Van Helsing), both of whom had roles in Frankenstein that same year. Their over-the-top performances play beautifully against Lugosi’s intense stillness.
Though Dracula has it’s problems, it has undeniable power as well. Along with Frankenstein, it set the stage for a remarkable run of monsters and mayhem in the middle of the last century, and haunted the dreams of generations to come.
Now, as an added treat, here’s a montage from Jonathan Lapper at Cinema Styles that uses footage from several Universal monster movies, including Dracula.
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God bless Karl Freund. I was surprised to discover that he directed The Mummy as well.
I have to be a contrarian on this one.
I think I’ve watched the film four times–in adulthood–once every four years or so, trying to figure out what everyone’s talking about. I never can.
I think it’s a combination of Browning and Lugosi and the source material… Dracula just never seems to work, not as a novel, not as a film.
The first half of the 1970s comic was good though.
Joseph, Freund was the real deal, all right … he also photographed “Murders in the Rue Morgue” and invented the three-camera system that came into common use in sitcoms.
Andrew, I think we’re on a similar page, perhaps … the first act I really like, but when Dracula gets to England, it loses steam and become ponderous and slow.
As far as Dracula adaptations go, I really like Herzog’s Nosferatu, and the miniseries with Louis Jordan as Drac.
Hi! Rick,
This is no “Trick,” but your review, the 2 clips and Jonathan Lapper’s beautiful monsters montage were a real “Treat” to watch!
Tks,
dcd
Btw, Just in time for “Halloween”….I just picked up
the “The Hammer Collection:Icons of Horror” ….I’am looking forward to watching these “Campy horror films” when this 2 discset arrive on my doorsteps!
Tks,
dcd
dcd, thanks for the complement. Jonathan has a way with clips, all right.
I need to actually acquire a set of Hammer Horror myself.
Wonderful presentation of a film “ingrained in the folklore” so to speak.
Some unforgettable dialogue that over the years I always repeat in conversation for humor, yet apart from the magisterial opening scenes in the castle and a few other sequences involving Renfield, it’s static, stagy and dated. It is not in the same league with the first two Frankenstein film or THE MUMMY in the Universal series.
But it’s important for all sorts of reasons.
Sam, thanks … the opening act is the best, I really think it’s right up there with some of the late German Expressionist work.
And I’m glad to see you’ve landed somewhere. I’ll be checking in!
Rick,
Nice review. I first saw this film when I was in my early teens, and it changed the way that I look at film. I believe that my love of slow, contemplative films can be traced back to this film. Strangely, summer is my favorite time to watch Dracula, but after reading your review I’m going to have to dust off my copy and watch it this week.
Randy
Thanks, Randy. Interesting, too … I don’t really think of this Dracula as slow and contemplative, but I guess it is …
Yep, Rick, Allan Fish, who lives in the UK (he’ll be spending a month with my family in December for the second year in a row) and I are the co-proprietors of Wonders in the Dark. We’ve been up for about a month, and while the site is simple in layout (not nearly as beautiful as your distinguished and eye-filling place) we are having a lot of fun. Thanks.
My apologies Rick on the previous submission which is “under moderation” as a result of my substituting 30 for 26, which is an accidental mixing up of one of my passwords. Sorry about that.
“not nearly as beautiful as your distinguished and eye-filling place) we are having a lot of fun.”
Oh, I don’t know … I like the simple, functional layout. And given that I’ve devoted a post to “Shadow of the Vampire,” I love the banner that I saw when I visited.
And that’s ok about the “in moderation.” Occasionally folks do that, because it works on emails, and sometimes they just mistype them.
I’ve added your site to my feed-reader and blog-roll.
Thank much, Sir.
You’ll probably be amused to know Rick, that the site header was chosen by your much revered “Dark City Dame” who correctly got the answer to Allan’s weekly movie trivia question. The “award” is to pick the header for a day, and DCD, no doubt inspired by your coverage of the film, chose “Shadow of the Vampire.”
Hi! Rick,
Guess?!? who was given the “privilege” of selecting the “Banner” for Sam Juliano’s Place WitD
over Allen Fish’s “chagrin”…ha!…He going to getting even with me somehow?!? and somewhere?!? … if I don’t stop “gloating!”
dcd
Hey! S.J.
You “beat” by 12 minutes!…in telling the “good news” to Rick!
dcd
HAHAHAHA!! Dark City Dame!!! I have Allan under wraps, don’t work about him! And that’s teh second time you got the header.
Anyway, I know Rich has written a fabuloua essay of it here that sets the record straight as far as I’m concerned!
That’s pretty funny you all. I didn’t know my poor little review had that much influence.
Y’all just made my day!