Review – Dracula (1931)

By today’s standards, this is a dreadful movie. Produced just a couple of years after the advent of mass-market “talkies,” the film suffers from many of the pangs the industry suffered during the transition out of the silent era. For example, a lot of the acting is still marked by the physical histrionics that were part and parcel of silent films but became as unnecessary as they were awkward once movies could tell their stories with sound as well as image. In this regard, one may particularly note the scenery-chewing performance Dwight Frye turned in as Renfield. Even the little details – such as Castle Dracula apparently suffering from an armadillo infestation – now appear either quaint or just plain odd. Technical difficulties notwithstanding, this remains one of the all-time classic representatives of the horror genre, due in large part to the legendary performance by Bela Lugosi in the title role. All these years later, just about every actor who has ever attempted to play Dracula has suffered comparison, more often than not unfavorable, to the Hungarian-born actor’s quintessential portrayal of the count. For all its lack of technical sophistication, this movie is still a much more satisfying film-going experience than the vast majority of its vampire kin (though perhaps I’m not the best person to ask about such things, since as a general principle I don’t care much for vampire stories). Worth seeing