Dracula (1979)

[Moon]

Beautifully shot, stunning cinematography, Williams' best score, great performances, loaded with atmosphere. Ok,technically it's a British-American production but shot at Shepperton, with location work all done in Cornwall and Black Park. It's a bit slow at times and not really a 'horror' film but it's all so stylish ...

[Gerald Lovell]

I'm afraid I'm not too keen on this version. I find the muddy photography off-putting and Laurence Olivier's little old man Van Helsing annoying and prefer my vampires to be monsters, not romantic Byronic figures.

[Metro1962]

"Director John Badham intended to film the movie in black and white but was forced by the studio to shoot in Technicolor. When the movie was re-released on laserdisc in 1991, at the behest of Badham, the lush color was drained from the film. All subsequent home video releases feature the desaturated print."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079073/...f_=tt_ql_trv_5

[Paul Waines]

Interesting, no wonder I wasn't happy with the colours on the dvd I have, as they are quite vibrant in my 8mm print, and it does change the film somewhat, and not for the better I think..

I don't mind the film on the whole, in fact quite like it, but I would always go for Bela, Chris, or Louis, before this version.

[Bonekicker]

I'm afraid I'm not too keen on this version. I find the muddy photography off-putting and Laurence Olivier's little old man Van Helsing annoying and prefer my vampires to be monsters, not romantic Byronic figures.

But isn't the attraction of Dracula for many the whole romantic/sexual thing? Apparently, women swooned at the first stage version, so its been there from the very start.

[Moon]

Regardless of the toned-down 'horror' element, it's just so atmospheric and there are some beautiful shots. The camera pulling away from the girls' bedroom, through the (closed) window and up to the roof. Genius!

[Gerald Lovell]

But isn't the attraction of Dracula for many the whole romantic/sexual thing? Apparently, women swooned at the first stage version, so its been there from the very start.

But weren't they swooning at the "horror" of it all? Anyone who swooned over Raymond Huntley must've been a bit suspect!

[tv horror]

Women always went for the "bad" boy, if I have a gripe it is with Sylvester McCoy his delivery at announcing "Dracula" ruined the whole suspense of that scene. I do agree that it was very nicely shot and that a few scenes stood out, the Mina scene being one of them.

[harkin]

I don't even think it's the best Dracula of the late 70s.

I actually prefer the made-on-the-cheap BBC production with Louis Jourdan, Frank Finlay and Judi Bowker from 1977.