Hooptober XII | 23/31 | Based on Novels 4/4
Mina Westenra and Jonathan Harker stand face-to-face in the woods as Mina says goodbye to Jonathan. Jonathan, a solicitor, is about to travel to Transylvania, to the castle of Count Dracula, to finalize some papers regarding the Count’s purchase of Carfax Abbey. Jonathan disembarks on his many-legged journey, over carriage and train. At an inn, some townspeople make a gesture towards Jonathan — a charm against the evil eye.
On the drop-off at Borgo Pass, another passenger gives Jonathan a rosary. Then, from the darkness, a black carriage driven by black horses arrives. Upon arriving at the castle, Count Dracula greets Jonathan and carries his luggage up to his room. Jonathan joins the Count in a dining room. All seems well, but when passing some papers to the Count, Jonathan can’t help but notice the Count’s long nails and hairy palms.
The Count gives Jonathan free rein of the castle, save for the locked doors. Jonathan settles in for the night, the rosary around his neck.. In the morning, while shaving, the Count approaches Jonathan from behind. Upon noticing a knick where Jonathan cut himself shaving, the Count’s demeanor shifts, and there is a redness to his eyes. But when his eyes catch the rosary around Jonathan’s neck, he backs away.
Is Jonathan going mad? Or is this Count guy kind of a weirdo? And why hasn’t Mina received any of Jonathan’s letters?
This BBC adaptation’s charm is that it’s the most faithful to the original novel, for better or worse. In the movie’s 2.5-hour runtime, it moves as tentatively as the story—perhaps welcome to anyone who hasn’t seen a Dracula or read the book, but for those of us who have a few adaptations under our belts, the word is “slow.”
But you know what? Once it started, I was fully in. The castle scenes were always my favorite part of the novel. Here, the castle’s got the perfect vibes — dreary as hell, confusingly laid out, and full of oddities. I love watching Jonathan wander around and lose his shit.
The music cues are precisely what you’d expect from a 70s Dracula adaptation, full of harpsichords and harps. I love the 70s TV special effects, with all their inverting, matting, solarizing, and grayscaling. They also throw in the stretched and repeated voices echoing through Jonathan’s brain. Thankfully, they make ample use of practical effects — nothing too stunning, just some contacts and blood, but it gets the job done.
The hype is real — this is a great Dracula adaptation.
Actor Talk
- Susan Penhaligon! She really gets to pop off when Dracula’s fucking (with) her.
- Judy Bowker is a solid Mina — beautiful, kind of bland, with eyes full of sadness. It makes her turn later all the more pronounced. She performed a similar role in Clash of the Titans.
- Why Louis Jourdan for Dracula? He’s just a French dude, but I guess that freaks out plenty of Brits. Jourdan makes a stereotype true and focuses on Dracula, the lover, not Dracula, the demon. But blame it on director Philip Saville, who sees Dracula as a “Heathcliff type” that some women fantasize about.
- Bosco Hogan’s a pretty ideal Jonathan — frail and WASP-y.
- Jack Shepherd is a decent Renfield, but no one beats Alexander Granach in Nosferatu.
- Richard Barnes has the most hilariously inconsistent American accent — it swings between Texas, New England, and his natural British accent.
- Frank Finlay is making a meal of Van Helsing, as one should.