The movie
Dracula (1958) is a British Gothic horror picture. It is based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same title. Terence Fisher directed it.
The cast includes Christofer Lee (Count Dracula) and Peter Cushing (Doctor Van Helsing).
It is the first vampire movie ever to be shot in color. It is also one of the best horror films ever made.
The movie lacks some features of the original book (e.g. the ability of Dracula to transform into bat, wolf or mist).
There is a clear emphasis on the underlying sexual element of the story. Lee made this successfully happen. He introduced an erotic and romantic appearance as well as a dark, brooding sexuality to the Dracula’s character.
Lee also puts an element of sadness in the sense that Dracula is in fact a lonely person in the world of undead.
There are also some modifications in the characters of the book. Some characters were dropped, while others, like Mina and Lucy, were somehow altered. The reason was to emphasize the erotic element of the story.
The two female characters, when meeting Dracula, show the complete abandonment of a woman to the power of a man.
The scene
Lucy, who has become a vampire by Dracula, three days after her burial, lures a little girl to a graveyard. Van Helsing appears, saves the girl and stakes Lucy in her coffin.
Then we see Mina, who has already been bitten by Dracula, waiting for him in her room. The whole scene makes it obvious that she waits for a sexual night.
Dracula appears and we witness a horrific, yet erotic scene!
Dracula certainly deserves a leading place in any cinephile library.
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