Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974)
"Dracula" (original title)

Director:

Dan Curtis

Writer:

Richard Matheson

Stars:

Jack Palance, Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Palance	...	Dracula
Simon Ward	...	Arthur
Nigel Davenport	...	Van Helsing
Pamela Brown	...	Mrs. Westenra
Fiona Lewis	...	Lucy
Penelope Horner	...	Mina
Murray Brown	...	Jonathan Harker
Virginia Wetherell	...	Dracula's Wife (as Virginia Wetherall)
Barbara Lindley	...	Dracula's Wife
Sarah Douglas	...	Dracula's Wife
George Pravda	...	Innkeeper
Hana Maria Pravda	...	Innkeeper's Wife (as Hanna-Maria Pravda)
Reg Lye	...	Zookeeper
Fred Stone	...	Priest
Roy Spencer	...	Whitby Inn Clerk

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

bloodsucker | noble | gothic | aristocrat | vampire slayer | 

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Latglen Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several plot elements of this adaptation were also present in the Hammer Films / Terrence Fisher version with Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing, Dracula (1958 film). This includes Jonathan Harker being killed at the castle, becoming a vampire and being killed by a friend (in this case, Arthur Holmwood rather than Van Helsing); the interior of Castle Dracula looking too "new" with wood paneling, more like a mansion than a castle; Arthur Holmwood being the main character who goes with Van Helsing to destroy Lucy, to follow the trail of a coffin from one place to another; then to Castle Dracula itself; and Van Helsing tearing down curtains to let in sunlight at the climax. In effect, it appears Dan Matheson's adaptation used Jimmy Sangster's 1958 version as a starting point, then worked his way back toward Bram Stoker's novel. While the most authentic version most American had seen at the time, both the Jess Franco and BBC versions were far closer to the book, especially the latter.

---

Goofs

When Dracula hurls the man out of the upper story window of the hotel, the cushion that breaks the stuntman's fall can be briefly seen in the lower left corner of the screen.

---

Connections

Featured in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Lie to Me (1997)

User Reviews

"I who commanded armies hundreds of years before you were born..."

Jack Palance is not the sexiest nor the spookiest Dracula, but he's a marvelous choice for many reasons--and he definitely stands out from the other (often memorable) performances. Only a couple of years before doing this movie, Palance starred in the film THE HORSEMAN, playing a legendary bukashi rider; it was only one of several such horseman-warrior roles Palance specialized in (including the part of Revak in an Italian film titled THE BARBARIANS). In fact, Palance is an actor who can claim to have played both Dracula AND Attila the Hun.

Some might wonder what that has do with the bloodsucking count, but at one point in the Stoker novel, Dracula says, "the blood of Attila flows through these veins." Though they didn't retain that particular line, the film-makers emphasize from beginning to end this particular Dracula is an ex-warrior--and Palance suggests a former, Magyar beserker brilliantly.

This is also the first version of the novel to have the motivation of Dracula travelling to England for the purpose of reclaiming his lost love--an idea that adds a touch of pathos. Perhaps Dan Curtis did simply re-use it from his DARK SHADOWS series, but I can't help but wonder, however, if the idea might also have sprung from this movie's adapter, Richard Matheson. A talented novelist in his own right, Matheson wrote the book (and the screenplay) of SOMEWHERE IN TIME, which also has a central character searching for his true love across the ages. In any case, it's an approach that adds a layer to Dracula's character and would be used again in the Coppola version. I think it will be used in future adaptations as well. In any case, for the record, this was the version that did it first.

All in all, this version isn't as stylish or as atmospheric as some others, but it's well worthwhile and is a must in any Dracula fan's library.