Dracula (1979)

Director:

John Badham

Writers:

Bram Stoker (novel)
Hamilton Deane (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Romance

Tagline:

Throughout history he has filled the hearts of men with terror, and the hearts of women with desire.

Plot:

Romanticized adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic. Set in 1913 England, the blood-sucking, but handsome, charming and seductive, Count Dracula seeks an immortal bride.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Dracula | Asylum | Vampire Slayer | Dead Baby

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Frank Langella	...	Count Dracula
Laurence Olivier	...	Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Jack Seward
Kate Nelligan	...	Lucy Seward
Trevor Eve	...	Jonathan Harker
Jan Francis	...	Mina Van Helsing
Janine Duvitski	...	Annie
Tony Haygarth	...	Milo Renfield
Teddy Turner	...	Swales
Sylvester McCoy	...	Walter (as Sylveste McCoy)
Kristine Howarth	...	Mrs. Galloway
Joe Belcher	...	Tony Hindley
Ted Carroll	...	Scarborough Sailor
Frank Birch	...	Harbormaster
Gabor Vernon	...	Captain of Demeter
Frank Henson	...	Demeter Sailor
Peter Wallis	...	Priest

Directed by
John Badham

Writing credits
Bram Stoker		(novel)
Hamilton Deane		(play) &
John L. Balderston		(play)
W.D. Richter		(screenplay)

Produced by
Marvin Mirisch	....	executive producer
Walter Mirisch	....	producer
Tom Pevsner	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Williams

Cinematography by
Gilbert Taylor

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Mary Selway

Production Design by
Peter Murton

Art Direction by
Brian Ackland-Snow

Costume Design by
Julie Harris

Makeup Department
Eric Allwright	....	makeup artist
Susie Hill	....	hair stylist
Colin Jamison	....	hair stylist
Peter Robb-King	....	makeup artist
Jane Royle	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Hugh Harlow	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gerry Gavigan	....	second unit director
Anthony Wave	....	assistant director

Art Department
Andy Andrews	....	property master
Terry Apsey	....	construction manager
Reg Richards	....	construction manager
Peter Young	....	set dresser
Andy Aitken	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Dennis Murray	....	plasterer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jonathan Bates	....	sound editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound mixer
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recordist
Terry Sharratt	....	boom operator
Jeremy Hume	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Roy Arbogast	....	special effects
Michael Dawson	....	special effects assistant
Tad Krzanowski	....	special effects (uncredited)
Michael White	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Maurice Binder	....	visual consultant
Brian Smithies	....	models
Albert Whitlock	....	special visual effects
Henry Schoessler	....	matte crew (uncredited)

Stunts
Eddie Powell	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Roger Berner	....	assistant camera
Leslie Dear	....	additional photographer
Wick Finch	....	electrician
Roy Ford	....	camera operator
Ray Hall	....	grip
Harry Oakes	....	additional photographer
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Laurie Shane	....	gaffer
Peter Taylor	....	assistant camera
Roy Larner	....	best boy (uncredited)
Marc Wolff	....	pilot: camera helicopter (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brenda Dabbs	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Chris Ridsdale	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (as Herbert Spencer)

Other crew
Gordon Arnell	....	publicist
Jim Brennan	....	location manager
Bee Broomfield	....	production secretary
Pamela Carlton	....	continuity
Len Cave	....	production accountant
Reg Dent	....	horse master
Jan Francis	....	dance arranger
John Holmes	....	animal coordinator
Philip Kohler	....	location manager
Judit Thompson	....	assistant: Mr. Badham
Joyce Turner	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures
• Mirisch Corporation, The

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (France) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1981) (USA) (TV)
• MCA Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (DVD)
• CIC Video (19??) (France) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates

Other Companies

• Camera Effects  credits
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  music performed by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Dutch | Romanian | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:X (theatrical rating) | Singapore:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Netherlands:16 | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Carlyon Bay, St Austell, Cornwall, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

When Dracula hypnotizes Mina, he uses the line, "When I will something, it should be done." A line once used by Bela Lugosi when he gave his "Great Vampire Bat Illusion" on an episode of "You Asked For It".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Lucy awakens to Mina's shallow breathing and rings for Seward, who comes to the aid, followed by Jonathan. As Mina dies, and Seward closes her eyes - you can still see her chest rise slightly even though she's supposed to be dead. In the following far shot, as Jonathan is steering a grieved Lucy out of the room, you can still see Mina's chest slightly rise again.

Quotes:

Milo Renfield:"Please master. Hurt me, torture me, I deserve it. But Please, don't kill me."
Count Dracula:"Renfield, you disappoint me."

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster Mania (1997) (TV)

Much better than I'd heard.

For years, I've listened to horror fans talk trash about the 1979 "Dracula." It's not faithful to the book, they'd complain, it's not scary, it's only made for the sake of middle-aged ladies who fancy Frank Langella, etc. etc.

Well, I'm happy to report that the horror fans are way off base this time. This "Dracula" is a classy, creepy, and sometimes downright exciting production. Sure, the script doesn't follow the events of the book exactly - the whole thing takes place in England! - but it makes the most of its limitations, so to speak.

Langella makes a very classy Dracula. He apparently refused to wear fangs or demon eyes for the role, focusing instead on making the count more "human" - not to mention arrogant, intelligent, and, I suppose, sexy (for me and other guy viewers, though, the eye candy in this movie is Kate Nelligan). Perhaps Langella is a little too "normal," and his big hair is slightly amusing, but on the whole I think he plays the role with dignity, inhabiting Dracula in a far more convincing way than the likes of Gary Oldman.

The rest of the cast is pretty good, too. Nelligan makes a lovely, capable heroine, and Trevor Eve is an OK (if underused) Jonathan Harker. Laurence Olivier's Van Helsing is a lot better than most people say he is - he comes across as smart, brave and an overall worthy opponent for Dracula. Reviewers tend to mock his Dutch accent, but I don't get too wrapped up in stuff like that; it sounds fine to me. I certainly think the cast here is much better than the parade of wooden actors and crazy hams in the Coppola version.

I like the production values of this film, too. The special effects are mostly photographic tricks but they look cool, and they aren't overbearing like modern CGI effects. The sets and locations are attractive, though the designers went a bit overboard with the Gothic ruin of Carfax Abbey (probably because they wanted to make it a substitute for the absent Castle Dracula). And, of course, the eerie John Williams score is a treat, and rightly praised by most critics.

Another plus is that the movie features a number of very powerful scenes - I love Dracula's confrontation with Van Helsing in the study, and the terrifying moment when Van Helsing encounters his vampire daughter in the mine shaft. Creepy stuff; no wonder this movie freaked me out when I was a kid!

On the downside, I found Dr. Seward, as played by Donald Pleasence, slightly too grotesque and lame to be believed. And, as usual for these Dracula adaptations, Renfield seemed borderline extraneous. The plotting flakes apart a bit at the end, too, with the car chase scene coming across as silly - and what, exactly, does the final image in the film mean? It's slightly too enigmatic for my tastes. I am supposed to be rooting for Dracula to survive or something?

Still, this is one of the better Draculas. The 1977 BBC version is more faithful and probably better. But this is arguably the best adaptation of the story to come out of Hollywood.