This moody and stylish retelling of the classic Dracula story plays a list fast and loose with the source material and creates a wonderfully surprising adaptation of this well trodden tale.

I was surprised I had never seen this one. It kind of slipped through the cracks in terms of Dracula adaptations. There are the big ones, Bela Lugosi’s original, Christopher Lee’s series, Gary Oldman wild retelling, and then the superhero style reboot from a few years ago. This one flew under the radar, and I’m sad I missed it. 

This film is lushly romantic. It portrays Dracula as a beautiful, desirable man who seduces the women around him. Directed by John Badham, and written by W.D. Richter, they infuse the film with wonderfully 70’s style romance. The film is not based solely on the Bram Stoker novel, but also on a play adaptation from 1924. This is the key difference that sets this film apart from other adaptations. It has a staged quality that I found very refreshing. The scenes of dialogue flow and dance in a rhythm that only really comes from playwrights and the stage. There is a wonderful dance between Dracula and Mina that I can visualize on stage, but is elevated here by the wonderful flowing camera work. 

The film being partly based on a play also helps break up the story in new and exciting ways. Characters are changed and the story is condensed. We remove the Transylvania sequence entirely. The film opens with Dracula terrorizing the crew of the doomed ship the Demeter on a stormy night as they are killed and the ship drifts into the rocky shore of England. 

The ship runs aground near the sanitarium run by Dr. Jack Seward, played by a delightful Donald Pleasance. Young Mina Van Helsing, played by Jan Francis, is visiting here friend Lucy Seward, played by Kate Nelligan. Mina sees the shipwreck and runs down to the beach to help. She finds Dracula’s body and the way their meeting is shot is classic doomed gothic romance. 

The next night Dracula is properly introduced, he’s played perfectly by Frank Langella, who starred as Dracula in a. Broadway play to great success. He is wonderful. I loved his performance. He was charming and enticing. He was frightening in the most alluring way. They way he handles the romance and the women in the movie made me see the character in a new way. I loved him. His hair is very 70’s. It is the most feathered and fabulous hair I’ve ever seen on a Dracula.

The film shifts gears when Dr. Van Helsing arrives to investigate.  He’s played by Laurence Olivier. His performance teamed with Langella’s excellent turn as the count makes this one absolutely worth your while. 

I loved the changes to the story. I loved that they found a way to keep it fresh. I loved the performances. I loved the style. This was a very fun and surprising adaptation. I highly recommend it. 

It was my cup of tea. A