Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) |  | Actor: Bela Lugosi
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $13.98
as of 3/19/2010 11:14 EDT details
You Save: $13.00 (48%)
New (26) Used (14) from $11.95
Seller: Chad0079
Rating:  219 reviews
Sales Rank: 11563
Format: Black & White, Dolby, Full Screen, Subtitled
Languages: English (Original Language), Hungarian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 179 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.8
MPN: D31022D
UPC: 025193102225
EAN: 0025193102225
ASIN: B000GPIPSS
Theatrical Release Date: February 14, 1931
Release Date: September 26, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com essential video
When Universal Pictures picked up the movie rights to a Broadway adaptation of Dracula, they felt secure in handing the property over to the sinister team of actor Lon Chaney and director Tod Browning. But Chaney died of cancer, and Universal hired the Hungarian who had scored a success in the stage play: Béla Lugosi. The resulting film launched both Lugosi's baroque career and the horror-movie cycle of the 1930s. It gets off to an atmospheric start, as we meet Count Dracula in his shadowy castle in Transylvania, superbly captured by the great cinematographer Karl Freund. Eventually Dracula and his blood-sucking devotee (Dwight Frye, in one of the cinema's truly mad performances) meet their match in a vampire-hunter called Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan). If the later sections of the film are undeniably stage bound and a tad creaky, Dracula nevertheless casts a spell, thanks to Lugosi's creepily lugubrious manner and the eerie silences of Browning's directing style. (After a mood-enhancing snippet of Swan Lake under the opening titles, there is no music in the film.) Frankenstein, which was released a few months later, confirmed the horror craze, and Universal has been making money (and countless spin-off projects) from its twin titans of terror ever since. Certainly the role left a lasting impression on the increasingly addled and drug-addicted Lugosi, who was never quite able to distance himself from the part that made him a star. He was buried, at his request, in his black vampire cape. --Robert Horton
Description
The legend of Dracula continues in this gripping, masterful 2-disc edition of cinema's most ominous vampire, digitally remastered for the 75th Anniversary Edition. Relive the horror, the mystery, and the intrigue of the original 1931 vampire masterpiece starring Bela Lugosi and directed by Tod Browning. The inspiration for hundreds of subsequent remakes and adaptations, this classic film launched the Hollywood horror genre with its eerie passion, shadowy atmosphere, and thrilling cinematography. The children of the night are calling…
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 219
 Dracula meets Philip Glass!!! February 16, 2010
Alan Riva (Valley Village CA, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I personally feel that the Philip Glass soundtrack is perfect for this film. The cast is great, the film is great, but by today's standards, the film by itself could seem a little slow, drawn out and overly melodramatic in some parts. Once again, that's from today's standards, and in many ways, this IS the definitive Dracula film...however...
The Philip Glass soundtrack beautifully weaves the whole film together in a hypnotic tapestry and brings much more power to it. In fact, if you just LISTEN to the movie, you will see how perfectly the dialogue and the music work together. The pacing is wonderful. The music also ties together the long, silent, sections. When the actors move, it sometimes appears as if it were choreographed to the score...like a ballet.
I think this was a BRILLIANT IDEA. I can appreciate the "purists" feelings etc., but I sure don't agree with them, and of course you can watch it without the score (as an option). I can now watch this movie over and over again, as the music makes it an audio as well as a video experience.
 Shoddy Packaging for Otherwise Superb Release January 29, 2010
Leif Sheppard
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This review refers specifically to the 2-Disc 75th Anniversary edition of Dracula.
Clearly, this 1931 version of "Dracula" is the definitive version of the tale, yet to be surpassed going into 2010. The special features here are fantastic as well: a great tribute to Lugosi, a documentary on the making of the film, a great "Universal Horror" documentary, and the Spanish version of "Dracula". Considering how wonderful this release is, I simply had to award at least three solid stars. Still, those two crucial stars are lost on awfully kitschy, occasionally defective packaging. This probably won't be an issue for most, but any serious DVD collector should be aware of these packaging issues.
The discs are packaged in the "little golden book" packaging that is the norm for all titles in the Universal Legacy Series. It is essentially two plastic trays that connect into each other, held together by a folded piece of cardboard. The problem is that the glue isn't entirely effective, and the trays often detach from the cardboard. I've bought four titles in the Universal Legacy Series, and all but one have fallen apart in this manner. Granted, it's a reasonably simple enough task to reglue the sets, but this wouldn't be an issue at all if the studio would simply package them in standard DVD cases, or even those flimsy Eco-Box cases they're so fond of lately.
UNDEAD! January 21, 2010
L. Noon (Tulsa, OK USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Classic Bela Lugosi. I loved the DVD. I own the majority of Bela Lugosi movies and sadly I hadnt had this one in my collection. I had scene the movie multiple times and know almost every word but had never actually BOUGHT it.
The quality of the dvd was good. I purchased it from a used seller because quite frankly I have no desire to spend a crap load of money on ANY DVD. It came in like new condition. Some people have complained about the soundtrack but I didn't even notice it.
Brilliant, and We'll Replace Campy with Intense. This was 1931 and lugosi. December 25, 2009
Benjamin D. Miller (Atlantis, Bottom of Sea)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The artistry of the film is magnificent. Lugosi defined Dracula, and [i forget the actor] defined Renfield (tho they changed his character and merged him with half of Harker's original role. I am willing to say that the film far outdoes Stoker's book and also the German Nosferatu (Is anyone charmed by that ugly, sharp-eared beast?). The Victorian author's vivid description of Harker's stay in Dracula's castle was for me the majority of the book's brilliance. The genius of this film is that no character is anywhere near as illustrious as Dracula, and that is certainly not the sentiment most people have historically felt having read the book. Also, I think the actor that played Renfield was brilliant and is not talked about enough. Lugosi, stripped of his dignity, had the memory of his first (film) role, and one of the few with artistic merit, tho some others are certainly worth seeing. He was buried with his Dracula cape. I also credit Glass for recognizing the merit of this film and writing a full score for it. I recommend playing the film with the new score on, and do not believe it to be a deviation from tradition. The film, however well done, was a Depression-era film, and an original score was never composed. I feel that the film has finally received what it has always been worthy of. It is nice that a (relatively) widely accepted artist such as Glass recognizes this classic and has added to its legacy. The score is wonderful. As for this aspect ratio, it is the original. At one point, I thought that they had always used a wider-screen format. True that the film deviates far from Stoker's original vision. So much the better. The man actually had the gall to say that Dracula was partly inspired by Walt Whitman. And--after they leave the castle, it is a load of sanctimonious hot air justified by the hollow ideals of High-Victorianism. The reinvention of Dracula--much welcomed. By me, anyway. And I know that the book started a huge legacy that I admit I am indebted to personally. Just a little personal sourness towards Stoker. But with me, it is really most all of 19th Century British fiction. The poetry, especially the Romantic poetry, I loved. And I really loved Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Anyway, a personal prejudice makes me prefer this film over the original book, and incidentally, over any other film version of the story.
Dracula on DVD November 30, 2009
Leon M. Roberts (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
If you are a fan of classic horror movies you will want this one in your collection. No one played the part better than Lugosi. The quality is good and the sound track is clear. A must for your Halloween movie line-up.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 219
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