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Taste the Blood of
Dracula |
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| Starring: Christopher Lee, Linda Hayden,
Anthony Corlan, Geoffrey Keen, John Carson, Peter Sallis Directed by: Peter Sasdy
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Theatrical Release: 1969
DVD Release: 2004
Released by: Warner Home VideoDolby
Digital 1.0
Widescreen (anamorphic) |
Many of those sequels were pathetic efforts to cash in on
the original image, but this one is a crackling good tale. It picks up where Dracula
Has Risen from the Grave leaves off: a hapless traveler sees the Count dying, staked
with a large, ornate cross. The Count evaporates, but leaves behind some blood, which the
terrified man places in a small vial for safekeeping. This falls into the hands of a
Victorian-age magician.
| Dracula Dances Dracula, Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (***) is one of the
most unique cinematic tellings of the familiar story. Its roots are a dance production by
the Winnipeg Ballet with choreography by Mark Godden. But this is not filmed ballet:
renegade director Guy Maddin filmed the dancing close up and at strange angles, had the
sets rebuilt, and then re-cut and re-edited the whole affair to come up with a movie that
is original and fresh.
Overall, the impression is that of a silent film. The
shooting was done in black and white, with CG patches of red for blood and Dracula’s
cape, as well as color tints such as those typically incorporated in movies from the
1920s. Inter-title cards are also inserted at essential points as well. The music is that
of Gustav Mahler (provided by Naxos), excerpts from the First and Second Symphonies.
The result is eerie, unsettling, and effective. The dancers
prove to be excellent actors and the editing is masterful. The DVD transfer is quite good.
Curiously enough, it has been transferred as widescreen instead of anamorphic, so if you
watch this program on an anamorphic set it will be letterboxed. The music is at a lower
level than the norm, but it can easily be brought into play by turning up the volume a
bit.
Very good extras include an audio commentary by director
Maddin, a behind-the-scenes TV special featuring interviews with Maddin, Godden, and
producer Vonnie Von Helmolt, a video piece on set construction, radio interviews with
Maddin and Von Helmolt, and a generous still-frame photo gallery. The overall project is
well worth investigating, especially if you are fascinated with vampire lore. It stands
out as a fresh and innovative take on a popular story.
...Rad Bennett
radb@hometheatersound.com |
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Concurrently, a group of outwardly respectable gentlemen
are secretly going out on the town seeking thrills at brothels and other unlikely venues.
They run across the magician, who offers them eternal life for selling their souls. They
cause the man’s death, and Dracula, reconstituted from his blood, vows revenge.
The story moves quickly and is very well acted. Though Lee
has little dialogue as the Count and is actually on screen less than half the film’s
duration, the other characters, plot devices, and high body count keep one’s
interest. As usual, Hammer’s opulent settings and costumes belie the low-budget
restrictions placed on the film and give it an A-picture look.
The DVD might well be the best-looking vampire movie on
disc. In the opening scenes, the portly traveler is wearing a tight-knit checkered tweed
coat, usually a nightmare for NTSC to reproduce. Yet it was perfectly rendered when I
viewed this movie on my anamorphic Panasonic set. When the same man sees Dracula dying, he
starts to perspire, and every bead of sweat is evident.
Skin tones throughout the movie have a singularly natural
look. The ornate furnishings of Victorian homes are caught in uncanny realism and
luxurious color. One thinks how just a few years ago, even on laserdisc, the vibrant hues
seen in almost every scene of this flick would have caused video bleeding, yet
there’s not a trace of it in this crisp-and-clean transfer. The final scenes, shot in
an abandoned church, are stunning, especially those in front of an intricately designed
stained-glass window.
The sound is surprisingly effective. James Bernard’s
thundering leitmotif-based score is reproduced with good definition and excellent dynamic
range, although the sound is monaural.
The aforementioned Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
has also been released on DVD (**1/2). I do not find it as exciting a film as Taste the
Blood of Dracula, but it is entertaining and will not disappoint Hammer Studio fans.
The video transfer is excellent, though not as astonishing as Taste. There is some
slight grain, and dark sections of the picture tend to be murky. The sound is inferior to
that of the other movie, being restricted in both dynamic and frequency range. |
