Dracula
- Episode aired Nov 18, 1968
- 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
110
YOUR RATING
A vampire count from Transylvania arrives in Victorian England.A vampire count from Transylvania arrives in Victorian England.A vampire count from Transylvania arrives in Victorian England.
Photos
Margaret Nolan
- Vampire
- (as Marie Legrand)
Nina Baden-Semper
- Vampire
- (as Nina Baden Semper)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDracula's fangs were modeled after the actual dentition of the vampire bat.
- ConnectionsFeatured in In Search of Dracula with Mark Gatiss (2020)
Featured review
It Was Only Ever In Black And White!
Just watched this on Talking Pictures and was both amused and intrigued. I watched it when it was originally broadcast in 1968 and was impressed at the time. Being mostly familiar with Christopher Lee's OTT Hammer portrayal, Denholm Elliot's Dracula was a lot more subdued and creepy. The cast is full of familiar TV faces including James Maxwell, Bernard Archard, Joan Hickson and, every sixties teenage boy's fantasy, Susan George. However, the episode is practically hijacked by Corin Redgrave as Dracula's mentally deranged slave Jonathan Harker. Redgrave runs the whole gamut of artistic expression, alternating between berserk rages and whining self-pity. At one point he even speaks with Dracula's voice when the Count possesses him to warn the others against interfering. Dracula's power over Lucy (George) and Mina (Susannah Neve) is disturbing as they both abandon their middle class reserve wantonly. Mina particularly seems to be a willing acolyte as opposed to Lucy's more innocent victim. As a TV adaptation it does suffer from budgetary constraints. The story is somewhat abbreviated. Briefly related in flashback, Harker's character is combined with Renfield's as the solicitor who visits Dracula and brings him back to England. The action, such as it is, is confined to Lucy's home, one cell in the asylum and the rather impressive cemetery set where, conveniently, Dracula has taken up residence in an unconsecrated grave. All of the familiar tropes are there. The aversion to crosses and sunlight. The concerned relative who innocently breaks the circle of garlic flowers. The stake through the heart etc. Special effects are bargain basement with a plastic bat on elastic announcing the Count's arrival, followed by a swish of his cloak across the camera when he materialises in the room. Having said that, the vampire fangs are very convincing; consisting of two pointed front incisors, like real vampire bats, rather than the usual elongated canines. The fiendish expression of lustful delight on Dracula's face as he is about to sink them into his lovely victim's neck, has to be seen to be believed! Dated - yes; but an interesting take on a familiar story, courtesy of the old Thames Television franchise. Oh, and watch out for the ambiguous ending. My main disappointment was finding out that it hadn't been recorded in colour.
helpful•10
- TondaCoolwal
- Nov 7, 2020
Details
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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