DRACULA

US, 1979, 104 minutes, Colour.
Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Kate Nelligan, Donald Pleasence, Trevor Eve.
Directed by John Badham.

The long cinema tradition of Dracula has been serious, frequently gory, lately tongue-in-cheek. This film aims at being the stylish, serious version for the 70s - straightforward plot, marvellous Panavision locations and sets (England 1913), fine effects (some horrendous touches) and a John Williams score. Frank Langella (in the Christopher Lee vein) is a seductive Dracula, Laurence Olivier is continental-accented pursuer Van Helsing (with a vintage car and carriage and horse chase). Kate Nelligan is a very attractive Lucy. Given the lavish treatment and care, it is a pity the film does not have the extra spark to make it great rather than very good.

1. The 70s popularity of horror films, the occult, films dealing with symbols of evil, the vampire film and the Dracula trend? This film as echoing these genres, fashions?

2. The importance of the vampire traditions, the Undead and their mythology? The importance of blood, violence, death and Hell, evil resurrection, sin, sensuality? The pervasive evil of the vampire and the threat to ordinary human beings? The evil making others like it?

3. The Dracula tradition, the Rumanian origins, Dracula's age, cruelty, the living dead, his needs, blood lust, preying on beautiful women and destroying their life?

4. Bram Stoker's interpretation of Dracula and making him popular at the end of the 19th. century? The plays and films which widened the popularity? Dracula as a figure of evil, the image of Dracula? The basic plot, the continent, England? The influence of the various cinema versions on each other? This film within the tradition?

5. A straightforward presentation of Dracula, less tongue-in-cheek? The use of Stoker's original and the play version? The film as a horror story treated seriously? Dracula's existence, his needs, cruelty? His intruding on an ordered way of life? The chaos that ensues. the pervasiveness of evil? A serious treatment of these themes within horror conventions?

6. The contribution of the colour photography, the use of Panavision, the atmosphere of the sea and ships, the town on the coast,, the cemetery and its atmosphere, the underground caverns? The Abbey, the castles? The vaults? The photography of all these locations contributing atmosphere? The variations in the use of colour, light and dark, shades, the colours of blood and the use of the sun? The special effects and the emphasis on gore? The importance of the crawling of Dracula up the castle wall, the swirling colours to suggest passion and lust? The blood sequences? The importance of the John Williams score and its melodies and themes? The Yorkshire setting and the overtones of Wuthering Heights?

7. Frank Langella's presence and style as Dracula? Handsome, sinister, erotic, menacing? His success on the stage and his bringing this interpretation to the screen? How well matched was he against Laurence Olivier as Van Helsing? Kate Nelligan and her presence as Lucy and response to Dracula?

8. The impact of the opening with the ship, the rats, the violent deaths, the wreck, the caves? Mina and her going to the caves? Dracula's use of the caves and the ship for his escape? The importance of the background of the sea and the town on the coast?

9. The suggestions and overtones from the asylum? The portrait of the inmates and their madness, riots, routines, atmosphere? Jack Seward and his management of the asylum ? His staff? Lucy as his daughter, Mina as visitor? The friendship of the girls as contrast to the people in the asylum? Lucy and her ability to work in the asylum? The recurring asylum scenes as an alternate madness to the seeming suave but sinister madness of Dracula?

10. The presentation of the girls as attractive, as victims? Mina and her searching the coast and the caves, the fascination with Dracula, her being vampirised? The ugliness of her evil, her menace, confrontation, burial, the stake through the heart? Van Helsing seeing his daughter turned into a monster?

11. Lucy as heroine and victim? Her presence in the asylum, friendship for Mina, devotion to her father? Her presence at the party and her vivacity, the attraction towards Dracula? The growing infatuation, his presence especially crawling up the wall, taking over and lessening her resistance? His making her one of the Undead but only gradually? The importance of the chase, the ship coffin and her presence with him, her looking up to the sky at the end? The ambiguity of the relationship of the woman to the vampire? Femininity, sensuality, passion and lust? The special effects used for communicating this?

12. Jack Seward and his role, the Yorkshire background, the host, his guardianship of the women, his bringing in Van Helsing, the cemetery sequences, his rescuing Van Helsing against Mina's attack? His participation in the final chase?

13. Renfeld? His presence with Dracula, his ugliness, the eating of the insects? His being under Dracula's authority? Dracula's harsh treatment of him?

14. Dracula within the framework of the film, of the conventional plot, interacting with the characters? Tall, dark and handsome, his cape, a romantic figure? His appearance on the ship, hid transition into a bat? The effect of his coming up and down the wall? The ominous nature of his presence? Suave manner, sociability? His home and the ugliness of the castle and its cobwebs and vaults? His coffin? His passion for Mina, his passion for Lucy? His discussions and seeming normality? The film's emphasis on his needs and attraction towards blood? Towards women? The confrontation with Seward?

15. Van Helsing and Laurence Olivier's interpretation? His knowledge, his understanding of the situation, his investigations? His grief for Mina, the cemetery sequence, the attack in the vaults? The confrontation with Dracula? The importance of the long chase? The ugly violence of his death? Dracula's victory?

16. The build-up to the climax on the ship, van Helsing's death, the rescue of Lucy? Dracula hooked and raised above the ship? The ominous floating away of his cloak with the bat suggestion?

17. The success of the film as entertainment, as a horror story? The treatment of the horror themes and the symbols of evil?