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MOVIES DRACULA
Quick Rating: *** At the time when Universal started making "talkies" and horror films, it was also trying to appeal to different markets. In particular, the spanish speaking audience. Well, with silent films, it was easy to modify a film to different languages. But with "talkies", it was more difficult. Dubbing wasn't a viable solution at the time. So, what Universal did was have a Hollywood crew and a Mexican/hispanic crew and they would make two movies at the same time. Tod Browning and his cast & crew (the immortal Bela Lugosi included) would make their "Dracula" movie during the day. And then, at night, the Spanish team would film their movie on the same exact sets. It was very interesting to compare and contrast this version with the classic version. The sets were identical and the script was the same, although the actors, the directors, the special effects, etc were different. It's impossible for me to review this without just comparing it to the famous film. Many people think this film is even better than the English version, but I'm not one of them. There are better special effects, and more of them. The camera work and direction are also superior in this film. There's a lot more camera movement, and it draws the audience in a little more, keeps them more interested. However, I think the acting is where this one falters. Carlos Villarias, who portrays the Count, sorta looks like Bela, but comes off much more comical than Lugosi. Maybe it's his Dumbo ears. Also, the Renfield and Van Helsing actors are more comical in appearance, and I think that detracts from the story. Quality: 6.0 Visuals:
6.5 Intensity: 6.0 reviewed
2005
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