★★★ Dracula (1931)

[Gino: 3.0]

Gino says: 'Unfair to compare movies 60 year apart, but I couldn't help thinking that Francis Ford Coppola's version did a better job of setting the Romantic stage for this adaptation of the novel. This classic version had little momentum or feeling to it. But the moody locations + special effects were quite good (apart from the bat) and the acting pretty good. Other than that, the only thing to recommend is Bela Lugosi who doesn't really do too much, but has such an odd and commanding stage presence that he trances you, like he does his victims. There is an almost giddy stand-off scene of Dracula vs. Van Helsing in the sitting room that impressed me, but hard to say why. I should say that because the soundtrack is so sparse in the original, we watched with Phillip Glass score. Great music, but, as usual, it stands out too much here and is distracting. So, if you are in the mood for a classic, watch away! If you want to get more into the story, maybe watch the 1992 version. My humble opinion.'