EL CONDE DRACULA does not exactly grab the viewer's attention right from the get-go.
International stars Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom and Klaus Kinski are acting alongside Franco regulars of the period - Soledad Miranda, Jack Taylor and the excellent Paul Muller. Director himself has a tiny part as a creepy manservant. Apart from great cast and some odd stylistic choices there's nothing much to say about EL CONDE DRACULA. The best actors flit in and out, with most running time going to the bland "pretty boy" Fred Williams. The viewer is left to his own devices amidst a slurry of confusing scenes. Despite some undeniably effective visual touches, EL CONDE DRACULA is more of a missed opportunity than a forgotten gem.
Actually, this is one of my favorite Francos :)
ReplyDeleteMine too. It was the first Franco I saw, when it used to run again and again on Super Chanel which must have been in the late eighties.
ReplyDeleteI grew quite fond of it and found it a great little piece that in my honest opinion holds much more atmosphere than the Hammer flicks. And Kinski is the best Renfield since Dwight Frye.
Thanks a lot for standing up for uncle Jess, guys. I always appreciate when people voice contrary opinions, that's the whole point for me - exchange of points of view.
ReplyDeleteWhat is great about Franco is that his films mean very different things to different people.
I can't say I totally dislike Dracula, but in a lot of scenes I found it that Franco didn't explore the potential. For example, he has money to dress extras in period costumes, but no time to properly light the scene or do enough set-ups. So it's neither totally shoddy, nor a really well-produced film.
Kinski is great and so is Lee, but sadly they remain somewhat peripheral characters in this.
I have more fondness for Jess' cheaper films, shortcomings in which are easier to overlook.
And I am not particularly fond of Hammer films.
I know quite a few people who admire Franco's Dracula, and can see why - some great atmosphere, but still - so many missed opportunities here.