MovieChat Forums > Dracula (1931) Discussion > No music soundtrack underscore, wow.

No music soundtrack underscore, wow.

posted 12 years ago by eastcoastguyz
9 replies | jump to latest

I had not seen this movie in a long time. I didn't remember it had no music soundtrack underscore at all. Anyone have information as to why this was produced this way?

[–] omnidragon123 12 years ago

they could have had one i suppose even if it was very eary for sound films. However i read that at the time they thought that if they did have music people would be pulled out of the movie. They tought people would be saying stuff like "The only ones there are Dracula and Renfeild. In a old castle that falling apart where is that music coming from?!" Silly maybe but true!

repeat to yourself it's just a show you should really just relax.

[–] Struckworld7767 11 years ago

Which explains why one of the few scenes with music is the scene where Dracula is introduced to Seward in the theater.

I'm from Paris... TEXAS

[–] ElectricWarlock 12 years ago

They added a new musical score 10 or 15 years ago for the DVD/VHS release and I think it's too loud. It seems as if the release was just to advertise the musical score and the movie is only playing in the background coincidentally. The score isn't technically bad, they just put too much emphasis on the music which distracts from the actual film in scenes.

Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] gwnightscream 11 years ago

Agreed, the score isn't bad, but doesn't really fit most of the scenes.

[–] Wackiest 11 years ago

I was surprised to find how recently the score was added (1999). I had assumed that it's overbearing presence was due to the studios still getting used to mixing dialogue/sound/music together in the new "talkie" format.

It really seems a bit too relentless. Occasionally it dips out kind of randomly but stays present in moments where music is unnecessary. One moment that stood out was when Dracula appears to Reinfield at the beginning of the film. I feel that moment worked better when there was no music, and it could have cut out once Dracula makes his entrance. It overshadows the dialogue and is quite distracting in my opinion.

It's a shame really, as I find the film a bit empty without any music but swamped with the Glass score, it really needs a happy medium.

[–] Rueiro 11 years ago

I've got the Universal Classics DVD, which among the extras it contains the musical score they added up a few years ago. Really, the film is much better without it, just the way it was originally intended.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] telegonus 10 years ago

Money is probably one reason for there being no music, as Universal was a small studio, maybe couldn't afford a score; and besides, underscoring didn't really start to catch on till 1933, with King Kong leading the way (so to speak). There's an advantage to the silence of Dracula, which I watched last night, which is that it sort of drains the life out of the movie, which feels very stark, almost dead, in keeping with the theme of taking the blood out of people. It's a bloodless movie. Renfield is the liveliest thing in it.