MovieChat Forums > Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) Discussion > (Lack of) screentime and characterizatio...

(Lack of) screentime and characterization for Dracula

posted 14 years ago by ivana2804
14 replies | jump to latest

Yesterday I finally watched this movie for the first time. I've seen several different versions of Dracula but this is the first time I've watched a Hammer version. My big disappointment with this movie is that Dracula has so little screentime, doesn't even speak, and only appears as a boogie-man. I much prefer the versions of Dracula (like the ones with Lugosi, Langella or Oldman) where we get to meet the count as a charming, charismatic aristocrat, not just as a monster with fangs, and where he actually interacts with people without growling at them and trying to bite their necks. Dracula feels more like a supporting character in this movie, I wanted to hear him speak (and Christopher Lee certainly has the voice for it) and learn more about him as a person. I haven't seen any of the further Hammer Dracula sequels, so can anyone tell me if it gets better on this account?

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[–] TorontoJediMaster 14 years ago

Hate to tell you, but that was a trademark of Hammer's Dracula films. Dracula was always a very one-dimensional character and it got worse as the series progressed.

In the first film Horror of Dracula, when Dracula is first introduced he greets Jonathan Harker at his Castle. He has about thirteen lines of dialogue...and that's about it for the whole film. After that, he reverts to the animalistic boogeyman.

In subsequent films, his lines were simply him snarling a question or giving a command.

Interestingly though, Scars of Dracula, which was otherwise a really poor film, at least gave Lee more lines than he'd had since the first film and allowed him to actually interact with other characters.

In the Hammer films, Dracula always has to stay hidden and take his victims by surprise or trickery. What's more he always seems to get bogged down in petty things like revenge. You would think that a vampire of his age and power would be above things like.

It was actually the one-dimensional aspect of the character, and the sheer repetetiveness of the plots that caused Lee to stop playing the part. As he described it, in the first reel he'd be brought back to life. In the last reel, he'd be destroyed again. In between he'd stand in a corner snarling at people. As an actor, he felt it just got to be boring.

[–] Forlorn_Rage 14 years ago

For a guy who was dissatisfied with his role, he did it a lot! He must be a very patient man! It's really too bad, even with his limits, Lee was still very sexy and charismatic as Dracula. Just think of how he would've been if Dracula was actually written well! He would've been mindblowing!

[–] BuddyLove63 14 years ago

Hate to tell you, but that was a trademark of Hammer's Dracula films. Dracula was always a very one-dimensional character

Just like Bram Stoker's book then? Nobody can say Stoker's count was a well written three dimensional character with bags of depth. In Stoker's story Dracula all but disappears from the book after the initial meeting with Harker at the castle and he then just becomes the boogieman who pops into the story now and then.

[–] spirit_30 14 years ago

I totally agree ... why didn't they give Lee any lines? He can act. Why couldn't he have lines? I felt all the hammer dracula movies with Lee disappointing, because Lee never spoke with the exception of the few lines he had in "Horror of Dracula".

[–] CountVladDracula 14 years ago

I totally agree ... why didn't they give Lee any lines? He can act. Why couldn't he have lines? I felt all the hammer dracula movies with Lee disappointing, because Lee never spoke with the exception of the few lines he had in "Horror of Dracula".

I don't know which ones you were watching because he talks in ALL of them except this one. And according to Wiki Christopher Lee refused to speak in this one because he did not like the dialogue. The screen writer says otherwise but I believe Lee because I've watched all the Hammer Horror Dracula movies and he talks in all of them except this one.

[–] spirit_30 14 years ago

He didn't talk in "Dracula Prince of Darkness"

[–] CountVladDracula 14 years ago

I know. That's why that's not on my list of ones he actually talks in. :-P

[–] spirit_30 14 years ago

The point is he should have been given way more dialog than what he had ...in all the Dracula films he was in :p

[–] CountVladDracula 14 years ago

This is true.

[–] spirit_30 14 years ago

However I did see on another thread that Lee may not have liked the dialog and didn't want to say the lines ... I don't know if it's true or not but it would explain his lack of dialog.

[–] Spyte 14 years ago

While he may not have had much dialogue I think 'Horror of Dracula' and 'Dracula Prince of Darkness' feel his presence in a manner few if any other Dracula movies have managed. Its a testerment to Lee, director Terence Fisher and the savy approach Hammer took to mining the audiences own knowledge and preconcived notions of what was going on. Oddly though the story has veered a long way from the original, Stokers spirit is perfectly preserved.

[–] CountVladDracula 14 years ago

He does talk in

Horror of Dracula
Dracula has Risen from the Grave
Taste the blood of Dracula
Scars of Dracula
Dracula AD 1972
Satanic Rites of Dracula

I guess they thought it made him mysterious to limit his screen time. A lot of monster movies are notorious for that.

[–] Strazdamonas 13 years ago

Thi is Hammer Dracula for you. Thats how they played it. Some love it some hate it.

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[–] hairybro2000 11 years ago

I like the way Dracula is portrayed in Hammer films. Christopher Lee is the best Dracula in my opinion. There is a feeling of dread whenever he appears. I think his performances along with the rich gothic atmosphere make these movies ones that can be appreciated still to this day.