review: |
My favourite Dracula film by far. Okay the interior shots are on video tape and some of the special effects a bit weak but if you are not too picky and overlook those small quality limitations you are in for a rare treat. The cast are superb, for my money especially Frank Finlay and the soundtrack spot on. Not an easy film to source, the BBC cannot help - I traced a copy through M-H Search Service, Encino, California. They transferred it to DVD and sent me a copy in England. Excellent quality and must be the USA broadcast version with no naked bride of Dracula breasts. Must be the most faithful version to the original story though (for literary enthusiasts) Lucy and Mina become sisters (instead of friends), Quincey survives a bullet wound (instead of being fatally stabbed), and The Hon. Arthur Holmwood (Lucy's fiance') is completely excluded. At two and a half hours some would prefer to watch it as broadcast - in two parts. If you are a Dracula film fan you must get a copy and watch it with friends. I give it five out of five.
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