Customer Reviews

Count Dracula (BBC Mini-Series)

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I first saw this version of "Dracula" on PBS back in the 70's (shortly after having read the novel) and thought it a wondererful (albeit a little stiff) and very faithful film adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic gothic novel. Of course there have been hundreds of films featuring Count Dracula down through the ages but very few of them adhered closely to the orignal source material. In fact most of them just borrowed a few key characters and maybe a plot thread or two and then just created their own story. Thankfully the BBC decided to rectify matters by filming their own adaptation for television and this is the first film that I am aware of that really does stay true to the novel. In fact this was the first film to show many of the famous scenes from the novel that previous films had ignored. Namely the scenes of Dracula crawling down the castle walls and a very controversial (at the time) scene where the Count offers a baby to his three vampire brides.

Now keep in mind this is 70's era BBC televsision. While the acting is quite good some of the other production values are not going to be of the same quality that many of today's viewing audiences are used to. For example many of the exterior scenes are filmed outdoors while the interior scenes are filmed on sets. Consequently there is going to be some sequences with a certain stagey quality to them. Some of the special effects shots are going to be...well, lets just say not all that special. Now having said all that I still can tell you that there are more chills to be had from this version than the BBC's most recent and very disapointing adaptation of "Dracula". In fact, I'll go so far as to say that this version is even better than Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula". I never really cared for Coppola's version anyway but I will give it high marks for production values. One of the big mistakes with Coppola's film was the changing of Dracula's character from Stoker's concept of evil vampire to that of a silly, romantic love-struck vampire. Louis Jourdan (Gigi, Octopussy) does a fine job as the Count despite the fact that he is one of the few things in the film that doesn't quite mesh with Stoker's original concept. He does however convey very well that strange dichotomy of vampires. Namely the sensual yet evil qualities we've come to expect from many other screen Dracula's.

To sum up: this film may be cheap in the production values department but if you are looking for a version that is faithful to Stoker's original story, character and concepts then you are on the right track with this offering from 70's era BBC. There's lots of atmosphere and plenty of good chills to be had from this version despite the shortcomings it may have.

At last, although it's been a while since I last saw this. I had never forgotten it,
especially the scene where Harker looks out of his castle window and see's Dracula clinging to the walls.
Louis Jourdan breathes new life into the titular character.
(With just the right air of a European nobleman, polite, curteous but with an arrogant streak).
This was the first time I'd seen the delightful Judy Bowker on TV since Black Beauty.
The ever reliable Frank Finlay plays a wonderful Van Helsing.
(His 1971 Casanova is worth a look too.)
And Jack Shepherd really excels as Renfield.
If you have never read the novel, then this is the most accurate version I have ever seen.
Bram Stokers characters and prose are faithfully transferred to the small screen.
Production values are typically BBC late 70's videotape, but it's the story and acting quality I buy for,
and not a slightly dodgy TV stage set!
Original airdate:~ 22/12/77.

FINALLY!!!

I cannot believe that we are FINALLY going to be able to own this unforgettable BBC series!!!

The BEST version of Dracula ever placed on film! I have wished for, and waited, it seems like forever, for a chance to be able to not only see this great "film" again, but to be able to have it on my shelves to watch over and over anytime I wish to.

I am a long-time horror film buff, and have seen so many Dracula films I cannot begin to even remember all of them, and THIS is the BEST ever! It closely follows the book, and it also has no "fantastic" [s...] added (as Hollywood is wont to do).

If you are a fan of Bram Stoker's fabled book, then this is, certainly, the Dracula movie for you, trust me. Bravo to Warner Brothers for bringing this great masterpiece film to our list of "available" choices for Dracula on film. This is truly a milestone movie!!! ~operabruin

Louis Jourdan stars as Count Dracula in what is the greatest version of "Dracula" of all-time, the BBC version of "Dracula" a/k/a "Dracula 1977". For years and years, I searched for this film to no success. Only recently was this film ever made available to the public in any form. I can remember when I was young watching this version of Dracula on the PBS station, channel seven (7) back in the late 1970s. Quite frankly, it scared the daylights out of me then, and I was no stranger to horror movies even at such a tender age. Having seen it again almost 30 years later, I can certainly see why. In fact, this movie still packs quite a horrific punch, much more so than all of the "Dracula" movies that exist today. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that the BBC version delivers the story of Dracula for all intents and purposes to the very letter of Bram Stoker's classic novel. Sometimes, movies that are variations of the novels that they are based upon turn out better than the book, but not in "Dracula". Bram Stoker's version is the most horrifying, and it is a classic in every sense of the word.

The acting in the BBC version of "Dracula" is simply outstanding, including Louis Jourdan as the Count himself and Frank Finlay, who is perfect as Professor Van Helsing, rivaling even Laurence Olivier in "Dracula 1979". However, it is the hauntingly dark and realistic setting, atmosphere and suspense that the BBC version of "Dracula" delivers to the audience that makes this particular rendition of "Dracula" a positively bone-chilling viewing experience and the ultimate "Dracula" movie. The creators of the BBC "Dracula" paid very close attention to detail regarding Bram Stoker's story of Count Dracula thereby capturing Stoker's perception of the vampire, Dracula, which is a completely evil and unnatural monster that must be destroyed at all costs. To the BBC version's credit, we do not get the lovelorn Dracula as that was not present in Bram Stoker's novel either. To place Dracula in a romantic capacity humanizes the vampire, and this is simply an erroneous modernized perception of the vampire that dilutes the horror associated with the vampire monsters. Count Dracula is interested in only one thing and that is blood. In order to get this blood, Dracula kills people and makes more vampires thereby imprisoning their souls in his world of evil.

Perhaps what is most interesting about the BBC version of "Dracula" is the way it personifies the good versus evil theme; from this standpoint, the BBC version of "Dracula" is also artistically captivating. In essence, the BBC version of "Dracula" is a virtuoso of horror, a portrait of good versus evil, and a classic that transcends time. This is something that is unique to the BBC version of "Dracula.

In short, the BBC version of "Dracula" is a stylistic portrayal of the vampire story which is a simple yet powerful horror movie that deserves more credit than it is given. In the BBC version of "Dracula", you have a movie that is scary, but it is also a classic that you can actually show to your kids. Now that this version is finally available to the public, I hope more people will discover how great a movie this is. The BBC version of "Dracula" is the greatest version of "Dracula" in the entire world, and garners FIVE (5) STARS and HorrorMan's official stamp of approval as the quintessential "Dracula". In short, the BBC version of "Dracula" is "Dracula".

I also, as others here, saw this on PBS when it was first released in the late 70s. It was rebroadcast a few years later, but only once, never to be seen again after that. As reviewers here have mentioned, the scene that sticks out in my mind is where Louis Jourdan, who portrays Dracula, climbs down the wall (I guess the reason that all of us here remember that scene is due to how surreal it really seemed for the late 70s, especially TV). Yes, it was one of those early BBC miniseries, so it was shot on videotape, but this only seems to have made it all the more eery for me @ the time(although, given, I was but a preteen). This video format also seemed to make a similarly-themed earlier TV show, "Dark Shadows", all the more immediate and, yes, eery. I also remembered the production music from the Jourdan series to this day and I have recalled just how insecure I got after each evening's chapter had finished. Since, first, only the final chapter had the 'happy' ending, with each of the others leaving me with a feeling of dread, and, second, I had to go to bed not long after each evening's broadcast(YIPES!!!), I was sure my imagination had built this up a bit, too. Over the years, my father and I had discussed this version & I remember him hoping beyond hope for it to be released on video, it seeming to have been forgotten. Alas, it never was released. In recent years, I had began to see it resurfacing in articles and books, renewing my need to see it once again. Last year, I found this(with what appears to be the same packaging as here)on eBay, through Great Britain(for about the same price, actually). I purchased it, along with another 70s TV release, "The True Story of Frankenstein", starring Michael Sarrazin. That one is going to my cousin, the childhood memory definitely being stronger than the actual production. This one, I'm happy to report, will become an annual Halloween viewing for me...even shot on videotape!!! It still holds up after all these years! I feel that this is due, partially, to the fact that it was more closely based to the Stoker novel than other adaptations, creating a much more literate and intellectual piece, making this DVD well worth its weight in gold.

I still feel this is the best adaptation of the book ever done. It remains as true to the original as possible (given the public's expectations of the gentleman vampire compared to Max Schreck's physically accurate performance in "Nosferatu"). What it lacks in sophisticated special effects it makes up for in imaginative use of what they had available to them. Add to that wonderful performances all around - not just Jourdan.



Frank Finlay's Van Helsing is wonderful. With all due respect to Edward Van Slone, Finlay is the one I would want at my bedside protecting me from vampires. He's charming, gentle, caring, eccentric...yet at the same fiercely determined and wise. He's my favorite of all the Van Helsings to date.



Judy Bowker (Andromdeda in "Clash of the Titans") is finally given a chance to act and she rises to the occasion beautfully. Susan Penhaligon is coquettish as Lucy rather than borderline slutty as some productions would have her.



They even appear to have hired an American actor to play an American character for once - a novelty for the BBC.



This production was the first thing I ever recorded on my first VCR (a Betamax!). I bought a region 2 disc (and a multi-region player) when it was released in the UK. This is a wonderful production and worth it at twice the price of this disc.

Like many, I've waited YEARS for this DVD, having watched it on an old VHS tape that is just about worn out from so many viewings. I bought this DVD just this morning, and immediately watched it.

Folks, we can all relax and rejoice...this is the complete, unedited version - baby-devouring scene and all! And the best part is that both picture and sound quality are superb throughout! They obviously used the best master available for transfer onto DVD.

There are no extras whatsoever. But you know something? It doesn't matter! Who cares?!? Dracula fans FINALLY have this most-true-to-the-novel version on DVD!

Enjoy it! Revel in it!

Love This Version, Best Version of Stoker's Novel

Louis Jourdan One of The Best Draculas Ever, Get This Movie

I received this DVD of the BBC Production of Count Draculs (1977) earlier this week. I must say that this version of the Dracula mythos is much closer to the story line of Stoker's classic novel than any other film to date. Louis Jourdan did an excellent job in performing as Count Dracula. Frank Finlay did a good job as Dr. Van Helsing with that interesting Einstein-like hairdo. Jourdan's performance was somewhat more romantic than the animalistic Dracula of Bram Stoker. However, the conveying of evil and power was excellent. For pure terror and dramatic tension, I still favor Hammer's Horror of Dracula with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Still...this film is very close in both quality and excitement in bringing to us a very haunting tale. I particularly enjoyed how the film used actual settings for the film including the use of the Whitby Abbey site. This helps to bring a touch of realism which represents the story in a manner as Stoker probably envisaged it.

The picture as shown on this DVD was nicely presented in color with sharp images. Though there are no extras to be found in this DVD, the movie itself is very much worthwhile for any viewer to see. No true horror aficionado should do without obtaining this DVD of BBC's Count Dracula.

Finally, I noted that one of the earlier reviewers expressed concern that the famous baby scene might not be included in this DVD. Rest be assured...the baby scene is indeed included in all of its gruesome glory.

As a child, this was broadcast on our local PBS station on Halloween night and scared the living or Unliving daylights out of me. Over the years as I read the novel and watched all the movies I found that along with the Christopher Lee films that this is THE BEST of the Dracula stories. Louis Jourdan brings us a charming but completely evil Count who has lived so long that he has little or no human traits left and that makes him so much more scary. This is one of the best looking versions of the oft told tale and finally after all these years it comes to DVD. I'll be waiting by the mail box for this in Sept. and be in front of the T.V. Halloween night with this ready to watch as soon as the kids go to sleep.
THANK YOU FOR GETTING THIS CLASSIC OUT TO US FINALY!