Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen [Paperback]

David J. Skal (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

Here is an irreverently entertaining, authoritative guide to all Dracula's incarnations, from Victorian sex nightmare and 1920s stage villain to Hollywood movie legend and modern-day cuddle toy. 200 illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Horror novelist Skal presents various 19th- and 20th-century interpretations of everyone's favorite black-cloaked bloodsucker. Featured here are Bram Stoker's Victorian thriller, Max Shreck in the German expressionist film Nosferatu and Bela Lugosi on stage and screen as Count Dracula. Illustrated. (Oct.)no PW review
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Tracks Transylvania's most popular vampire with dry wit and the skills of a fine detective." --The New York Times Book Review

"Witty, comprehensive . . . For those who take Halloween seriously, this is something to gnaw on long after those trick-or-treaters are gone." --The Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Meticulously researched, engagingly written and packed with rare, archival images . . . The history of Dracula reads like a novel itself." --The San Francisco Bay Guardian

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; Reprint edition (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393308057
• ISBN-13: 978-0393308051
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,592,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History of Dracula's Path to the Silver Screen., May 5, 2005

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen (Paperback)

In "Hollywood Gothic" David Skal tells the story of "Dracula" that came after the classic of gothic horror was published in 1897. It's a fascinating, fact-filled tale of colorful personalities, legal battles, Hollywood politics, and a culture still captivated by the King of Literary Vampires. The book's seven chapters begin with author Bram Stoker, end with the Count's recent incarnations on stage and screen, and include the most insightful analysis of "Dracula"'s origins that I have read in the course of my minor obsession with the novel.

Chapter 1 explores "Dracula"'s literary and theatrical predecessors before moving on to discussion of the intellectual and sexual climate into which the book was published in 1897, the life and elusive character of its author Bram Stoker, and how the novel was received in its own day. David Skal does an impressive job of pulling together the relevant details, from diverse perspectives, of the novel's birth.

Chapter 2 details the legal battle waged by the Bram Stoker's widow, Mrs. Florence Stoker, to suppress the first cinematic adaptation of her husband's novel, 1922's "Nosferatu", the unauthorized German production directed by F.W. Murnau, now recognized as a masterpiece of silent cinema. Chapter 3 sees Mrs, Stoker finally authorize an adaptation to British dramatist Hamilton Deane, whose wordy, plodding "Dracula" play nevertheless achieved great financial success, attracting the attention of American theatrical producer Horace Liveright. Liveright enlisted journalist John Balderston to rewrite the play for Broadway and make it a smash hit on this side of the Atlantic.

Chapter 4 moves to Hollywood for the protracted negotiations over "Dracula"'s film rights. "Dracula"'s path through the early 20th century was mined with legal battles, and it is a credit to author David Skal that he is able to make interminable and constantly mutating negotiations into absorbing drama. Chapter 5 follows the winding road to the production of the first Hollywood "Dracula", the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi, which, although made cheaply and lazily, was the first horror talkie and a financial life preserver for Universal Studios. Happily, Skal has dedicated Chapter 6 to the superior Spanish language version of "Dracula" that was filmed simultaneously, on the same sets, as the English version of the 1931 film, but with a different producer, director, cinematographer, and cast.

Chapter 7 tells us what became of the principle person's associated with the two 1931 films. Then it follows the legacy of "Dracula" from the 1930s forward, through its incarnations in film, plays, musicals, ballets, and other performances. Appendix A is a list of notable stage performances of "Dracula", 1897-2003. Appendix B is a list of about 200 films, 1921-2004, which feature the "Dracula" character or name. Thankfully, there is an index.

In outlining the contents of "Hollywood Gothic", I may have made the book seem dry. But the story of "Dracula"'s continuing life in film and on stage is as lively as the novel that inspired it -and it is written a good deal better. David Skal's tireless research and engaging style never fail to impress. "Hollywood Gothic" is an absorbing literary and cinematic history that "Dracula" fans shouldn't miss.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nifty little book about the granddaddy of vampires, October 8, 2004

By 

Ian Fowler (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen (Paperback)

I read this book years ago. It's good to see it's coming back into print.

Skal charts the history of Stoker's book, beginning with early drafts extant, following the tangled film history, including the legal battles over Murnau's "Nosferatu", Universal Studio's struggle to get the rights for the Lugosi pic, and everything that happened after.

It won't change your life, but its fascinating stuff. Skal's style is quick, clean, and to the point. This book is a lot of fun, giving insights into publishing, film, theater, and the audience reaction to and participation in all of those mediums. A must for all vampire buffs, film students, and those who are curious about the inner workings of popular culture.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nosferatu gets his due!, November 1, 2002

By 

R. Rosener "Photomatic" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen (Paperback)

This is a good look at the early stage and film versions of Dracula; more impressive is that it's one of the very best works to look at the 1922" Nosferatu". The author details the occult beliefs of the producer of Nosferatu, and how it was really he (Albin Grau,) and not Director Murnau who was responsible for the verminous look of Count Orlok. Fans of the recent film "Shadow of the Vampire" will really enjoy the Nosferatu production details. Some of the Freudian psychosexual analysis is way over the top and should be taken with a grain of salt (or a clove of garlic?). However, the author is on to something when he points out the paralells between the economic paralysis and blood draining of the Great Depression with the similar symptoms of victims in the 1931 Lugosi film. Was the popularity of the film a mass catharsis? You can decide after reading this book. Skal does a great job of drawing eerie analogies between the plight of the real life players behind Dracula and characters in the novel and films.
You'll find yourself consulting and pondering over this book when watching the old films or reading the original Stoker novel. The social context in which Skal places the classical Dracula films will resonate for modern readers.