Customer Reviews

Love at First Bite [VHS]

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Well, as far as the movie itself goes, this movie deserves 10+ stars, because not since, Young Frankenstein, has a movie so poignantly and perfectly, captured the true feel of the original classic, of which it so lovingly satires.

George Hamilton plays Dracula, like no one else (except maybe, Jack Palance, but that's another review altogether :) doing Bela Lugosi, proud, whilst still putting his own stamp on the character.

And who can forget, Arte Johnson, as Dracula's , "Cockroach eating friend" (he-he-he... :) Renfield, and Richard Benjamin as their foil, Van Helsing ("Dracula's stolen my girlfriend, and I think he's better in bed with her, then I am...")

This movie is a hands down, no, if-ands-or-buts, classic, from, "Children of the night, shut up", to the end credits.

So why did I only give it 4 stars then?

Well, when this great homage to the classic Dracula films was first released to the big screen (I went to see it with my first girlfriend) there was this great show stopping dance sequence where Dracula seduces Cindy ("The only woman that I have ever loved") on the dance floor to the tune of the disco classic, I Love The Night Life, but then, years and years later, when the movie finally came out to video, I was dismayed to discover that this song had been replaced by some generic disco song.

Now don't get me wrong here, this new song is pretty good, and had it been the original choice for the dance sequence, then I would have had no complaints, but that's not the case here, I Love The Night Life, is the song that defined this movie for all of us who remember seeing it at the theater, and its apparent non-inclusion, on this highly awaited, DVD release, is just another slap in the face to the fans who have been waiting for over 20 years, to finally hear the right song, put back in the movie...

I mean, could you imagine if Star Wars had been released without the opening music, but instead, replaced by some stock music (in order to save a few bucks on the licensing rights) sure, it would still be Star Wars, but there would be something missing. I mean jeepers; it would almost be as bad as say, Greedo, getting off the first shot..., oh right... lol, never mind...

We the fans, should petition MGM, just to let them know that we are not happy with the omission of our beloved song, but alas, seeing as the DVD's have already been manufactured, and will be in stores in a couple of weeks, I'm afraid that the only way in which, I Love The Night Life, will ever be heard in this movie again, is if you sync up the CD of the song, and turn down the DVD's volume during the dance sequence.

It's a darn shame, if you ask me... :(

***NOTE: Just got my copy of this DVD, and as feared, "I Love The Night Life" is missing in action, on both the widescreen and full screen versions (as I had secretly hoped that it made it onto one of the two versions, but alas, no :(

But here's the rub, as there's a rather lengthy trailer for the movie, included on the DVD, and guess what song is used through out this trailer, yep, none other then, "I Love The Night Life".

What a slap in the face to the fans of this great film, to have to endure the generic disco song during the actual movie, only to have the original song, dangled in our face, over and over again in the trailer (there are even snippets of the dance sequence, with the proper music, in the trailer :(

FYI: you'll probably want to watch the movie in the full screen mode, because the widescreen mode it simply the full screen mode, matted to widescreen, and not the other way around, so there's more top and bottom info on the screen in the full screen mode, as opposed to less right and left screen info with movies cropped to fit full screen.

If you've NEVER seen this movie, you will enjoy it. However, if you remember the theatrical version with the Alicia Bridge's song "I Love the Night Life" in the disco scene...well, the lame substitution of a different song has ruined this dvd for me. If I buy a dvd and the contents are SIGNIFICANTLY different than the version I saw in the theater, that information should be available on the package prior to purchase. I'm VERY thankful I got this from Netflix prior to buying it. Ain't gonna happen...unless they re-issue it with "I Love the Night Life" restored.

...al-vays, a longie." This movie rocks. It's very 70's...disco dancing, Afro haircuts, joint smoking, Susan St. James, and free love. Who could ask for anything more?

George Hamilton has a great butt and makes for a dang sexy Dracula. Other than the George swooning, though, this is a movie that makes me laugh out loud just about every time I watch it. Richard Benjamen is hysterical as the jealous boyfriend who keeps unsuccessfully trying to kill the count. ("No, Rosenberg. That is for a vere-volf.") Arte Johnson is a bug-chomping bucket-o-laffs as Renfield. Susan St. James has a cute, self-effacing humor about her and is funny and lovable as the model who falls for Drac. It's just plain entertaining. I will definitely buy it if it's released on DVD.

This take-off on the timeless Dracula story is one of the funniest films ever to come out of Hollywood.. George Hamilton is a riot as Dracula, and the movie opens when the poor guy (er, vampire) is about to be summarily kicked out of his Transylvanian castle by the local communist functionaries who want to turn it into a training gym ("In 24 hours ve vill return with trampolines, uneven parallel bars, and Nadia Comaneci. Don't be here.") He and his trusty sidekick Renfield (hilariously played by Arte Johnson) hop the night flight to New York, where Dracula's coffin gets swapped at the airport and he finds himself at the Reverend Mike's funeral parlor in Harlem. (For those unfamiliar with the setting, Reverend Mike's funeral parlor is a spoof on the actual funeral home owned by the real-life funeral director Reverend Ike.) Rising out of his coffin and sending the crowd of mourners screaming for the nearest exits, he's out on the streets of New York searching for the lady of his dreams, a pill-popping anorexic supermodel whose picture he fell in love with on the cover of a fashion magazine. Turning himself into a dog to get close to the lady on a fashion shoot, and running afoul of New York's Finest at the same time (hey, if you're a dog and you gotta do your thing and a fire hydrant isn't handy, a cop's leg will do just as well), he almost ends up in the local pound but springs himself and heads for a night of adventures that includes biting a wino in the neck and getting hilariously drunk from the wino's blood. He heads down to a local nightclub, meets the supermodel (Susan St. James) and it's love at first sight (yep, and bite too). Complications arrive in the form of St. James's nutty psychiatrist boyfriend (Richard Benjamin), who suspects there is something fishy about the competition. The movie rockets along toward its hilarious ending and we have a ball viewing it in the process. This is one comedy film that has stood the test of time; it gets funnier each time you watch it.

Not The Original Film. Doesn't have the original disco scene with "I like the night life" song. I gave it as a gift to a really big fan of this film, she was very disappointed. I feel like an a*s?hole.

The clasic theme song " I love the Night Life" has been replaced by some generic disco music.
Its the most famous thing about this moviw for cripes sike. MGM stinks. This DVD is a rip off.
It isnt Love at First Bite without "I love The Night Life". Movies are really starting to suck.

I love this film, but, the trailer promotes the movie with ALICIA BRIDGES song on the dance sequence and I consider myself very fortunate to have seen this film at the theatre because I am extremely disappointed at the decision to remove I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE and replace it with a poor quality song.

I was thrilled to see one of my favorite comedies released on DVD. I agree with the review by bobtec. The dance sequence number "I Love the Nightlife" is still missing in this home video version. To me, it was one of the best moments in the film. To see it replaced with another song just ruined it for me. VHS had the same problem. I ended up selling my DVD after one viewing. However, if the song means nothing to you it is a nice digital transfer. Funny, the trailer has the song in it. Bobtec got it right. Wait for a TV broadcast.

Ask anyone what scene they recall from this movie, and they will tell you the disco scene between Dracula and Cindy Suntime when they dance to "I Love the Nightlife". As far as this DVD release is concerned, it's just a memory- as they didn't even bother to secure the rights to this song. Although it is still mentioned in the credits, it has been replaced with a cheesy disco song no one ever heard of. This was a fan-favorite scene and this change personally ruined the movie for me. I now regret buying it.

I, like other reviewers, waited a long time for the DVD release of "Love at First Bite" - imagine my disgust to find the dance sequence RUINED with the replacement of Alicia Bridges "I Love the Night Life" with some inane, non-disco ballad that was absolutely TERRIBLE and did not fit the sequence at all! If I had known that this song was overdubbed with that awful other poor excuse for music, I would not have bothered purchasing the DVD - I will now watch my video original copy until the tape disintegrates before I play the DVD. If you loved the original - give the DVD version a big miss. Maybe the powers that be will realise the error of their ways and restore Alicia Bridges - until then, hell will freeze over before I watch the DVD!!