Dracula [Spanish version] (1931)
Posted on December 19, 2006
Filed Under Black and white, Classics, Creepy stuff, Movies, Series
I’ve always been pretty clear about the fact that Universal’s 1931 adaptation of Dracula is the best I’ve seen and ranks as one of my favourite horror films of all time. For this reason I’ve been hoping to watch the Spanish version-which was shot simultaneously with the English/US version, and with George Melford directing both- for a long time now.
The Spanish version runs for 20 minutes longer than the Browning version, and in general the extra time is well used to flesh out the story and add to the latent atmospherics of the tale. An abundance of small changes demonstrates the point. For instance, when the carriage carrying Renfield arrives at the village at the foot of Borgo Pass in the Browning version the villagers quickly dissipate and leave one sole peasant to beg the doomed lawyer not to proceed. The Spanish version fleshes this out a bit by having a larger group of villagers trying to warn him of his fate. The sincerity of a flock of people begging with Renfield not to proceed as opposed to a couple of men is much more effective at creating a genuine sense of foreboding and the feeling that these people really are terrified of the occupant of Castle Dracula.
On a broader level the Spanish version is a little more skilful at drawing this out of the story than the Browning version. The relationship between Eva and the Count is a lot more complex in this than the simple hunter-prey dynamic forwarded by Browning. As in the book the latent sexuality of the Count is allowed to shine through, as is that of his victims. I think this is helped by the excellent performance of Lupita Tovar as Eva, who comes across as a fuller and more rounded woman and who lacks the fragility of Helen Chandler’s Mina Harker. It’s a little easier to understand why Dracula risks being unmasked and destroyed to track her down, and also helps compound the tragedy of his insatiable existence that he can’t help himself.
My understanding is that the Universal crew would use the sets and film during the day whilst the Spanish crew took over by night. This would certainly help to explain some of the more accomplished direction and camerawork of this version as they were able to observe the Universal team at work and observe where improvements could be made. Perhaps because of its provenance in Broadway the Universal version at times feels like a stage play, especially the very static scenes towards the end once we’ve left Transylvania. To its credit the Spanish version almost completely avoids this and manages to keep the film injected with a sense of pace and tension. It still falls into the minor trap of losing itself in the drama of the Seward house in the closing scenes. The same thing happens in the Browning version, and Dracula becomes almost a bit character at times. Because this version establishes an edgier dynamic between the Count and the other characters early on his absence is less noticeable. In fact, I think this version would have benefited from being a bit longer. Whereas the Browning version is probably just on the mark in terms of length at times it feels like a stage play that could lose ten minutes or so. In contrast this version feels as thought it was made as a film in its own right rather than as an adaptation of a stage show, and for this reason it never feels burdensome or badly paced.
I couldn’t end without a few words on how Carlos Villarias compares to the legendary Bela Lugosi. Undoubtedly Lugosi is still the finest Dracula there has ever been. Taken as a whole though, watching this version made me realise that he is perhaps too dominant in Browning’s version. Because of his brilliance he cannot help but dominate the screen, and for this reason he perhaps prevents the other characters from truly developing or the subtleties of the story from emerging. The obverse is true with this version; whereas the cast are all perfectly competent none of them is outstanding (bar Tovar, above), but this allows the story to take priority rather than individual performances. If only Bela had learnt Spanish………
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