My forgiving temperament allowed me to score it 2, but really this is SO much a 1 ! Mr Lee does his best with a woefully underwritten part and certainly looks wise he is true to the Stoker written description, a lack of rapport from the German actors around him stifled any possible creativity. Herbert Lom is always good value but was written as someone doubtful of his own extensive research and looked too dithering in most of the group scenes. The ladies were pretty clotheshorses and the leading men sturdy and handsome but none seemed to be engaged with the story itself. Cinematography was pretty abysmal, indeed many scenes were cloaked in utter darkness with only the soundtrack to tell us anything was happening. Shooting day-for-night was a farce as the super bright Spanish sun in most exterior shots completely washed out the shaded parts, leaving us bemused and befuddled. Dubbing was generally good but dear me, those cut glass English accents sat ill with those European faces. Kinski was totally wasted, Renfield in the book is central in moving the plot forward, his silence gave us nothing. The minuscule budget meant studio scenes (Renfield's cell etc) were little better than Community Theater quality with plain walls and invisible ceilings. Perhaps American audiences would swallow the "English" scenes but to this Brit the architecture screamed Southern Europe (and I guessed, correctly Spain. If this director is considered cutting edge for the 21st century I feel sorry for the next generation...
Review of Count Dracula
