El conde Drácula (1970)

Country of Origin: Spain/West Germany /Italy/Liechtenstein
Year of Production: 1969
Running Times: 86 mins (Spain)     96 mins 22 sec (UK - video)     98 mins (Italy)
Length: 8820 ft (UK)
Format: Eastmancolor     35mm
Ratio: Techniscope     2.35:1
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Corona/Phenix (Fénix?)/Filmar/Towers of London
Producers: Harry Alan Towers, Alexandre Hacoen, Frank Rintestein, José Clement Martin

SCRIPT
Script: Jesus Franco, Peter Welbeck (real name: Harry Alan Towers), Carlo Fadda, Eric Kröhnke, Augusto Finocchi, Milo G. Cuccia, Dietmar BehnkeAdaptation: Carlo Fadda, Milo G. Cuccia
Dialogue: Dietmar Behnke
Novel: Dracula by Bram Stoker

DIRECTION
Director: Jess Franco (real name: Jesus Franco)
Assistant Director: Giacomo Gramegna
UK/US Assistant Director: John Thompson

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Manuel Merino, Luciano Trasatti

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
West German/Spanish Editor: María Louisa Sorana, G. Reinecke
UK/US Version Editor: Derek Parsons
Italian Version Editor: Bruno Mattei

MUSIC
Music: Bruno Nicolai

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Gerry Fletcher
Lee's Make Up: Stuart Freeborn
Costumes: José Marilli

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Sergio Pagoni

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Karl Schneider, Emilio Zago
US Art Director: George O. Brown (real name: Jack Taylor)
Set Dresser: Emilio Zago

LOCATIONS
Locations: Tirrenia Studios, Spain; Barcelona, Spain; Alicante, Spain; Munich, Bavaria, Germany

CAST
Christopher Lee (Count Dracula)
Herbert Lom (Professor Van Helsing)
Klaus Kinski (Renfield)
Paul Müller (Dr Seward)
Jack Taylor (Quincey Morris)
Fred Williams (Jonathan Harker)
Soledad Miranda (Lucy Westenra)
Maria Rohm (Mina Harker)
Teresa Gimpera (crying mother)
Franco Castellani
José Martínez Blanco
Emma Cohen (vampire)
Moises Augusto Rocha
Jesús Puente
Jeannine Mestre
Jesus Franco (Van Helsing's butler)

PLOT SUMMARY

Solicitor Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to visit one of his company's clients, the Count Dracula, who is planning to buy some property in England. But Dracula turns out to be a vampire and Harker's arrival at his castle triggers a tragic chain of events that extends back to London.

The opening caption claims authenticity to Stoker's novel which the film then belies by diverting from the original text almost straight away. It's certainly as dull as the much over-rated novel, with but it does contain much that's of interest - Lee's performance is great and there are moments that are strangely compelling, as there are in so many of Franco's films. Sadly, and again like so many of his movies, overall Franco lets himself down with clumsy and avoidable gaffs (watch out for those camera crew shadows) and an obviously rushed production.

Canada
Video Distributor: Propulsion

Finland
Video Distributor: Magnum Video

France
Video Distributor: FM Video (Collection Miroir de l'Etrange); Clones Video; Metropole Home Video

Italy
Video Distributor: Avo Film

Japan
Video Distributor: Hyperdelic
DVD Distributor: Japan Cinema (DVD-0008)

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Arce Films

UK
Video Distributor: 4 Front Video (0564883)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Crystal Pictures Inc; Italica Film; World Entertainment Corporation
Video Distributor: Republic Pictures Corporation

Finland
Rating: K-16

UK
Rating: 12

1970
April
3: West Germany - theatrical release

November
16: Spain - theatrical release

1973
July
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

September
10: Italy - theatrical release

1998
June
8: UK - video release (4 Front Video (0564883))
11: UK - rated 12 by the BBFC (for video release)

Bram Stoker's Count Dracula - US title
Il conte Dracula - Italian title
Count Dracula - UK/US title
Il demone nero - Italian title
Dracula 71
Dracula No 1
Nachts, Wenn Dracula Erwacht - West German title
The Nights of Dracula
Les nuits de Dracula - French title
Verenhimoinen Dracula - Finnish title

SEE ALSO
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Count Dracula (1977)
Drácula (1931)
Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1973)
Dracula (1973)
Dracula (1979)
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)
Drakula halála (1921)
Noroi no yakata: Chi o suu me (1971)
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
In Search of Dracula (1971)

MAGAZINES

Absurd no.8 (UK)
credits, review

Cinefantastique vol.5 no.1 (Spring 1976) p.31 (USA)
illustrated review (by John McCarty)

Cinestudio no.96 (April 1971) p.54 (Spain)
credits

The Dark Side April 1993 p.31 (UK)
review

Filmfacts vol.15 no.24 (1972) pp.680-681 (USA)
reprinted reviews

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.40 no.474 (July 1973) pp.145 - 146 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review (by John Raisbeck)

Photon no.22 (1972) pp.5-8 (USA)
review

Samhain no.5 pp.18-19 (UK)
review (by Kevin Lyons)

Shivers no.45 pp.4-7 (UK)
review

Variety 7 April 1971 p.18 (USA)
credits, review

Video Watchdog no.1 p.35 (USA)
credits

BOOKS

Obsession - The Films of Jess Franco - Lucas Balbo, Peter Blumenstock (eds) pp.71-72 (Berlin: Selbstverlag Frank Trebbin (1993))
credits, illustrated review (by Christian Kessler)

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992
credits, review

vampires, dracula, books into film, castles, psychiatrists, madness