Everything old is new again, so the saying goes, and MCA/Uni-ver-sal Home Video is proving it once more with the release of what is being called "Spanish Dracula."
Actually, the film is titled simply "Dracula," a 1931 Spanish-language version, which was shot simultaneously with the '31 Bela Lugosi classic. Shown here with English subtitles, the Spanish "Dracula" used the same script and was filmed on the same sets on the Universal lot - at night, while Lugosi and company filmed during the day.Director George Melford, an American who spoke no Spanish, guided his Spanish-speaking cast through the production with fewer camera tricks than did Tod Browning, director of the Lugosi version. But he worked with his cinematographer (George Robinson) to develop a darker atmosphere, and the lighting and dressing of the set reflect some subtle changes.
Unfortunately, Carlos Villarias, as the bloodsucking count, is far less effective in the lead than is Lugosi, hamming it up by widening his already big eyes in a way that might be more suited to broad comedy (remember that this movie was made just a couple of years after "talkies" began). Villarias also lacks the charm and charisma that Lugosi brought to the role, and his performance is the film's biggest weakness.
On the other hand, the Spanish "Dracula" has Lupita Tovar as "Eva" (a name change for the character of "Mina") upon whom Dracula preys as his chief victim. Tovar, who is featured in a brief prologue interviewed at the front of this tape, was a sensual beauty when she made the film at age 17, becoming a major star in Mexico and Spain during the '30s and '40s. Her performance is one of the film's greatest strengths.
The rest of the cast is fine, and viewers familiar with the Lugosi film will find the similarities in characterization remarkable (especially Van Helsing and Renfield, the latter becoming even more comic here) - as well as the slow pacing and a striking lack of music to propel the action. But the differences, though generally subtle, are equally fascinating, giving us a rare opportunity to see how two film directors handle the same script and set design at the same moment in time.
While all of this may make the Spanish "Dracula" sound like a film strictly for film buffs, it's also highly entertaining in its own right, and fans of old horror films - or those who speak Spanish in their homes - will have a good time with this one.