Dracula (Spanish version)

Stars: Carlos Villarias, Lupita Tovar. Filmed during the night using the same sets and locations as the Bela Lugosi Dracula (which was being filmed during the day), this Spanish-language version uses the same script as its American counterpart with only a few minor differences. Carlos Villarias looks more goofy than menacing as the Count with a taste for blood. After roping the mad Renfield into his evil empire, the Count sets his sights on Eva Seward (Lupita Tovar) who differs from her American cousin Helen Chandler primarily in her dress code (Tovar occasionally wears low-cut gowns). Although some critics consider the Spanish Dracula to actually be the better of the two versions, we definitely disagree. The stories are virtually the same but the Spanish version runs an extra half-hour. Why? Because the drawing-room conversations take a lot longer with interminable pauses between speakers. Audience: Film students, for sure; but perhaps also communities with a large Spanish-speaking population will want to pick up this inexpensive curio. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—Oct. 3, 2006—Universal, 2 discs, 75 min., not rated, $26.98—Making its third appearance on DVD, 1931's Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) boasts an improved transfer and Dolby Digital 2.0 sound. DVD extras include two audio commentaries (one with film historian David J. Skal; the other with Steven Haberman, screenwriter of Dracula: Dead and Loving It), a 95-minute “Universal Horror” documentary on memorable monster films (narrated by filmmaker/actor Kenneth Branagh), a 36-minute tribute featurette “Lugosi: The Dark Prince” on the actor's work with director Tod Browning, the 35-minute “making-of” featurette “The Road to Dracula,” the complete 1931 Spanish version of the film with an intro by Lupita Tovar Kohner (4 min.), a score by Philip Glass performed by the Kronos Quartet, a “Monster Tracks” viewing option with interactive popup facts, a poster montage, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a horror classic, although some of this material also appears on the “Legacy Collection” edition.]