Dracula (1931 English-language film)

Dracula
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay byGarrett Fort
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyKarl Freund
Edited by
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • February 12, 1931 (1931-02-12) (New York)
  • February 14, 1931 (1931-02-14) (United States)
Running time
74 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Hungarian
Budget$341,191[2]
Trailer

Dracula is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is based on the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.[3] Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée.

Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, Dracula is the first sound film adaptation of the Stoker novel.[4] Several actors were considered to portray the title character, but Lugosi, who had previously played the role on Broadway, eventually got the part. The film was partially shot on sets at Universal Studios Lot in California, which were reused at night for the filming of Dracula, a concurrently produced Spanish-language version of the story also by Universal.

Dracula was a commercial and critical success upon release, and led to several sequels and spin-offs. It has had a notable influence on popular culture, and Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula established the character as a cultural icon, as well as the archetypal vampire in later works of fiction. In 2000, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5][6]

  1. ^ "Dracula". The Film Daily. Vol. 55. New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks. February 15, 1931. p. 11.
  2. ^ Dracula at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  3. ^ Skal, David J. (2004). Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen, Paperback ed. New York: Faber & Faber; ISBN 0-571-21158-5
  4. ^ Ebert, Roger (September 19, 1999). "Dracula movie review & film summary (1931)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 8, 2020.