American Cinematographer - May 1988 - 42

feeling that great opportunities have been missed is
inescapable. It is generally believed that Browning had
to hurry through this part of the picture because he
had fallen

Above: The

Span¬
language com¬
pany in Carfax
Abbey. In front of
ish

camera

from left

visitor Tod

are

Browning, B. Fer¬
nandez Cue,

George Melford,
Carlos Villarias and

Barry Norton. Rid¬
ing the Broadway
crane are George

ascend the stairs

The

wearing a
string tie is Ed¬
man

uardo Arozamena.

Below: Villarias
pays a

visit to
Tovar.

nocturnal
Lupita

confesses that she has

Lucy since her death and
hungry animal - a wolf." Van
Helsing promises that he will free Lucy from Dracula's
curse. Renfield reveals that Dracula has promised him
that "She looked like

"rats

seen

thousands, millions of them, all filled with

blood" in return for his obedience. Dracula returns
and reveals to Van

Helsing that Mina is lost because

now flows through her veins." He tries to
overcome Van Helsing, but is driven away by a crucifix.

"My blood

Mina tries to attack

halts her with the

cross.

Mina

John, but Van Helsing

She admits that Dracula made

her drink his blood and she is

now

his slave. Later, as

sleeps, Dracula hypnotizes her nurse and causes

the wolfbane that protects
ula carries Mina away.
her to

remove

The

scenes

Mina. Drac¬

inside the sanitarium

are

photo¬

American

Cinematographer

curse.

Mina and

John

distant church bells

ring.
In the original release prints, the end title was
interrupted as Van Helsing stepped in front of the
screen to make a brief curtain speech: "Please! One
moment before you go. We hope the memories of
Dracula won't give you bad dreams, so just a word of
assurance. When you go home tonight and
lights have
been turned out and you're afraid to look behind the
curtains and you dread to see a face at the window why, just pull yourselves together and remember that,
after all, there are such things." The speech is taken from
the New York play, in which it was spoken by Dracula.
The picture was photographed in full silent
frame aperture for sound on disc presentation and for a
subtitled silent version with intercut dialogue titles.
When the sound on film prints were made (the Vitaphone was rapidly becoming obsolete) the picture
area

was

masked to Western Electric standards to

allow for the souird track and

some masking at the
top
operation shifted the optical center
and changed the compositions noticeably. The visuals
gain considerably when seen at full aperture.
The Spanish Dracula was previewed early in
January at the studio. The Hollywood Filmograph
(January 10) stated that "If the English version of
Dracula, directed by Tod Browning, is as good as the

and bottom. This

graphed straightforwardly in rather long takes, show¬
ing little of the imagination that distinguishes the
Transylvanian action. The action proceeds in the man¬
ner of a
stage play, with some key material happening
off-screen (the werewolf episode, for example). The
40

far behind schedule. The several exterior

Dracula dies she is freed from his

Robinson and his
camera crew.

however,

are fascinating because of excellent
night for night lighting and fog effects. The Melford/
Robinson sequences are better visually, being made up
of a greater variety of shots. The sets are decorated
more
colorfully for the Latin audience, with added frills
and filagrees, and the lace negligees worn by Tovar and
Guerrero are considerably more eye-catching than the
more British
nightwear of Chandler and Dade. The one
thing lacking is the magical ensemble work that
Lugosi, Frye and Van Sloan gave to Browning.
The climax occurs in Carfax Abbey, a magnif¬
icently decadent setting, and in these scenes much of
the excitement of the opening reels is regained. Al¬
though the elaborate camera moves that were a Freund
hallmark are absent in the English version, the lighting
of the catacombs and a huge vault with a long, curving,
unbalustraded stairway show artistry of a high order.
Here again, however, Melford and Robinson take the
palm for some stunning camera moves, especially
when they utilize the unique "Broadway Crane" to
carry the action onto the high stairs.
Renfield escapes from the sanitarium and
goes to the abbey, followed by Van Helsing and John.
Dracula angrily lifts Renfield by the throat and hurls
him down the stair. Escaping his pursuers, Dracula
flees to the catacombs below. Finding the coffins at
dawn, Van Helsing opens one to reveal the helpless
Dracula. The second casket proves to be empty and
John goes searching for Mina. When Van Helsing
destroys Dracula, Mina feels his death agonies, but as
scenes,

May 1988

American Cinematographer - May 1988

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