Dracula (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #14 extract: Dracula (1930)

Dracula is an obvious and lasting classic. It is an incredibly striking film with terrific mise en scene, lighting and, most of all, set-design. This then brings to life the stage-play, from which this was very clearly adapted from, quite well - though, there are many lost opportunities in which a cinematic approach could have stepped in (transformations in particular). The direction is ok, but it seems Browning made this film to be a blend of a silent film and a stage play, and his use of montage makes this obvious, so, again, this doesn't feel like a very cinematic film and so suffers somewhat from that. 

Beyond this, I unfortunately didn't have a good time with Dracula. I wish I had seen the version with the added score as the sound design in the original is incredibly lacking, leaving a voidal and static atmosphere to imbue the narrative with a very awkward tone. I am, however, interested in seeing this film again as the use of archetypal characters really drew me into the story - one which think has a bit more to it below its surface.