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Mar 19 15 8:38 PM
SteveZodiak wrote:For me, Lugosi's Dracula is the example where the film's character far exceeds the film itself. . The Dracula we role played as kids was truly scary. He didn't have the outward appearance of a monster, as Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, the Creature, or Kharis did, but we instinctively knew he was more horrifying than those more visually . No attempt at sympathy with Dracula, he was evil incarnate and we knew it. Our young impressionable minds saw a much more horror in the character than the single viewing of softly light B&W 19in screen actually provided. It wasn't until the home video release of Dracula along with the other Universal Horrors that the film diminished in my mind. Multiple viewings lead to creeping disdain for the actual movie. Classics scenes are enjoyed, to be sure, but the movie itself became a slog and that is a shame because Lugosi's performance as Dracula deserves a better showcase, IMHO. For that reason, I welcome any editing, cut, or whatever that will increase the watchability (not a word, I guess) of Dracula. For that effort, I bid thee, welcome.
Steve,
Clark may get your criticism of DRACULA, but I don't. What is it exactly about the home video release and multiple viewings that lead to "your creeping disdain for the actual movie". Is it really a problem with DRACULA or a simple case of "familiarity breeding contempt". In other words, you have become so familiar and influenced by what you have read about the film over the years that it has colored your original perception of the film to the extent that you now feel disdain for it, because obviously if those who are supposed to be in the know feel nothing but disdain for it who are you to feel otherwise. Sometimes a little knowledge can not only be a dangerous thing, but also a source of crushing those rose colored glasses that we used to view old films like DRACULA. And once those rose colored glasses are crushed, guess what, you will never be satisfied with anything that is done to "enhance" the film whether it be remastering, restoring, editing, or recutting. You will always be seeking to recapture that initial viewing experience, but can't because rose colored glasses can't be replaced once smashed.
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