How was the Spanish Dracula located

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thebrainfollower	How was the Spanish Dracula located	Lead	[-]
(10/25/07 12:31 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I started watching this one last night and continued earlier today and something occured to me - I have no idea how/when/by whom this film was found. Anyone care to tell the story (and why one of the reels (second?) seems in such lousy shape? I'm still not sure I consider this one better than the Lugosi film. The camera work is certainly better that's for sure but other than Lupita Tovar I don't think anyone gives a better performance than the 31 version and the film is too long by far.
todmichel		#1	[-]
(10/25/07 12:58 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The Films Archives of Cuba have a 35mm print, complete. This print has the "lousy" aspect of the reel you mentions in your post. And in fact, this reel is simply a copy of the Cuba print. It seems that an immaculate print was found many years ago in America, but one reel was unfortunately missing (or in very bad shape, I don't remember). For years, the US print (with the missing reel) was the only source. Some bootleg VHS were made and it was my first watching of the movie. The Cuban reel was later incorporated in the US print, as you know. Incidentally, I have also seen the complete Cuban print on the big screen as it was shown in Paris, at the Cinémathèque, some years ago during a retrospective of Mexican Cinema. A curious choice, as the Hispanic "Dracula" is not at all Spanish, Mexican, or Cuban - but simply an American production in a foreign language. In any case, I was able to verify that the entire Cuban print has the same little defects than the reel you mentioned. Last Edited By: todmichel 10/25/07 1:04 PM. Edited 1 times.
BixB		#2	[-]
(10/25/07 12:58 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	thebrainfollower wrote: Anyone care to tell the story (and why one of the reels (second?) seems in such lousy shape? In a nutshell, all but one reel (the rough looking one) was on deposit at the Library Of Congress. Why that one reel was missing is still in question. A complete but well used print was located in an archive in Cuba and thanks to a monumental effort by author David Skal (who utilized a number of frame enlargements in his book, Hollywood Gothic) arrangements were made to copy the missing reel. Joe Busam
Count Gamula		#3	[-]
(10/25/07 1:38 PM) Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	You might want to check out David Skal's excellent book HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC. It's a history of DRACULA from the novel to the play to the making of the Lugosi classic. It has extensive coverage of the rediscovery of the Spanish language version. Skal also does a commentary track for the DRACULA DVD which probably tells the story too.
TomWeaver999		#4	[-]
(10/25/07 2:11 PM) Vazec Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The incomplete Library of Congress print was accessed by a number of diehard horror fans for many years prior to Skal's rescue work/the movie's VHS debut. Back in the '80s, when the Brunases and I were writing UNIVERSAL HORRORS, we thought about jackassing down to Washington DC to watch it, in order to be able to express an opinion about it in the book, but all of us taking a couple days off from work in order to travel and watch an incomplete print on a Movieola in a DC basement, or whatever .... none of us was man enough to do it. Dilletantes! Fandom lightweights!
captainmarvel1957		#5	[-]
(10/25/07 3:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The Films Archives of Cuba have a 35mm print, complete. This print has the "lousy" aspect of the reel you mentions in your post. And in fact, this reel is simply a copy of the Cuba print. How do you know this, Todmichel? I wonder if there might be other elusive motion pictures in the Cuban archives? Could even one of the dozens of highly sought after lost films be catalogued in that archive?
zogstar67		#6	[-]
(10/26/07 11:50 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I've heard it spoken in hushed whispers of how Castro sits in his palace late at night, smoking cigars watching LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT and the Spider Scene from KONG over and over, laughing about how the Yankee dogs will never get their hands on these treasures. Chris Herzog "THE WORLD'S QUAINTEST CLOWN" VISIT ME AT MY SPACE: http://www.myspace.com/39159010
BijouBob8mm		#7	[-]
(10/26/07 12:05 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The Films Archives of Cuba have a 35mm print, complete. This print has the "lousy" aspect of the reel you mentions in your post. And in fact, this reel is simply a copy of the Cuba print. How do you know this, Todmichel? I think David Skal talks about that in his book, HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC. (There's a whole chapter devoted to the Spanish DRACULA, and I'm pretty sure Skal discusses his trip down there to view the film.) I've heard it spoken in hushed whispers of how Castro sits in his palace late at night, smoking cigars watching LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT and the Spider Scene from KONG over and over KING KONG was one of Hitler's favorite films. Can you just imagine, in some dark, dank, dusty corner of a forgotten bunker, there is a reel of film, long considered lost....
blackbiped		#8	[-]
(10/26/07 12:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Somebody should come up with an Indiana Jones-type character who is a thrill-seeking film archeologist searching for lost treasures in places like that. His name could be "Flick" Connors or something. RAIDERS OF THE LOST SCREENING ROOM FLICK CONNORS AND THE SPIDER PIT OF DOOM Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way. My MySpace page BumsCorner.com Last Edited By: blackbiped 10/26/07 12:57 PM. Edited 3 times.
todmichel		#9	[-]
(10/26/07 1:10 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	captainmarvel1957 wrote: The Films Archives of Cuba have a 35mm print, complete. This print has the "lousy" aspect of the reel you mentions in your post. And in fact, this reel is simply a copy of the Cuba print. How do you know this, Todmichel? I wonder if there might be other elusive motion pictures in the Cuban archives? Could even one of the dozens of highly sought after lost films be catalogued in that archive? The fact that the missing reel was found in the Cuban Film Archives is well documented. And I know that the entire movie has been preserved in Cuba just because the Cuban Archives sent this print in France at the French Cinémathèque for a "Mexican Films Festival" years ago.
todmichel		#10	[-]
(10/26/07 1:12 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	captainmarvel1957 wrote: The Films Archives of Cuba have a 35mm print, complete. This print has the "lousy" aspect of the reel you mentions in your post. And in fact, this reel is simply a copy of the Cuba print. How do you know this, Todmichel? I wonder if there might be other elusive motion pictures in the Cuban archives? Could even one of the dozens of highly sought after lost films be catalogued in that archive? All this is explained in details in different posts of this thread !!!
ShockDoc		#11	[-]
(10/26/07 5:57 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I think the better question would be, WHY was the Spanish Dracula located. Biggest hunka unscary nothin' I've ever seen. Andy Kaufman woulda been scarier in the role.
WaverBoy		#12	[-]
(10/26/07 5:58 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Unscary, perhaps...nothin', perhaps not...
blackbiped		#13	[-]
(10/27/07 1:49 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	ShockDoc wrote: I think the better question would be, WHY was the Spanish Dracula located. Biggest hunka unscary nothin' I've ever seen. Andy Kaufman woulda been scarier in the role. I think it's pretty fascinating to watch, while still much preferring the Lugosi/Browning version. Although Andy Kaufman and Eugene Levy as Dracula and Van Helsing would be pretty incredible. Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way. My MySpace page BumsCorner.com
captainmarvel1957		#14	[-]
(10/27/07 3:07 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I've heard it spoken in hushed whispers of how Castro sits in his palace late at night, smoking cigars watching LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT and the Spider Scene from KONG over and over, laughing about how the Yankee dogs will never get their hands on these treasures. To tell you the truth, in my wild imagination that's what I envisioned. I had visions of Castro and his brother sitting down for the evening and watching London After Midnight, Thunder, Treasure Island, The Divine Woman, Charlie Chan's Greatest Case, Charlie Chan Carries On, Charlie Chan's Chance and Der Janus Kopf one right after another. I've heard that some of the best prints of Laurel and Hardy's films came from the private film library of Mao Tse Tung. So, hey, it could happen.
todmichel		#15	[-]
(10/27/07 3:29 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	"I think the better question would be, WHY was the Spanish Dracula located. Biggest hunka unscary nothin' I've ever seen. Andy Kaufman woulda been scarier in the role." With this kind of reasoning the US version would be erased since decades - being so much inferior (Bela included) to the Hispanic version.
blackbiped		#16	[-]
(10/27/07 11:10 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	You really think Carlos gave a better Dracula performance than Bela? Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way. My MySpace page BumsCorner.com
Ted Newsom		#17	[-]
(10/27/07 11:40 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Lugosi's a lot better in MARK OF THE VAMPIRE. Or RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE. Or ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Or OLD MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE. Or POSTAL INSPECTOR. Or MURDER BY TELEVISION.
blackbiped		#18	[-]
(10/27/07 1:42 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I disagree, but Bela is certainly better than Carlos would have been in any of those movies. Except maybe this one-- Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way. My MySpace page BumsCorner.com
todmichel		#19	[-]
(10/27/07 3:08 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I think Carlos was more dynamic, and far more impressive physically. I like Bela in some movies, such as "Son of Frankenstein", "White Zombie", etc. and I think he was a better Count Dracula in "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". The Browning version is lethargic. I must admit that the Hispanic one has partially the same defects (being based on the same screen adaptation) but its mise-en-scène is much better, although it runs 30 mns longer. The English-language version has some atmosphere, principally in the first reels, but fails miserably after that. The Hispanic one has atmosphere from the beginning to the end.
ShockDoc		#20	[-]
(10/27/07 5:25 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	To each his own, of course. The Hispanic one may (or may not) have more atmosphere, but the casting of Carlos is just laughable from reel 1 forward. (IMO)

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