Exciting Discovery of DRACULA Film Element! (3 Viewers)

[WadeM]

I agree. I just don't understand why they didn't do something like that back when they did the Legacy editions, instead of just giving us a large portion of their old horror movies. With this discovery, I guess it's a good a time as any to try again and get it right.

They seem more proud of their horror movies than almost anything, so it seems like a no-brainer.

 

[dana martin]

while i wait to see if anything materializes with this i dont think it will happen anytime soon. actualy i woul be willing to go all out with the ford at fox idea as well, but only if they were truly intent on doing it corectly, but with the sets that they have been releasing exclusivly at best buy, the idea o a single release for Dracula complete and restored to what brownning originaly intended would be a sight to behold,

the thing is that the spanish language version followes the same script, different actors of course and of course is longer , i want to see those missing sceens that were edited out of a film that is 76 or so years old, but i belive that everyone is waiting to see the film as it was originaly intended

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'm really not interested in this as I thought the last release had a great video quality. If they included the silent version, which was made for theaters not equipped with sound, then I'd buy it.

Universal has too many titles left unreleased for me to want to see this thing released again. How about THE LAST WARNING before the 4th version of DRACULA?

 

[James Phillips]

Ah, I missed the part about it being a composite print. That sounds a bit strange to me, if it's supposed to be from 1930. As I've always understood it, Dracula was originally only released with a Vitaphone soundtrack, and the optical soundtrack version was created later on, for the re-release prints.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Well I was under the impression that Dracula used a Westrex track like the greater majority of films made pre-Dolby.

 

[Jack Theakston]

Universal didn't make composite lavenders. Separate pix/track only. So this story seems rather unlikely.

DRACULA was filmed full frame (no soundtrack), but with viewfinders that were marked for 1.37 (and composed thusly). Universal went 1.37 in late 1929, after it was adopted by AMPAS, but before DRACULA was in production. Shooting it full-full frame might have been accomplished for two reasons:

1) For the silent version and sound-on-disc version, which had a full-frame (no track) aspect ratio.

2) Because not all of the cameras at Universal had been set with new apertures. They simply had new viewfinders marked accordingly and the left edge was not printed for the picture on the sound block.

DRACULA was recorded with Western Electric SOUND ON FILM. Universal only did one or two sound-on-disc recordings in 1929 and that is IT (one of these was the reissue PHANTOM OF THE OPERA talkie sequences). The confusion lies in that DRACULA was available FOR sound on disc markets.

 

[James Phillips]

Thanks for the clarification, Jack.

I suppose we'll have to wait and see exactly what's been unearthed here.

But, even if it's 'just' the 1930 picture element, it would still be an amazing discovery.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I'm surprised to hear you say this (well, not really so much I guess, given how much you dislike the film even though you've tried watching it 100 times!). For one thing, while the video was improved on the most recent DVD, it was far from what I'd call "great" and this is one old movie which has long required new and sparkling film elements. Secondly, and the main reason I decide to get rid of the 75th Anniversary edition, the sound was horrid and distracting. Lastly, this new find is said to include Edward Van Sloan's epilogue, which alone would make this version essential and thus render all the prior releases moot.

And I couldn't care less about the silent version you frequently mention. Without Bela's classic accent, there is no film. Since you don't really like the movie and consider it dull, I'm always baffled as to how you think a silent verison could "add" to it.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Look at Browning's silent films compared to the sound ones.

Getting something like THE LAST WARNING or ISLAND OF LOST SOULS out there is still more important than another version of DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY or THE WOLF MAN. In my opinion of course.

 

[Lord Dalek]

So if the film didn't actually use Vitaphone (or at least a Vitaphone style knock off like Cinephone) why did they advertise it as such?

 

[Jack Theakston]

They didn't. The sound credit is Western Electric sound on film.

The film was available in both sound on film and sound on disc, but it was recorded sound on film.

 

[John Morgan]

When I heard that DRACULA was coming to DVD, I unloaded my laser disc. Maybe I am remembering with rose colored glasses, but I think the laser looked and sounded better than any of the DVD releases.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I've agreed completely over at the Classic Horror Film Board regarding an upcoming SE for THE MUMMY, but according to this recent report (and nothing's confirmed as of yet), DRACULA would contain the missing Edward Van Sloan epilogue, so it's not just another typical rehash like FRANKENSTEIN or THE WOLF MAN would be (though if they could find the scene with Chaney wrestling a bear for the latter, it would be a different story).

 

[Richard--W]

I wouldn't be surprised.
My public library has a 16mm print of Dracula that is cleaner, sharper, better framed, and with more contrast than the DVD. In comparison the DVD is overly dim and dark.

Even if this newly unearthed negative isn't a lavender, it sounds like it might be closer in generation to the 1930 assembly than anything we've seen before. If it provides an upgrade in image quality I welcome it with or without the lost epilog or staking shot.

What are the surviving elements of Dracula? What are the variations in the different releases? There is the 1931 release, the 1938 re-release, the 1951 re-release, the various TV and library prints struck in the 1950s and 1960s. Somewhere in the literature devoted to this film, I remember reading a quote from Tod Browning in which he complained that Universal had butchered Dracula. In what way? Is he referring to missing footage?

How is the present DVD sourced? Personally I think there is considerable room for improvement. There is a also a need for a technical or print history of the film apart from the otherwise excellent commentary by David J. Skaal.

 

[Larry Sutliff]

Well, if there's a shot of Van Helsing hammering the stake into Dracula as has been mentioned by those who've seen the continuity script of the silent version, I would want to see it just for that.

 

[CameronMcC]

great news. i hope that whatever they found its a revelation....now if they could just lay hands on London after midnight

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'll wait and see what happens but there have been too many false rumors started there so I'm not getting my hopes up. Nearly every message board on the internet is talking about this issue and a different person stated that the epilogue is still missing. Again, just a rumor at this point but quite often these stories turn out to be false. There were rumors of FOUR DEVILS having been found, the internet got crazy with excitment and then it turned out to be fake. We also know a poster there who claims to have seen a print of LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT in 2000 but when he brought it to Warner's attention he said they didn't care about it.

As I've said before, I'd be more interested in the silent version as it did feature different edits/scenes (according to legend). If this other thing is released then I'd certainly rent it as a horror fan but as far as picture quality goes, I'm very please with the last DVD, which looked great to me when I projected it.

Now, if this rumor was about an uncut version of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN then I'd be jumping up and down all day and night.

 

[Richard--W]

The Classic Horror Film Board has apparently deleted the thread:

http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum....0#reply-243250

and my query as to why is getting plenty of views but no answers:

http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum....0#reply-243250

So maybe it was a false report after all.

 

[MielR]

That's funny- in 2000 I came across the website of a person that claimed to have sold a print of L.A.M. (a 9.5mm French print) for half a million dollars. I contacted someone at AFI, who was very excited about the possibility of a surviving print. He contacted the website's owner, but it ended up being a hoax. :frowning:

 

[Richard--W]

Forget it, Jack. It's Chinatown.