Dracula (1958)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay)
Bram Stoker (novel)

Release Date:

8 May 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Don't Dare See It...Alone!

Plot:

After Jonathan Harker attacks Dracula at his castle (apparently somewhere in Germany), the vampire travels to a nearby city...

Plot Keywords:

Dracula | Count | Vampire | Castle | Psychopath

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Doctor Van Helsing
Christopher Lee	...	Count Dracula
Michael Gough	...	Arthur
Melissa Stribling	...	Mina
Carol Marsh	...	Lucy
Olga Dickie	...	Gerda
John Van Eyssen	...	Jonathan
Valerie Gaunt	...	Vampire Woman
Janina Faye	...	Tania (as Janine Faye)
Barbara Archer	...	Inga
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Doctor Seward
George Merritt	...	Policeman
George Woodbridge	...	Landlord
George Benson	...	Official
Miles Malleson	...	Undertaker
Geoffrey Bayldon	...	Porter
Paul Cole	...	Lad
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stedwell Fulcher	...	Man in Coach (scenes deleted)
Humphrey Kent	...	Fat Merchant (scenes deleted)
Judith Nelmes	...	Woman in Coach (scenes deleted)
William Sherwood	...	Priest (scenes deleted)
Guy Mills	...	Coach Driver (uncredited)
Richard Morgan	...	Coach Driver's Companion (uncredited)
John Mossman	...	Hearse Driver (uncredited)

Directed by
Terence Fisher

Writing credits
Jimmy Sangster		(screenplay)
Bram Stoker		(novel)

Produced by
Michael Carreras	....	executive producer
Anthony Hinds	....	producer
Anthony Nelson Keys	....	associate producer (as Anthony Nelson-Keys)

Original Music by
James Bernard

Cinematography by
Jack Asher

Film Editing by
Bill Lenny

Production Design by
Bernard Robinson

Art Direction by
Bernard Robinson

Costume Design by
Molly Arbuthnot

Makeup Department
Philip Leakey	....	makeup artist (as Phil Leaky)
Henry Montsash	....	hair stylist
Roy Ashton	....	assistant makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Don Weeks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Lynn	....	assistant director (as Bob Lynn)

Art Department
Arthur Banks	....	master plasterer (uncredited)
Charles Davis	....	master carpenter (uncredited)
Eric Hillier	....	props buyer (uncredited)
Mick Lyons	....	construction manager (uncredited)
Don Mingaye	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Tom Money	....	property master (uncredited)
Lawrence Wren	....	master painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jock May	....	sound recordist

Special Effects by
Sydney Pearson	....	special effects
Les Bowie	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Len Harris	....	camera operator
Jack Curtis	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Tom Edwards	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harry Oakes	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Molly Arbuthnot	....	wardrobe
Rosemary Burrows	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	conductor

Other crew
Doreen Dearnaley	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Hammer Film Productions

Distributors

• J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (1958) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Films S.A. (1958) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Goldstone Film Enterprises (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (a Seven Arts Reissue) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Hispamex (19??) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• SBS6 (2003) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal International Pictures (UI)  us releasing agent

Also Known As:

Dracula 1958 (USA)
Horror of Dracula (USA)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:12A (re-rating) (2007) | Norway:16 (1958) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:Approved (PCA #18981) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1958) | West Germany:12 | Sweden:(Banned) (1958-1970)

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

The film takes numerous liberties with the story of Bram Stoker's novel, including (SPOILERS FOLLOW): In the novel Dracula can transform into a bat, a wolf, a horde of rats, and a mist, while in the film he does not have these abilities. * Dracula is an old man at the beginning of the story in the novel and becomes younger as he feeds on blood, while in the film he stays the same age throughout. * Dracula has only one bride in the film and is killed by Jonathan Harker, while in the novel Dracula has three brides and they are killed by Van Helsing. * In the film Mina is Arthur's wife and Lucy is Arthur's sister and Jonathan's fiancée, while in the novel Mina is Jonathan's fiancée and unrelated to Arthur, and Lucy is Arthur's fiancée. * Dr. Seward, a major character in the novel, appears only briefly in the film. * Dracula is killed in the film by Van Helsing, who exposes him to sunlight, while in the novel Dracula is killed by Jonathan Harker and Quincey Morris (a character not included in the film), who cut his throat and impale his heart simultaneously with knives. * Sunlight is lethal to vampires in the film, while in the novel it merely reduces their supernatural powers. * In the novel Jonathan Harker visits Dracula's castle to sell him real estate, unaware that he is a vampire, while in the film he visits Dracula's castle with the knowledge of his vampire nature and the intention to kill him, posing as a librarian. * In the novel Jonathan Harker survives the events of the story, while in the film he is turned into a vampire and killed by Van Helsing. * In the novel Dracula's castle is in Transylvania and Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, and Arthur live in England, while in the film Dracula's castle is in Klausenburg and only a short distance from the city in which Jonathan, Mina, Lucy, and Arthur live. * In the novel Dracula hides in England in Carfax Abbey, a property he purchased from Jonathan Harker, while in the film he hides in the cellar of Arthur's home. In the novel he transports a large number of crates of his native soil to England via ship, and in the film transports only a single coffin filled with his native soil to Arthur's home via carriage.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In Dracula's crypt, the now-aged vampire woman can be seen still breathing, even after she has supposedly been destroyed.

Quotes:

Count Dracula: Sleep well, Mr. Harker.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Kapou se xero: (#1.6)" (2001)

Lee's Dracula reigns supreme!

Hammer's Dracula, the first Dracula film to incorporate fangs, blood, and red eyes, brings the best Dracula to the screen - Christopher Lee.

I first saw this on TV at home on Thursday 5pm on a channel that featured some classics. I also remember seeing War of the Worlds and others every Thursday. Each time they repeated it, I was there watching it. I just bought this DVD for my collection and the color and quality is awesome.

In Stoker's book Mina Murray is Harker's fiancé and Lucy Westenra was Arthur Holmwood's fiancé. Despite these changes the story holds together nicely. Sangster manages to avoid having Dracula turn to a bat to make the character more believable. In Stoker's book the Lucy character dies and returns as a child-lusting vampire so Van Helsing and Holmwood stake her as shown in the movie.

Trivia: Lee said the fangs he wore were easy to speak with but not eat. The contacts he wore were very painful and made him teary eyed and his vision a bit blurry.

There are some scenes that were deleted. One was of the impaled Harker in the early stages of decomposition which was removed by the British censor when it was released in English speaking countries. Surprising because it was tame compared to other scenes. Another scene that was removed by the same censor was Dracula's stages of decomposing during his death scene. This scene was reportedly left intact in foreign speaking countries and the rumor is Warner does not consider the scenes to be worth pursuing. What U.S. audiences see is the jump to the final stage of dissolving. Lee says they were kept in for the Far East parts of the world because they were considered to be too gruesome in those days. There are stills floating around of them both. A solid 9 out of 10, this remains the best Dracula film ever made. Yes, much better than the overrated "Bram Stoker's Dracula."