This was kind of a misfire as far as fright is concerned. I think the main problem was the music. Sometimes the soaring orchestral score added to the atmosphere; more frequently it lent an almost unacceptably comedic air to the movie. Some of the music was really beautiful, but most of the time it didn't do a thing towards upping the creepiness factor.
There were at least three songs I totally recognized, and it's driving me crazy because I can't figure out what they were. I tried looking online for information regarding the score, but all I could find is that this movie has had a variety of scores, and the one I heard is most likely not the original.
 |
| A far cry from Edward Cullen, eh? |
Maybe I'm uncultured, but I think this is the first silent film I've ever watched. It's got some serious over-actors (I was wishing that
something would wipe that beatific smile off Jonathon Harker's face, and was quite pleased when the phantom stagecoach driver did the trick), though I suppose that, without the benefit of speech, some overly-dramatic body language was of necessity. As were, it seems, crazy eyebrows (see Renfield).
Citizens of 1922 must have been some
seriously slow readers. Those title cards were onscreen for far longer than necessary.
I wonder why they changed Mina's name to Nina?
One of the best and most memorable shots: as Nina cowered in her bed, the crooked shadow of Dracula's claw-fingered hand crept slowly up her nightdress. Of course the scene was marred by music far less sinister than necessary.
ReplyDelete