"I will wait for you there with these cindered bones."
Chilly and sunny here in the United States' 20th most overpriced city (according to Forbes). Currently, it's 50˚F. I need to get the space heater out and set it up. The air's thickening with the cold, and far too much of my energy is being spent dreading winter.
No writing yesterday. No writing in over a week.
On Wednesday, we saw a matinée doube feature of Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) and George Melford's Drácula (1931, aka "the Spanish Dracula"). To be honest, I have always found the Browning film laughable. I cannot for the life of me take Bela Lugosi seriously, and I have the distinct feeling that - unlike the James Whales Frankenstein films - the campiness is unintentional. For me, it's a painful, dull film. Stiff and lifeless. Melford's Drácula is very much better, in every way, from the cast to lighting, from set decoration to pacing to editing. What makes this remarkable, of course, is that the films were shot simultaneously, with Melford's version intended for a Spanish-speaking audience. Browning filmed during the day, Melford at night. The latter undoubtedly benefited from being able to watch the former's rushes, but, truthfully, Melford is simply the superior director. Pablo Álvarez Rubio steals the show as Renfield, in a performance that undoubtedly influenced Tom Waits' turn as the same character in Coppola's 1992 adaptation. And this reminds me that, sometime back, I made list here of my favorite vampire films, and given this is Halloween I think I'll repost it:
01. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
02. Drácula (1931, "the Spanish Dracula")
03. Vampyr (1932)
04. Dracula's Daughter (1936)
05. The Brides of Dracula (1963)
06. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
07. Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1975)
08. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
09. The Hunger (1983)
10. Fright Night (1985)
11. Vamp (1986)
12. The Lost Boys (1987)
13. Near Dark (1987)
14. Vampire's Kiss (1989)
15. The Reflecting Skin (1990)
16. Innocent Blood (1992)
17. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
18. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
19. Nadja (1994)
20. The Addiction (1995)
21. Blood: The Last Vampire (2000)
22. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
23. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)
24. 30 Days of Night (2007)
25. Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
26. Stake Land (2010)
27. Priest (2011)
28. Byzantium (2012)
29. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
30. From the Dark (2014)
TTFN,
Aunt Beast
No writing yesterday. No writing in over a week.
On Wednesday, we saw a matinée doube feature of Tod Browning's Dracula (1931) and George Melford's Drácula (1931, aka "the Spanish Dracula"). To be honest, I have always found the Browning film laughable. I cannot for the life of me take Bela Lugosi seriously, and I have the distinct feeling that - unlike the James Whales Frankenstein films - the campiness is unintentional. For me, it's a painful, dull film. Stiff and lifeless. Melford's Drácula is very much better, in every way, from the cast to lighting, from set decoration to pacing to editing. What makes this remarkable, of course, is that the films were shot simultaneously, with Melford's version intended for a Spanish-speaking audience. Browning filmed during the day, Melford at night. The latter undoubtedly benefited from being able to watch the former's rushes, but, truthfully, Melford is simply the superior director. Pablo Álvarez Rubio steals the show as Renfield, in a performance that undoubtedly influenced Tom Waits' turn as the same character in Coppola's 1992 adaptation. And this reminds me that, sometime back, I made list here of my favorite vampire films, and given this is Halloween I think I'll repost it:
01. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
02. Drácula (1931, "the Spanish Dracula")
03. Vampyr (1932)
04. Dracula's Daughter (1936)
05. The Brides of Dracula (1963)
06. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
07. Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1975)
08. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
09. The Hunger (1983)
10. Fright Night (1985)
11. Vamp (1986)
12. The Lost Boys (1987)
13. Near Dark (1987)
14. Vampire's Kiss (1989)
15. The Reflecting Skin (1990)
16. Innocent Blood (1992)
17. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
18. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
19. Nadja (1994)
20. The Addiction (1995)
21. Blood: The Last Vampire (2000)
22. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
23. Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)
24. 30 Days of Night (2007)
25. Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
26. Stake Land (2010)
27. Priest (2011)
28. Byzantium (2012)
29. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
30. From the Dark (2014)
TTFN,
Aunt Beast