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Mystery and Imagination Theater - Dracula
Mystery and Imagination Theater
Dracula
Director: Patrick Dromgoole
Writers: Bram Stoker (novel), Charles Graham (adaptation)
Stars:Bernard Archard, Nina Baden-Semper and Michael Da Costa
Original Air Date:18 November 1968
Cast
Episode credited cast:
Bernard Archard ... Dr. Van Helsing
Nina Baden-Semper ... Vampire
Michael Da Costa ... Jenkins
Denholm Elliott ... Dracula
Susan George ... Lucy Weston
Hedley Goodall ... Swales
Joan Hickson ... Mrs. Weston
Tony Lane ... Coachman
Marie Legrand ... Vampire
James Maxwell ... Dr. Seward
Helena McCarthy ... Mrs. Hoskins
Phyllis Morris ... Mrs. Perkins
Valerie Muller ... Vampire
Suzanne Neve ... Mina Harker
James Pope ... Rowse
Country:UK
Language:English
Release Date:18 November 1968
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Better than some big budget versions
By 1968 it could be argued that the story of Dracula should already be permanently in the cold ground – done to death by repetition. However, this Thames Television production was quite different from the Hammer film series (that would soon go into a rapid decline). Talky and slightly theatrical, it is – despite this – more interesting than either the 1979 John Badham version or the more recent Coppola one. Like other low budget versions, this one "scales down" the novel, omitting its more epic scenes but concentrating effectively on the middle part of the book.
Denholm Elliott is no substitute for Christopher Lee as The Count (then, who is?) but he gives a competent performance. Colin Redgrave as Harker and Susan George as Lucy are both fascinating to watch, but Bernard Archard as Van Helsing sadly continues the tradition of silly voices in Dracula adaptations with a very distracting accent more redolent of Calcutta than Amsterdam.
Some scenes (such as the meeting with Dracula's brides) are very eerily done, while the final showdown with Dracula is a strange mixture of clumsy staging and convincing effects work. The slight twist at the end is a nice touch, too. A minor version, but worth seeing.
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