Nick
It’s another episode of pod 9 from outer space.
Liz
Cue the music!
Opening theme.
NICK
This is pod 9, where we take a look at the good, the bad and the what is that of film.
LIZ
We were going to do Tetsuo this week but we decided it was too what is that and also too horny for our little podcast.
NICK
Yes, any horny has to be siphoned off into the secret horny podcast on our network only available if you hack into the website.
LIZ
If you do want to talk to me about Tetsuo message the podcast and I will tell you my opinions. But instead we have watched Dracula 1931.
NICK
And Dracula 1931.
LIZ
Also known as Spanish Dracula.
NICK
As am I. No-one knows why though.
LIZ
So the reason we’re doing these two together…
NICK
It’s a strange confluence of events…
LIZ
So the film that basically made Bela Lugosi the horror film guy, was Dracula.
NICK
Adapted from quite a good streamlining of Dracula in play form in the 20s I want to say 24.
LIZ
Yes by Hamilton Dean and John Boulderston, excellent name John Boulderston.
NICK
Formidable quarry.
LIZ
They did it during the day and at night Carlos Vilerias plays Dracula in a Spanish film….
NICK
Called Dracula.
LIZ
But with an accent.
NICK
(incomprehensible cockney)
Yeah, Dracula.
LIZ
That’s the one. Interesting directed by an American.
NICK
Yeah that’s roite I’m American. Apple pie and… Low capital gains tax.
LIZ
Is that was George Melford sounded like?
NICK
That’s roite, I’m from Delaware.
LIZ
So we’re going to cover the iconic film and also the Bela Lugosi one. You might be aware of the 1931 Dracula for armadillos? Cause this was not actually filmed in Europe.
NICK
When you say you might know Dracula cause of Armadillos which one are you referring to?
LIZ
Are they not in both of them?
NICK
I’m just confused cause it sounds like…
LIZ
It’s a known thing among people who know these things, I add as a caveat which covers everything, that you can see armadillos in some of the shots, despite it being set in Romania.
NICK
Ah yes, it’s come back to me now, those Eastern Bloc armadillos.
LIZ
Communist armadillos.
NICK
No they’re members of the social democratic party, but were liquidated into a bisque.
LIZ
All I can picture is an armadillo in a blender and now I’m sad. I was going to say I’ll talk about Bela Lugosi but that’s sad as well, cause basically after this film Lugosi was the vampire, there were real life rumours he was an actual vampire and he just ended up being in increasingly terrible horror and b-movies and kind of exploited towards the end. Which is a shame as he was genuinely a very good actor and he didn’t get a lot of the big exciting parts cause he could never get rid of his accent. I’m going to check what his accent was…
NICK
I believe it’s Hungarian.
LIZ
Yeah, Hungarian. Cause he couldn’t get rid of his Hungarian accent which works for Dracula not so much for most American productions.
NICK
I think it’s a shame that some actors who were able to go to the states and make something of their Europeanness Peter Lorre for instance had a strong German accent – German or Austrian I can’t remember.
LIZ
I’ll look that up – Hungarian, but moved to Vienna. Probably why his accent moves around.
NICK
That’s it. And part of the reason Lugosi couldn’t do that is people tend to be snobs about horror and pigeon-hole it so he got these horror roles and was fantastic and defined a monster that’s been around in folklore for centuries.
LIZ
Yeah the reason most draculas have a widows peak is Lugosi.
NICK
This podcast is officially sad about Bela Lugosi. And it makes me think what if Bela Lugosi and Peter Lorre swapped careers?
LIZ
It’s a thought – they did almost star in the same film which Lorre decided he was too big for. I think it was Black Sleep.
NICK
That makes sense. It turned out to be a good film but I can see why you’d pass on it.
LIZ
Especially after Casablanca.
NICK
Oh yeah, Casablanca, working with Hitchcock, you’re going to feel you’re too big for that.
LIZ
Yeah Peter Lorre is still great, but he won’t feature much in this podcast.
NICK
Unless he starred in some early John Waters shorts or something.
LIZ
Oh god, John Waters. Anyway, back to Dracula.
NICK
Back to Dracula indeed. We all know plenty about English Dracula.
LIZ
And also the general plot – it’s a fair guess if you’re listening to this you know how Dracula goes.
NICK
There’s going to be spoilers for a 123 year old book and all the subsequent films. I think my policy is if it’s on Project Gutenberg you can’t be spoiled for it.
LIZ
That’s fair. But you said the English Dracula is based on a well known stage adaptation, the Spanish one less so the pacing is… Odd.
NICK
Yeah do you know if they made a conscious effort to go in a very different direction less based on the play more based on what they felt the book was about?
LIZ
I don’t know for sure but it definitely feels more theme-y than eventy if that makes sense it is more of a discussion, which is why it feels maybe less polished.
NICK
Yes and to put my academic hat on for a moment, which I stole from the graduation clothes company, don’t tell them where I live, Dracula is a highly discursive text it’s all about discussion it’s all about editing, the key thing is it’s about the letters the diary entries the phonograph recordings and the peoples’ engagement with al those, it’s very hard to adapt the true essence of all those. It’s why I admire the play and people going from the play they take what is visual there, lots of visual things in Dracula.
LIZ
And again it’s a very visual film – if you’re thinking of Dracula you’re thinking of Bela Lugosi or something based on this film. I’m including Dracula Dead and Loving It there, even if the widows peak there is a bit much. It’s surprisingly faithful. It’s also my favourite Dracula film.
NICK
I’m undecided because I think I read Dracula at just the right point when I was a teenager getting properly into horror movies and horror in general and there was something about the way it was put together and the atmosphere I fell absolutely in love with I enjoyed the visuals of the Coppola Dracula because it’s just so much… But for me that structure 0 I’m not so sure how you can do it. The Spanish Dracula went OK we’ll do something with it, do themes but also…
LIZ
A very camp very enthusiastic orderly working for Dr Seward. I love this man.
NICK
I love him with my life he will not leave Renfield alone.
LIZ
I believe he’s called Martin. So yeah, Manuel Arbo, thank you Manuel Arbo for being the best bit of this film.
NICK
Arbo is our bro.
LIZ
He’s just so enthusiastic and so he cares and he likes his job and he likes people and I just love him, it does remind me we were discussing the other day which Dracula would get the most out of a theme park cause the Dracula lying down pose is the same as the water slide pose. I[‘m thinking Spanish Dracula cause Martin would drag him along and he’d have a great time.
NICK
Oh yeah, he’d drag him along to everything go on all the rides, spend a long time in the gift shop.
LIZ
Oh Dracula likes trinkets.
NICK
Get a little teddy bear for his coffin.
LIZ
That is an adorable image.
NICK
Get all wrapped up cosy nice.
LIZ
It probably gets cold in the Romanian hills. And also Yorkshire.
NICK
I have been reliably informed the Carpathians? Them chilly. In terms of – what’s really interesting is in terms of visual composition they’ve got the same sets, that’s the whole thing, but in terms of composition they’re quite different. There’s shots that everyone remembers from the English Dracula that I can remember, and the Spanish team went for different approaches and I’m not sure if they came off as well as I can’t remember them as strongly any particular moments – there didn’t appear to be their equivalent of light across his eyes thing. And sure you don’t have to have that kind of absolutely top 10 cinematographic moment, but…
LIZ
Yeah the reason we remember the English language version is iconic is they do these different things like the Morticia Addams lighting, that’s how people will remember it, comes from this film, that shot of Dracula’s castle that everyone knows comes from this film.
NICK
It’s one of those situations where the Day Dracula, that’s what I’m calling it now, the Day Dracula built on what is by this point a strong tradition of German Expressionist cinema which his all about being as extra s you can with the lighting and the-
LIZ
Strong hints of Nosteratu.
NICK
Definitely. I don’t think there is a horror film made after its inception that isn’t influenced in some way by The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Also Murnau’s non Nosferatu work like Sunrise.
LIZ
While Night Dracula is more just showing you events. I think the way the events are written is in a way more interesting it’s more thematic than event-y I don’t know why I’m saying that I’m bad at words and it’s 30 degrees.
NICK
We’re dying.
LIZ
They’re two very different approaches but they work equally as well. I can see the Lugosi one if it hadn’t happened, I can see the Spanish one taking off, at least within the Spanish speaking world, Lugosi Dracula has the advantage of begin an American release. What if all Dracula adaptations had a really enthusiastic orderly.
NICK
That would be terrific.
LIZ
Bring back Martin.
NICK
One thing I’m thinking of is codifying of horror grammar, it would take until the rise of alternate low budget horror and slasher films before we get a different style, or giallo, a different style of horror.
LIZ
Want to explain giallo?
NICK
Giallo is an Italian subgenre of horror marked by a lurid sensibility I’d say.
LIZ
I guess you could describe it as Italian B Movies, just how you would imagine Italians would approach B movies.
NICK
And the name giallo stems from the colour of the Penny Dreadful equivalents directors like Dario Argento would get their inspirations from. I’m thinking in particular you get this emphasis on close ups and establishing shots of sinister castles, tight controlled angles in Day Dracula, really sets the play book, and it’s about 30-40 years until you get people going “we’re going to have a lot more first person shots and shaky cameras”.
LIZ
And Hitchcock.
NICK
Yeah that’s it that’s kind of anther big moment and another twist. I’ll be honest I think that Night Dracula suffers for being stagey. You watch it and you think that’s the one based on a play, it feels like a theatre adaptation more than the other one.
LIZ
A lot of big acting.
NICK
Yeah, big acting in a small room.
LIZ
At the risk of going on for a very long time about the language of horror films what did we learn from Dracula and or Dracula.
NICK
Dracula taught me how to love again, and Dracula taught em how to hate.
LIZ
I learned that you can find armadillos anywhere if you look hard enough.
NICK
That’s what I mean.
LIZ
Isn’t that the same as love?
NICK
It is in some small way the same as love. So if you have an armadillo wherever you are, protect it, nurture it, raise it. Treat it like it’s your own son. Send it to school grow disillusioned with the burdens of parenthood. Stay up late worried when he doesn’t come home after a big party you told him not to go to.
LIZ
And then talk about your problems with Martin the orderly.
NICK
He’ll understand. We’ll talk to you next time.
Both
Bye-bye.
Closing music.
