Count Dracula (1977/BBC)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: D     Telefilm: C

 

 

Francis Coppola’s attempt to turn Bram Stoker’s classic book Dracula into a romance is not the first time such alchemy was attempted.  A 1977 British telefilm version by the BBC and director Philip Saville with Louis Jordan (Octopussy) as Count Dracula does just that.  However, the two-part mini-series (with a teleplay adaptation by Gerald Savory) tries to defang the myth, but it backfires.

 

Of course, that is perfect for “stuffy British television” and its best friend in the U.S., PBS.  However, some of the stylizing is good, performances sincere and mostly unknown actors playing them gives one an opportunity to think and rethink the book without the pretensions of recent adaptations.  That is until one gets bored with this mostly unexciting version.  Still, it has a few interesting moments, including some amusing visual effects and it is no surprise the BBC is issuing this as Sony issues Coppola’s version on high definition Blu-ray.

 

The 1.33 X 1 is softer and more problematic than expected for an analog PAL production, though some shots are 16mm, down a few generations (starting with old film-to-tape transfer technology of the time) constantly encouraging the question of if the film is still in the vaults.  If so, a semi-HD version could be made.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono fares better, with clarity and sonic limits as expected for the time.  There are no extras.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo