Dracula (1958) - BFI Restoration Trailer (2007)

[rossinilove]

Some of the legendary missing footage for this film was recently discovered in Japan. This includes an extended death scene for Dracula. This will be included in a theatrical showing on Saturday, 18th February at 3pm at the Flicker Club as part of the VAULT festival in London. A blu-ray release of this and many other Hammer films has aslo been announced. Good news for Hammer fans everywhere!

[TheHuntress24]

These came out way before my time but I grew up with the hammer films, thanks to my grandma and I'd take these films over any of the crap horrors they release today. Cushing and Lee set the standard for horrors all those years ago and that standard has never been reached since.

Films today need to show blood and gore to make them work but all you needed to hear was the infamous music of a Hammer Horror Movie and you'd be cowering behind the cushions before the movie even started!

[MrClassicDoctorWho]

My Grandma told me about the time she went to see this at the cinema. She was underage so she snuck in with her friends round the back and she got so scared that she couldn't sleep so her dad slapped her. lol

[VaiTrooper]

I can't understand how vampire films like Twilight can stack up against the old Dracula...and I'm 15

[job1866]

Bernard Robinson could make a dog house look like an enormous expensive castle!!!

[KnockoffNigeI]

I love the shot at 0:15 the atmosphere and sense of perspective are really sumptuous. The camera seems to set quite low from the lines of convergence in the scene, set at about level with the table top. I'm wondering what technique they use to get the aerial perspective, fill the set with smoke or some such?

[avalard]

@KnockoffNigeI I think a lot of it is down to really good lighting. I doubt there's much if any smoke in the scenes... but with the sets painted the right way and lit just so you get a great sense of depth, layering and atmosphere.

[Lieslize]

Is this a horror movie? I would like to see it but I'm afraid that is an horro movie

[avalard]

@Lieslize yes, its a horror movie, but very tame by today's standards. You'd be fine ;)

[Lieslize]

@avalard It was what I thought. Thanks. I'll watch it! ;P

[benoit4reel]

@avalard I'm a little hesitent on watching it too. But if its tame comparded to todays stuff it sounds good. As I don't not like gore that is piled on thick.

[LOKISlog7]

@Lieslize Its a wonderful classic horror movie. You will be rivited from start to finish; and its exciting and scary; and one heck of a soundtrack. One of my alltime fave movies.

[Lieslize]

@LOKISlog7 Now I wanna see it! It must so fantastic, especially with Christopher Lee! :D I've seen a little bit of the beginning and now I'm thrilled to see it...

[monteleone1010]

@LOKISlog7 When I saw this movie for the firt time ages ago, I saw people leaving the theatre when they heard the music at the beginning!!! For my part, this is my fav film and my fav music soundtrack. I saw the film about 30 times and never tired of it!!!

[geinman1287]

Hammer had a lower budget than Universal, but did wonders with what they had. Fine perfomances, excellent scripts, and vivid color made all the difference. Cushing and Lee will live forever in th e history of cinema.

[slathered]

Art at the highest level. Today's computerized

films don't hold a candle. "All Sizzle, No Steak".

[job1866]

I LOVE HAMMER AND GREW UP WITH IT! never met Cushing but my friend Tom Johnson was his biographer. I did meet Chris Lee, hung out with Ingrid Pitt and James Bernard and have upteen signed pics, signed by Cushing and Lee together & a really cool Dracula Prince of Darkness still signed by the entire cast. Alot of Oliver Reed and Michael Ripper signed picts, also have Peter Cushing's shoes from Capt Clegg. I got autographs of Hammer people that would blow you away. David Peel, Prudence Hyman

[LOKISlog7]

@job1866 WOW! I am so envious! Why dont you share your treasure(s) with the rest of Hammer fans with a video showcasing your collection. I was so glad to hear that Hammer Studios is back in production. I just hope they can create the moody gothic feel for their new horror films. I hope they stick to period pieces. not modern day.

[greensweatshirt12]

@LOKISlog7 I think they are working on a new movie called "The Woman in Black" starring Daniel Radcliff

[dpmduran]

I collect anything Hammer, and currently I've become obsessed with books and films from that period. It truly makes something lame like Twilight seem what it truly is, a teen phenomena, which is a good start.

These films have stood the test of time, and am finding out on e-Bay that I'm not alone in grabbing these collectibles.

[slyther2]

Looks good and Solid but for me I'm a purist when it comes to the novel and despite this being an absolute classic it diverges quite a bit from the novel

[dlfdecker]

The pitch is too high in the audio. Probably due to conversions between NTSC and PAL?!

[avalard]

@dlfdecker Was a PAL to PAL conversion... the source video I was given was quite high. 

[jillgivler]

Whoa, I'd love to see this. Maybe someday they'll do DVD. Christopher Lee is the ultimate Dracula.

[redlabs]

is this version available in us?love to see it again

[Adventurestud]

You know, there's no real reason vampires need to kill people. If they would "change up" on who they're feeding on more often it would give their victims more time to grow their blood supply back.

[wayzotoichi]

This is great..they used to screen these on Channel Four in a Peter Cushing season around 1989..which I loved (and was a bit terrified!).

[komodoman]

Shit, it's ugly now. I think it looks like CRAP as far as the colors go, that turquoise wall behind Cushing, or that cyan nightdress of Lucy. Yuck. Modern color correction at its worst, whenever this happens I can't enjoy a film and it takes me out of it completely.

[Jendellyn]

This new trailer is wonderful. 'Horror of Dracula' is probably the best Hammer film and definitely the best adaptation of Bram Stoker's celebrated novel. There will never be Count Dracula and Dr. Van Helsing better than those created by the irreplaceable Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

[kriitikko]

The 1958 Hammer film Dracula, or Horror of Dracula as my copy is titled, is still one of the most finest adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel. Terence Fisher's powerful direction combined with great performances of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, the best Van Helsing and Dracula ever, creates a great horror classic. This trailer trully does justice for this film.

[MegaWolfgang]

@kriitikko They had to use the title 'Horror of Dracula' in America in 1958 due to Univesals copy right on the one word title 'Dracula' was still in effect from the 1931 Bela Luogosi film. At Iest I remember reading that years ago?

[ritacea]

Very Goood!

[godzilla1077]

Count Dooku versus Grand Moff Tarkin

[Garnelengeburt]

@ godzilla

the old Hammer films are MUCH superior to "Star Wars"

[MDthornton83]

Cool! I've never seen the Christopher Lee movie before, but it looks interesting. I think I'll go rent it sometime.

[dwbandlib06]

This is a really good trailer. It does the film so much justice in the modern era and I forgot how excellent Peter Cushing truly was.

[Garnelengeburt]

I never forgot about Peter Cushing. He is my FAVORITE actor! his English is so crisp and clear. I am not a native English speaker so I have sometimes difficulties with understanding the chewing-gum mumbled Hollywood movies.

But Peter Cushing speaks so brilliantly! And his best friend Christopher Lee, too, by the way. I admire them both!

[SopmodJack1975]

love this movie

[moviefan1955]

I wonder when they say Uncut at the end if it includes the original mushy crumbling scene of Christopher Lee's disintegrating face which was used in many stills at the time instead of the cut to a skull and skeleton fingers etc? Hope to see a BFI DVD as they have made several excellent DVD's of all kinds of movies including a version of the original Nosferatu with a new score by the late James Bernard ( he of Hammer Films fame ) which is well worth checking out. This is Region 2.

[BurningCastleFilms]

Unfortunately i believe that extra footage is still lost. the only known print to have that scene i believe was destroyed in a fire. Rumor has it that prints in Japan might still have it though

[avalard]

That footage was cut before it hit the cinemas in the UK, the censor just wouldn't pass it. I'm told by my BFI contacts that an extensive search has been laid on for possible extra footage, but so far dispite work with Warners in Japan, the Japanese print hasn't surfaced either.

[BurningCastleFilms]

Well its good to hear they're still trying to find it.

The recent discovery of the orignal 3 hour cut of Metpropolis has given me hope that just about anything can be found haha.

[clintbronson5]

Yeah! I have my fingers crossed for LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1928) Not only do I want it to surface, but expect it BLU-RAY FORMAT!!!

[Vandcort]

Does anyone know if this version is coming out on DVD?

[avalard]

Hopefully eventually, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

[Guedingen]

Wonderful, many thanks

[SirenqueenKia]

I'm Really Excited. This Dracula-Movie Is One Of The Best Ever Made, But This Quality, It's Better Than Any DVD-Version I Saw, I Got To Have That. Hope It Will Be Released In This Quality In Germany Some Time, Would Be A Good Reason To Buy It At The End (Haven't Yet Because Other Movies Were More Urgent). Can't Wait To See The Coolest Dracula And Most Ambigious Van Helsing On my Own TV. BFI, They Got The Magic Power...

[Clearie552]

the original vamp movie.. i gotta see this. anyway, what does bfi stand for? british film institution?

[Ralf0111]

brillant colors, great BFI work...and one of the best horror films ever made. thanks for posting

[nitesho]

I am so glad that this film is restored and recognized for the clsssic it is. Brilliant in all aspects. Even here on video it looks sharper. Cushing made it all so beleiveable, and Lee with so few lines makes the Count a character to be wary of.

[Ganavon]

I had met Peter Cushing back in the 70's and he really was a fine gentleman. We had a nice chat about Laurel and Hardy (Peter was in "Chumps At Oxford") and it was a delight. I hope this print ends up in both theatres and on DVD over here! Thankyou for posting this!!

[telecaster1963]

Lucky you!

[ejr1316]

Great new trailer. One of my favorite films of all time.

[rodrigoraulsuarez]

This hammer movies are really interesting. They created another kind of atmosphere that is really special. And they had Peter Cushing, a great actor who can make absolutely real the role that he play.

[clintbronson5]

Will we ever be able to have a DVD copy

of this classic with only the title

DRACULA and not the horrid HORROR OF DRACULA

(USA) Wonderful trailer

Fangs a lot(sic)

[telecaster1963]

In some countries, its 1966 sequel was called ''The Bloody Scream of Dracula''.

And, best of all, ''Dracula A.D. 1972'' had its title changed to ''Dracula no Mundo da Minissaia'', in Portugese, ''Dracula in the World of Miniskirt''

[clintbronson5]

Bloody scream of Dracula? Did not know that.

[telecaster1963]

check the site imdb and see the page release date of this movie. The site doe not say the country but I have a hunch it was in India.

[chessmann]

Will this be coming to the USA? I hope so!

[lopzilla]

My good friend George Woodbridge, always learning his lines on the train, head down and deep in the plot; surfacing around Staines having completed his part. Thank you for posting this.

[telecaster1963]

Interesting to hear this. Woodbridge did a great job in "Frankenstein Created the Woman". He had a certain physical resemblance with late Brazilian politician Jânio Quadros.

[Thespilian]

You have me at a loss. Woodbridge wasn't in "Frankenstein Created Woman", was he?

[telecaster1963]

No, he wasn't. Thorley Walters is the guy I was talking about. Pardon me. Wodbridge was in ''Dracula Prince of Darkness'', ''The Mummy,'' ''The Curse of the Werewolf,'' ''Horror of Dracula'' and ''Revenge of Frankenstein''.

[Thespilian]

I liked Walters a lot - he also was great in a non-Hammer no nonsense part as a clever cynic in "Murder She Said". =)

As for the best Frankenstein assistant, though, I'd vote for Francis Matthews. ;)

[telecaster1963]

I'd like to see this one someday.

[TheUnderdwellers]

A Cross You Need To Bear!

[narinoamor]

Excellant trailer for the newly restored Dracula. I went to see it in november at the bfi. It was a brilliant experience to see a Hammer Horror on the big screen