Drácula: The 1931 Spanish-language Dracula
Venue: Light House Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin 7
Friday 28 October at 7pm.
Tickets: €12/€8.50 (Concession)
Soy Drácula! In 1931, as daily filming of the iconic Tod Browning and Bela Lugosi film Dracula wrapped on the Universal Studios lot, a Spanish-speaking cast and crew would arrive. Each night, from 7pm to 7am while Lugosi and Browning slept, this Spanish production used the same sets and costumes to create a longer, and arguably superior film: Drácula.
Like many foreign language films of the time, it was feared lost, but in a dramatic twist, a copy was unearthed in Cuba in the 90s and this fascinating production will be screened in Ireland for the first time at Bram Stoker Festival. Film historians credit the Spanish version of the film as being far more technically and visually superior, as well as sexier and more daring than the English language, Bela Lugosi version.
This film is in Spanish with English subtitles.
The Guardian: “Shot in half the time the Lugosi vehicle was allotted, and on a much smaller budget, Drácula contains revealing differences. It’s 29 minutes longer the Browning’s film, with more dialogue – we see more of Dracula’s castle; and the framing of shots are arguably superior – thanks to Melford’s crew having access to Dracula’s dailies, thereby being able to make revisions to lighting and camera angles. More emphasis is placed on religion [but] on the other hand it’s saucier, an early dawn for the erotic tropes that would come to define define the vampire genre.”
Join us after dark, or your siesta, for this rare opportunity to see a familiar film in an entirely nueva light!
Age Suitability: 18+
Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes
Accessibility: This film will have English subtitles. Information on accessibility can be found here
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