A documentary exploring the legends of vampires, using books, paintings and early films on the subject.A documentary exploring the legends of vampires, using books, paintings and early films on the subject.A documentary exploring the legends of vampires, using books, paintings and early films on the subject.
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBased on Raymond McNally and Radu Florescu 's book of the same name, which explores the historical Vlad the Impaler and his influence on the making of Bram Stoker's "Dracula." The film also makes a detour to cover information from Florescu's follow-up book "In Search of Frankenstein." While not mentioned by name, the alchemist referenced who probably inspired Mary Shelley to write "Frankenstein" was the notorious Konrad Dippel. Just as Vlad Tepes has now become essential to the vampire myth, Florescu's research has resulted in Dippel being incorporated into Frankenstein mythology in popular culture.
- SoundtracksMusic for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Composed by Béla Bartók
Featured review
IN SEARCH OF Dracula (Calvin Floyd, 1975) **
I'd long been interested in this documentary on the history behind the archetypal vampire figure due to Christopher Lee's involvement (as both narrator and actor) but also given the fact that director Floyd would follow it with the well-regarded THE TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1975), a faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's horror classic.
However, the result in this case is mainly dull and patchy at best: not only were several of the accounts involving "Dracula" novelist Bram Stoker and the inspirations for his creation (chiefly the notorious Vlad the Impaler) already familiar to me but such other interjections as J. Sheridan LeFanu's equally famous female vampire story "Carmilla", the way the inherently predatory nature of femme fatales drew upon that of the vampire (hence the epithet 'vamp'), or the documentation of a real-life modern-day blood-sucker (who may well have inspired George A. Romero's MARTIN [1978]) felt like padding more than anything else!
The film's real coup, then, lies in the makers' decision to shoot in authentic locations which, amazingly, have retained their Old World and genuinely eerie quality. Even so, Lee (who appears as Vlad himself and, of course, Dracula in both an ageing guise the way he was actually depicted in the original and, bafflingly, excerpts from the Hammer film SCARS OF Dracula [1971]) looks positively bored throughout, in spite of his typically authoritative voice! Besides, the segment on Dracula's cinematic incarnation with obvious references to NOSFERATU (1922), Bela Lugosi and, naturally, Lee's own stint in the part comes across as disappointingly schematic
However, the result in this case is mainly dull and patchy at best: not only were several of the accounts involving "Dracula" novelist Bram Stoker and the inspirations for his creation (chiefly the notorious Vlad the Impaler) already familiar to me but such other interjections as J. Sheridan LeFanu's equally famous female vampire story "Carmilla", the way the inherently predatory nature of femme fatales drew upon that of the vampire (hence the epithet 'vamp'), or the documentation of a real-life modern-day blood-sucker (who may well have inspired George A. Romero's MARTIN [1978]) felt like padding more than anything else!
The film's real coup, then, lies in the makers' decision to shoot in authentic locations which, amazingly, have retained their Old World and genuinely eerie quality. Even so, Lee (who appears as Vlad himself and, of course, Dracula in both an ageing guise the way he was actually depicted in the original and, bafflingly, excerpts from the Hammer film SCARS OF Dracula [1971]) looks positively bored throughout, in spite of his typically authoritative voice! Besides, the segment on Dracula's cinematic incarnation with obvious references to NOSFERATU (1922), Bela Lugosi and, naturally, Lee's own stint in the part comes across as disappointingly schematic
helpful•43
- Bunuel1976
- Oct 26, 2008
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- La leyenda de Drácula
- Filming locations
- Bran, Romania(Castle of Vlad Tepes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content