Halloween Is Coming - Countess Dracula Review -
What a strange weekend. Nothing special going on, just laying back and relaxing, hoping that this coming week will be nice, mellow, easygoing - a good prelude to a week off of work and a time to really focus on the changing seasons.
I've spent this day pretty much in my PJ's, catching up on email, watching more classic horror movies on the computer, and reading up on next week's Netflix/Greencine deliveries. Today's big film was Hammer's "Countess Dracula," starring the beautiful and sultry Ingrid Pitt as the Countess who bathes in the blood of virgins to regain her youth.
While it sounds terrifying and repulsive, the film is actually quite artistically filmed, in a traditional hammer gothic style and reusing sets from other, larger films. The color wash is interesting, and the actors are in form. Notable here is Nigel Green, his piercing gaze and intense stature, who can also be remembered in the role of Hercules in the classic Harryhousen romp 'Jason and the Argonauts.' In Countess Dracula, he plays Captain Dobi, the castle steward. For years, he has been in in love with the Countess (for her heart or for her money, we never really know). When it is discovered that the blood of women makes your younger, he helps her by harvesting women from the local village. However, it all goes wrong when she chooses a younger man for her romance. In his jealous rage, he becomes manipulative, hoping to force her heart by controlling her supply of virgins.
In the end, it's all nicely wrapped up. Innocence is the coda, and Countess Nodosheen (or 'Countess Dracula' as some of the village women whisper in strange, creepy voices) is seen behind bars and shunned by the villagers.
This is probably my favorite Hammer film to date, and not because of the nudity (what little there is). Ingrid Pitt is amazing and is wonderful to look at, and given her difficult history I can more easily praise her achievements (she was born on a train that was carrying her mother to a concentration camp). Nigel Green, in one of his final performances, is very intense and believable. Sadly, he would die of a drug overdose only a year later.
My Doctor Who/Telefantasy friends will remember Sandor Eles (who plays the young Lieutenant Toth the Countess falls for once she regains her youth) in other notable productions. In Timeslip (a rather low-budget childrends SF series made in 1970), he plays Captain Gottfried. He also played guest roles on The Avengers and The Saint, as well as a number of other minor series. Perhaps his most notable role until Countess Dracula, he plays Hans, the assistant to Dr. Frankenstein (sadly, this film has not been released to DVD like so many other Hammer films have been).
Lastly, my mother, always the fan of the historical romance, will recognize Lesley-Anne Down as the young, beautiful daughter of the Countess. In her brief scenes, she is the innocent heart that everyone is working either for or against. The Countess, in her mad plan to remain young, wishes to sacrifice her only daughter so that she might remain young. However, our hero Lt. Toth saves her from an untimely demise but is himself put to death by the Countess' knife. Lesley-Anne later shows up as the abrasive Madeline Main in the mid-80's mini-series' North & South (1 and 2). I mention this because I happened to be living in Charleston at the time they were filming the first mini-series. My family and I went to the battery quite regularly, and we watched them flatten out truckloads of sand for the streets and cover up the modern signs on the street. The actors who played the Lincoln family were there, but I don't think I was aware enough at the time to notice any other actors/actresses.
There are far too many Telefantasy cross-checks in this film. For instance, the strange, subdued Patience Collier (who plays Nurse Sentash) can be seen in perhaps the most clever Sapphire and Steel: Adventure 5, as one of the dinner guests. The castle librarian Master Fabio (played by the amazing Maurice Denham) probably stars in more films than Peter Cushing! However, for telefantasy enthusiasts, it is his role of Professor Edgeworth in "The Twin Dilemma" that will be remembered the most (sadly enough, as this is rated one of the top 5 worst Doctor Who episodes). I could go on and on. This is a blog, after all.
All in all, I highly recommend this film to anyone who is just being introduced to Hammer films. While there may be better 'classical' choices (notably The Horror of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein), Countess Dracula really typifies the range of spirit of Hammer films that keeps me coming back to them.
posted by novachild @ Sunday, October 17, 2004,
