Emily Fuller
Michael Napoli
Rebecca Day
Andy Smith
A Synopsis of the 1931 Movie Dracula with a Biography of Star Bela Lugosi and Producer Tod Browning
Dracula (1931)
The movie opens with the scene of Renfield in a carriage with other people speaking of the dreaded night that lies ahead of them, the night that the werewolves come out and feast upon unsuspecting townspeople. Upon reaching a small town, the townspeople warn Renfield not to meet Count Dracula that night because he is a vampire and only bad things could possible come from him. Renfield is taken to meet Draculas carriage, and unbeknownst to Renfield, Dracula is the man driving the carriage. With werewolves crying in the distance, Renfield wanders his way into Castle Dracula where Dracula meets him on the stairs. After discussing the papers with Dracula, Renfield passes out due to the wine Dracula served him. Draculas three wives come into the room, and Dracula drinks Renfields blood from his neck. The next evening, Dracula and the insane Renfield depart from Transylania carrying along 3 boxes of earth to England on a ship.
Dracula introduces himself to Dr. Seward, his daughter Mina, her fiance Jonathan Harker, and their friend Lucy Westerna at the symphony. He informs them that he is moving into Carfax Abbey, which is next door to Sewards Sanitarium. Later that night as Lucy is dozing off in her bed, Dracula hovers outside her window in the form of a bat and then comes in and drinks her blood. Professor Van Helsing, who helps give Lucy blood transfusions, comes to the conclusion that a vampire has attacked her. Renfield, who is now a patient at the sanitarium, warns Seward and Van Helsing that something awful will happen to Mina. That very night Dracula enters her bedroom and bites her. A couple of nights later, she recounts her story of the feeding to Jonathan. Van Helsing inspects her neck and discovers the two little holes in her neck. Dracula comes over to visit and Van Helsing notices that he does not have a reflection when seen in a mirror. When he tricks Dracula into looking into a mirror, he slaps it out of Van Helsings hands. Soon after Draculas departure, Harker sees a wolf running across the lawn.
Mina ventures out from her bedroom that same night and walks into the arms of Dracula. In the meantime, Renfield once again warns the men of Draculas plans to take Mina. Moments later, Mina is found on the lawn near death. Word spreads the next day of this mysterious woman who has been attacking children at night, this woman being Lucy. Mina bids farewell to her relationship with Jonathan because she realizes that she will soon be a vampire. Dracula tells Van Helsing that his blood now flows through Mina and it is too late to save her, so he might as well go home. He attempts to mesmerize Van Helsing to draw him near, but he resists and pulls a crucifix out of his overcoat, which causes Dracula to turn away in disgust. Mina, who is now a vampire, tries to attack Jonathan, but Van Helsing frightens her with a crucifix. Renfield escapes from the sanitarium and meets up with Dracula and Mina in the Carfax Abbey. Upon their meeting, Dracula kills Renfield. Van Helsing and Harker later find Draculas coffin where Dracula is residing while it is daytime. Van Helsing hammers a stake through his heart and Mina is freed from her vampirism. Dracula is dead forever and Mina is Jonathans forever.
Bela Lugosi was born Bela Blasko on October 20, 1882, in the small town of Lugos, in what was then Hungary (and is now Romania). A star of the stage in Europe (where his stage roles included Jesus Christ), he adopted the name of his hometown, becoming "Lugosi". His film career began in 1917, where he had starred in several European films, including Murnaus' Janus-Faced (1920), and continued after his arrival in America in 1921. Lugosi continued to perform on stage, and perfected his most famous persona by leading the stage production of "Dracula," which began on Broadway, and ran for a full two years. His chilling stage presence and Hungarian accent instantly established him in the stage role of the Transylvanian Count and brought him to the attention of Carl Laemmle, Jr. By the time he accepted the lead in Tod Browning's 1931 film for Universal, he was thoroughly prepared to sample the blood of theatre patrons everywhere, as "Count Dracula!"
Lugosi's career in horror films was hugely successful, as he went on to play many other vital roles. In 1932's "White Zombie", Lugosi played a zombie maker, and in the 1933 adaptation of H.G. Wells' "Island of Dr. Moreau," entitled "Island of Lost Souls," he portrayed the Keeper of the Law, the leader of the "animal men." He played Bela the gypsy (who, as a werewolf, bit Lon Chaney, Jr.) in "The Wolf Man", in 1941. In 1943, Lugosi played the monster in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (after having turned down the lead role in the 1931 movie because it lacked any speaking lines). Ironically, his accent became a handicap in later films as sound came to the cinema, and he became typecast in many inferior horror films. Audiences reacted poorly to a monster with a heavy accent, and so the editors felt that Bela's dialogue had to go.
Bela Lugosi donned Dracula's cape on screen for only the second and final time in 1948. At the age of 66, Lugosi rejoined costar Lon Chaney, Jr., in the classic and highly successful comedy, "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. His wonderful, energetic performance and eager willingness to help spoof horror films delighted audiences of all ages. This was the final film to feature the classic Universal Monsters, and stands as a testament to Lugosi's powerful screen presence. Bela Lugosi passed away in 1956, and is now resting in his Dracula cape. Two biographies, The Count, by Arthur Lennig, and Lugosi: The Man Behind the Cape, by Robert Cremer, recount the life and films of Bela Lugosi in more detail. No one will dispute the contribution he made to the genre, and that he is the one and only "Count Dracula".
Tod Browning was born to Charles and Lydia Browning on July 12, 1880 in Louisville, Kentucky as Charles Albert Browning, Jr. He spent his childhood setting up backyard plays. He left his all-boys high school to travel with circuses and fairs, and during this time began to use the name Tod Browning. In June of 1911, he married Alice Lillian Houghton. By the age of 23, Browning had moved to New York and was working for Biograph acting in short nickelodeon comedies. Later that year he moved to California to be a director for Reliance-Majestic Studios.
In the summer of 1915, he was in an automobile accident that kept him in a hospital recovering for over a year. He spent this time writing several scripts. Upon his recovery in 1917, Browning returned to the film industry as a director once again. He directed several films, including Jim Bludso, his first feature length film. He later joined Metro and directed several films there, including The Eyes of Mystery. From there he moved on to work for Universal Studios where he directed his first big success, The Virgin of Stamboul, which was budgeted at $250,000, quite a large sum for that time.
After the death of his father, Browning took a turn for the worse and began developing severe alcohol problems. His wife, Alice left him and he was dropped by Universal. Browning eventually recovered from his alcoholism and Alice returned to him. Due mostly to her efforts, he was offered a deal with MGM in 1924, where he then directed The Unholy Three. He remained with MGM for several years. He directed his first talkie in 1929, The 13th Chair. Universal Studios hired Browning in 1930 to direct Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. He went on to direct several more films, such as The Iron Man, Freaks, and Vampires of Prague, which also starred Bela Lugosi. Browning then announced his retirement after directing his last film, Miracles for Sale in 1939. Browning died on October 6, 1962 at the age of 82.