Dracula (1979)

Dracula Storbritannia, USA 1979 Regi John Badham Manus W. D. Richter Foto Gilbert Taylor Med Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasance, Kate Nelligan 1t 49m Engelsk tale, norsk tekst Aldersgrense 18 år

The 1970's, towards the end of Christopher Lee's Dracula films with Hammer Productions, witnessed renewed interest in Bram Stoker's masterpiece.

These films haven't garnered as much popularity as other Draculas in the mainstream vampire repertoire, but they weren't less influential on future approaches either.

This can be particularly be said about John Badham's insightful take on the novel. Dracula (1979), although far from being 'faithful', paved the way for deeper exploration of the more gothic Dracula (in terms of landscape, ambience, film texture and color, etc.).

In fact, there certainly was some influence/inspiration from Badham's Dracula - perhaps in addition to the 1974 film adaptation with Jack Palance - on many of the story aspects and vampire tropes which Francis Ford Coppola put in his version.

Dracula (1979) is the next entry in Vampiric Projections' Trans/Trance-facing chapter, where the vampire can submit/transform a mortal, through the latter's face (and eyes), into a state of trance. This state is by default undeadly eternal, but at times, the transformation can be reversable.
In the analysis with Oscar Debs, following the screening, there will also be focus on the trans-formation and trans-ition of a mortal between living/mortal on one hand, and undead (or un-living in some situations) on the other hand... in whichever direction the undead realm sways in Badham's film.