A Double Dose of Horror!
I have something special for my readers today. As I’ve been charging through the month of October by watching Universal Monster classic films and reviewing them, I noticed that a thirty-second film deserved a little bit of the spotlight as well. That film is 1931’s Spanish version of Dracula. Not wanting to ignore this film, I’ve decided to place it into a double feature with 1932’s The Mummy. Let’s go!
The Mummy (1932)
Having already established himself as an icon of horror with Frankenstein (1931), Boris Karloff was an easy choice to portray Imhotep in The Mummy. His slow pace, both physically on the screen and in line delivery, gave his performance an added touch of wickedness.
The film also starred the strikingly beautiful Zita Johann as Helen, a lady that Imhotep believes is the reincarnated form of his beloved Ankh-es-en-amon. Other members of the cast included Arthur Byron as Sir Joseph Whemple, David Manners as Frank Whemple, Helen’s suitor, and Bramwell Fletcher in the brief role of Ralph Norton, a man driven insane when he witnesses the rise of Imhotep from his sarcophagus.
In the film, Imhotep’s mummified body is discovered by Sir Joseph Whimple’s expedition. They also discover the Scroll of Thoth, a scroll that is believed to contain the secret to eternal life. After Norton reads the scroll, he unwittingly releases Imhotep from his mummified prison. Imhotep’s eyes opening has become one of the most iconic moments in film history.
Later, Imhotep has taken on the alias of Ardath Bey and shows Frank Whemple where he can find the tomb of Ankh-es-en-amon. He then sets out to murder Helen, mummify her, and then resurrect her with the Scroll of Thoth so that they can be together for eternity.
Helen proves to be stronger than Imhotep believed and she ends up saving herself by praying to Isis for help. This was a great rarity in all early Hollywood films. In most cases, the “damsel-in-distress” is saved by the male hero, but in The Mummy, Helen does most of the work herself.
The film featured elaborate sets and wonderful visuals. Of all of the Universal Monster films, The Mummy was definitely one of the most beautiful to watch on the screen. As excellent as the film was, however, there was apparently a lot of turmoil behind the scenes between Zita Johann and the director, Karl Freund. The pair locked horns often, with Freund regularly attempting to have Johann removed from the film. One of his most famous attempts to have her leave the film was that he told her that she would have to perform the sacrifice scene nude from the waist up. He believed that she would balk at this and quit the film. Instead, she agreed to it, but only if Freund could get the scene okayed by the censors.
Jack Pierce handled the makeup on the film and, in true Pierce fashion, he did a great job. Karloff spent many hours in the makeup chair for the film. His most famous moment in the makeup, however, only lasted for a few minutes. He spends most of the film in a “living” form as Ardath Bey.
The Mummy is an excellent film. It’s beautiful, features solid acting, and is a real treat to watch. Karloff and Johann own the screen and it’s fun to see them perform.
Dracula (1931, Spanish Version)
Filmed on the same sets as the better known Dracula featuring Bela Lugosi, 1931’s Spanish version of Dracula is just as worthy of viewing. The film features Carlos Villarias as Conde Dracula, Lupita Tovar as Eva Seward (Mina Seward in the English version), Barry Norton as Juan Harker, Eduardo Arozamena as Professor Van Helsing, and Pablo Alvarez Rubio as Renfield. It was directed by George Melford.
The film’s plot is exactly the same as the Lugosi version directed by Tod Browning with help from Freund, who was the English version’s cinematographer. The differences are found in the acting, cinematography, and overall atmosphere of the film.
Villarias’ Count was more animalistic than Lugosi’s smooth predator. Like Lugosi, Villarias’ eyes were heavily focused on throughout the film. While Lugosi seemed to be a constant gentleman, Villarias’ eyes led one to believe that he was a dignified man that could quickly turn into a beast. Villarias was quicker with his line delivery as well, which gave his Conde a different look and feel.
Tovar’s Eva Seward was much warmer than Helen Chandler’s Mina Seward in the English version of the film. She showed more emotion and, much like Villarias, was more animalistic and even seductive as Eva after she was attacked by Dracula. Tovar was dressed more scantily as well, pushing censorship limits for the time.
Norton’s Juan Harker was a tad bit cardboard at times. Though, to be honest, he and David Manners (Jonathan Harker in the English version), weren’t given a whole lot to do with their roles.
Rubio tore through his role as the psychotic Renfield. He proved to be just as effective as Dwight Frye in the English version. Frye is one of my favorite actors in all of Universal’s Monster films, but Rubio gave a more savage performance as Renfield. He appeared wilder, more aggressive, and, ultimately, more sympathetic. The rest of the cast was strong, but Arozamena wasn’t as solid as Edward Van Sloan was as Van Helsing.
Melford’s touch could be seen all over the film. It was a brighter film overall compared to the English version and Melford’s use of different angles, pans, and zooms gave the movie an entirely different feel compared to the English version. It’s as if Melford was allowed to take more risks and push more limits. This makes the film one of Universal’s best movies visually.
While it may never be remembered as fondly or as with as much admiration as the English Dracula, Melford’s Dracula is definitely just as amazing. The wilder nature of Dracula and Eva, the wonderful cinematography, and the added touches of atmosphere such as a few longer screams (specifically in the death of Dracula) and the smoke rising from the coffin with Dracula at the beginning of the film, give audiences plenty of reasons to watch the Spanish version of Dracula and its better known English counterpart.
Thanks for checking out my double feature! Another review is coming your way tomorrow. Also be on the lookout for a couple of reviews of items related to the Universal Monsters in the next couple of days!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 