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"splendidly fresh and entertaining study" -Veronica Hitchcock 'Dracula is an entry in the British Film Guides series of short monographs focusing on "key British films from the past hundred years"... Hutchings is particularly strong on the analysis of narrative ideology and he provides a detailed and nuanced account of the dramatic structures...' -James Chapman, Film International '...offers an excellent exploration of Bram Stoker's novel and the symbolic erotic possibilities of bloodsucking.' -Chris Wood, The Times 'A Must read!' Bite Me Magazine, July 2003
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Hammer Horror's "Dracula" was released in 1958 to a mixture of shock, outrage and praise. Yet this version of the Dracula tale, directed by Terence Fisher, was a milestone both for British cinema and for the horror genre. It made an international star of Christopher Lee and confirmed Hammer Films as one of the world's leading purveyors of cinematic terror. Peter Hutchings reveals how Hammer's newly eroticized version of "Dracula" differs from its previous incarnations. He explores the film's symbolism and narrative structure, as well as its potent sexuality and controversial take on gender. Aimed at students of film and fans of the horror genre, this lively guide reveals the legacy which Hammer's "Dracula" has left to cinema.
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Imagine that you are walking down a British city street during the summer of 1958. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Imagine that you are walking down a British city street during the summer of 1958. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Peter Hutchings, also the author of the Manchester University Press' British Film Makers: Terence Fisher (which replaced Wheeler Winston Dixon's tiresome and dated The Charm of Evil as the definitive overview of the director's career), has here, in a worthwhile addition to IB Tauris' The British Film Guide series, produced a concise yet reasonably comprehensive critical appraisal of Fisher's most important and influential movie, the original 1958 Hammer adaptation of Dracula (probably better known by its alternative US title, Horror of Dracula, under which it has been repeatedly released on VHS and DVD, though it has recently received UK cinema screenings in a BFI-restored print with the original title intact).
Hutchings provides the reader with some historical context surrounding the film, book-ending his main discussion regarding the movie in question with a look at both the many previous and subsequent adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel, as well as at the several sequels to the Hammer original. His central essay on the 1958 film itself is well-informed and readable, without falling into too much over-intellectualised analysis, thankfully (after all, it is a Hammer horror movie, not Battleship Potemkin), and plays up its many very impressive aspects (such as the tight script, the wonderful photography, special effects, and use of sound, and the generally excellent acting, especially from leads Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee), whilst not being afraid to puncture the prevailing opinion of many horror nerds who claim that it is flawless (for instance, the bizarrely generalised geographical settings come in for a deserved kicking). Whilst I don't necessarily agree with some of Hutchings' comments (particularly his assertion that John Badham's 1979 version of Dracula is a `remarkable and underrated piece of work'; personally, I think it's dreadful), I can't doubt his knowledge of Fisher's career or of the Hammer horror cycle overall; this is worth picking up if you are interested in either.
Hutchings provides the reader with some historical context surrounding the film, book-ending his main discussion regarding the movie in question with a look at both the many previous and subsequent adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel, as well as at the several sequels to the Hammer original. His central essay on the 1958 film itself is well-informed and readable, without falling into too much over-intellectualised analysis, thankfully (after all, it is a Hammer horror movie, not Battleship Potemkin), and plays up its many very impressive aspects (such as the tight script, the wonderful photography, special effects, and use of sound, and the generally excellent acting, especially from leads Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee), whilst not being afraid to puncture the prevailing opinion of many horror nerds who claim that it is flawless (for instance, the bizarrely generalised geographical settings come in for a deserved kicking). Whilst I don't necessarily agree with some of Hutchings' comments (particularly his assertion that John Badham's 1979 version of Dracula is a `remarkable and underrated piece of work'; personally, I think it's dreadful), I can't doubt his knowledge of Fisher's career or of the Hammer horror cycle overall; this is worth picking up if you are interested in either.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
SUPERB BOOK ON THE FIRST HAMMER DRACULA !!!
16 July 2004
Format:Paperback
This is a great book! Anyone interested in Dracula/ Hammer horror/ Christopher Lee must read this fascinating critique of the first Hammer horror Dracula film (titled simply "DRACULA" in the UK, "HORROR OF DRACULA" in the US). The serious, in-depth analysis of the film was so fascinating I read the book through in one sitting. Granted, it is a slim, 100 page volume, but it is a thoroughly interesting and very compelling read. Finally, serious film historians are taking a second look at these fine old Hammer films, and seeing that they are much better than critics originally thought. It is a volume no true Hammer fan can do without! I kid you not!!! -George Bauch.
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