Spanish-Language Dracula (1931)

Spanish Version of the Classic Dracula Film Starring Bela Lugosi

Nov 4, 2009

The Spanish-language version of the 1931 film Dracula, shot by night on the same sets, is considered superior by many critics.

The 1931 film version of Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, was also filmed in a Spanish-language version, shot by a Spanish-speaking cast and crew by night on the same set. This was common for early film, when "talkies" were still novel and dubbing a tricky prospect. Dracula was one of the last movies filmed both in English and Spanish, due in part to the coming of the Great Depression.

For many years, the film was lost to most viewers; for his book Hollywood Gothic, published in 1990, David J. Skal had to travel to the Cuban Film Archives in Havana to view the only complete print in existence. Dracula has since been released on DVD, first in several monster movie collections and finally with a 75th anniversary version released in 2006.

Differences with the English-Language Version

Although the Spanish-language Dracula followed roughly the same script as the English-language version, there were fewer cuts; consequently, the Spanish-language Dracula runs a full half hour longer. This added length is not without purpose, however. Several subplots which are abandoned in the English-language Dracula, including the death and vampirization of Lucia (Lucy Westenra).

The other main difference is the filming techniques and camera angles. David J. Skal points out that while the English-language Dracula's shortcomings were blamed on the limitations of their technology, the Spanish-language version shows no such limitations. The director, George Melford (working through a Spanish interpreter), and his crew observed the work done by the English-language team during the day and strove to make it better. One of his innovations was to shoot the scenes out of order as to more efficiently make use of time; as a result the Spanish-language Dracula was shot in a mere twenty-two days, compared to five weeks for the English-language version.

The Spanish-language Dracula includes more effective and technically challenging shots, including frequent close-ups, the use of a moving crane, and double exposure to reveal Dracula rising from his coffin as a cloud of mist. (In the English-language version, the camera merely turns away as Dracula's coffin begins to open.) Other scenes, such as Renfield's death, are played in a more effective and frightening way: in the English-language version, Dracula throws his unfortunate slave down the stairs, but in the Spanish-language version he hurls Renfield over the side of the staircase, an unexpectedly violent move.

Carlos Villarías as Dracula

The role of Conde Dracula (Count Dracula) was played by Carlos Villarías, a Mexican stage actor (credited, probably due to a misprint, as Carlos Villar). Villarías went on to act in several English-language films, including Bordertown with Paul Muni and Bette Davis (1935).

While the crew watched the progress of the English-language version day by day, the cast was forbidden to see it, except for Carlos Villarías. The studio wanted their Spanish-language Dracula to be as much like Bela Lugosi as possible; Villarías even wears the same hairpiece as Lugosi.

Unfortunately, Villarías is one of the least effective things about the Spanish-language Dracula. He lacks Lugosi's long hands and fingers; as a result, his attempts to hold his fingers like claws looks decidedly less menacing. His lop-sided smile looks both charming and goofy, with nothing sinister beneath the surface. Even when he tries to look angry, he ends up appearing more pouty than dangerous.

The Spanish-language Dracula certainly has its flaws. The slow pacing, a relic of the Dracula stage productions, is a problem shared with the English-language version. But the inability to make Dracula seem scary, despite the much-improved ways of establishing the film's mood, is its biggest problem.

Regardless of its success when compared to Bram Stoker's novel, however, Skal and other critics consider the Spanish-language Dracula a far superior adaptation when compared to the English-language version. For the improvements in the script and filming techniques, the Spanish-language Dracula should be required viewing for Dracula fans.

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