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Stars:
Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green, Sandor Eles, Maurice Denham, Lesley-Anne Down,
Patience Collier, George Cole, Kate O’Mara, Peter Cushing, and Dawn Addams
Writers:
Jeremy Paul/Tudor Gates
Directors:
Peter Sasdy/Roy Ward Baker
Feature
length: 93 minutes/ 91 minutes
Extras:
Audio Commentaries, “Carmilla” Excerpts Read By Ingrid Pitt, Original
Theatrical Trailers
Languages:
English Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Captions and Closed Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 16/ 16
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Releases: 1970/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributors: Rank Film Distributors/ American International-Hammer Films
Home
Video Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: PG/ R
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“Countess
Dracula” was inspired loosely on the historical accounts of Hungarian Countess
Elizabeth Bathory, who reportedly slaughtered more than 600 women some 300 years
ago. That noted this film has nothing to do with Dracula other than the film’s
title. The film is a dark period folktale about an elderly countess who
discovers that if she bathes in the blood of a virgin girl, she can regain her
youth. The catch is that the effect is temporary and then she grows older unless
she bathes in another virgin’s blood. The film is quite beautiful to see with
a great production value despite the low budget and nice period costumes and
some humor too. There is a great scene on chapter 8 where two characters
encounter a fool in a pub, but as most people know, usually the fool is the only
guy who has any sense of what is really going on around the other characters.
Presented
in letterboxed (1.66:1) aspect ratio, “Countess Dracula” looks quite
wonderful with great detail and vibrant colors in spite of whatever anomalies
that have been leftover from age. The English Two-Channel Monaural Soundtrack is
very clear and free of any background analogue noise. English Captions and
Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language
Subtitles are encoded onto the disc as options. Screenwriter Jeremy Paul,
Director Peter Sasdy, and Actress Ingrid Pitt participate in a feature length
audio commentary track that is retrospective in nature and quite interesting.
The theatrical trailer (3:08) is included too.
On
the other side of this DVD-10 double feature is “The Vampire Lovers,” which
also stars Ingrid Pitt and features a small supporting role for Peter Cushing
too. Inspired by the 1871 novella “Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu, the film
introduces viewers to the Karnstein Vampires, who have wrecked havoc for
centuries creating a plague of vampires out of unsuspecting women. “The
Vampire Lovers” proved so successful that Hammer produced two sequels, “Lust
For Vampire” in 1970 and “Twins Of Evil” in 1971. Watching the Hammer
productions on DVD over the last few years has been a great treat. I find that
these films have inspire the gothic look of many period horror films that have
followed like Francis Coppola’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and Kenneth
Branagh’s “Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein” as well as Werner Herzog’s
remake of “Nosferatu” and I have no doubt that there are many others and
more to come too.
“The
Vampire Lovers” is presented in a beautiful anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1)
aspect in glorious Technicolor. The print has a bit of grain, but is still quite
beautiful to look at. The English Two-Channel Monaural Soundtrack is quite
vibrant in nature. Like “Countess Dracula”, “The Vampire Lovers” also
features English Captions and Closed Captions for the hearing impaired and
French and Spanish Language Subtitles encoded onto the disc as options. There is
a retrospective feature length audio commentary with Director Roy Ward Baker,
Screenwriter Tudor Gates, and Star Ingrid Pitt and it is definitely more
technical in the sense that it discusses the production much more than the
commentary on “Countess Dracula.” The discussion of Peter Cushing, who lost
his wife shortly after making this film, is poignant.
Ingrid
Pitt reads excerpts from the novella “Carmilla” as stills from the feature
slowly progress (11:38) and the theatrical trailer (2:20) is included on the DVD
too. The menus for both films are standard interactive still frames that are
easy to navigate. Hammer Film fans can pick up “Countess
Dracula & The Vampire Lovers: Midnight Movies Double Feature” at a bargain
price at retailers on and offline now from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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