Countess Dracula

J. Sheridan LeFanu's novella CARMILLA was published before Bram Stoker's DRACULA, and many readers have found it to be superior in writing style and in the fact that LeFanu doesn't reveal all of the apples in his vampire legends cart until close to the end. I have taught both stories, in America as well as China, in gothic British literature classes, and when I showed THE VAMPIRE LOVERS to graduate students in China, I was surprised when they seemed to be more blase about the nudity and Lesbian overtones than were my usually-more-worldly undergraduate students in the small Atlanta college. I show this film because it follows the LeFanu story rather closely -- more accurately than most cinematic versions of this pre-Dracula vampire.The scene before the titles where veteran vampire hunter Douglas Wilmer (as the nobleman Baron Hartog), out to revenge the death of his sister at the hand of vampires, severs the head from the body of a beautiful blonde vampire huntress, is a shocking image to some viewers not anticipating such graphic violence. Originally, this image of his bloody sword and the severed bloody head -- as seen behind the main title --was shown in reverse colors to dampen the shock, at least for American audiences, but this is not the case for this DVD release. Also not censored are nude shots of the lovely and talented Ingrid Pitt as she emerges from her bath in front of her naive next victim. The frontal attributes of both female characters are shown on-screen prior to, and during, their brief romp on the sheets. Clearly, this film is not for the squeamish or prudish.It is unfortunate that Douglas Wilmer as a Van Helsing type does not reappear until near the end, because his distinctive presence and Orson Welles voice are assets to any film in which he appears. Peter Cushing does not portray the vampire expert in this film, as he does in the Dracula films with Christopher Lee; here he is a general and father of the first on-screen victim of Marcilla, later to be known as Carmilla. George Cole is the father of the second intended victim, and he is as believable here as he is as the head servant Poole in the Jekyll and Hyde film MARY REILLY. The hero of the piece is portrayed by the young Jon FInch, who played MacBeth at about this time in the Roman Polanski version of that Shakespeare play. Finch is the young estate stewart who was the boy friend of the first victim, and he arrives in the nick of time to prevent Carmilla from taking away her second major intended victim to sleep with her in her coffin.Other victims in the film are Kate O'Mara, who is employed as Carmilla's helper by bestowing sexual favors on her, the at-first capable male servant played by Harvey Hall, and a couple of hapless female victims who are either wondering alone in the forest or asleep in a humble cottage. Why female victims insist on wondering alone in the dark with amble cleavage being exposed is something that defies logic in these films, but perhaps most viewers are not seeking logic when they watch these dark fantasies. Another victim is the family doctor played by Ferdie Mane, who is thrown from his horse even though the horse does not rear and buck him off. The sequences where he and Jon Finch, shown riding through the forest at night, are obviously studio-photographed close shots that in no way appear realistic.Why the pale horseman in black, showing himself to be a vampire, is almost always on the scene, but safely in the distance, is never explained. He delivers a set-up message to Dawn Addams in the beginning, but he is never identified as being Dracula or a member of the Karnstein family. Until the end when the vampire hunters are searching for Carmilla's resting place, he is usually laughing. If he is supposed to be a patriarch of the Karnstein clan, would it have hurt to be told this? Is it meant to be a mystery that we are expected to solve on our own? Perhaps.At any rate, the color used in this film, as well as the music, which is enhanced by a harpsichord intended to reflect the music of the eighteenth century (1700s), are excellent. We can forgive the low-budget appearance of the production because we now know that a bigger budget, such as in BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA and the Frank Langella version based more on the Hamilton Deane play rather than on Stoker's novel, is no guarantee of a superior production.COUNTESS DRACULA is, in my view, the lesser of the two films offered in the duo. Even though this story is based on the real-life exploits of the Countess Bathory from Hungary, it is not a vampire film and should probably not be sold as such. Even though it is given authenticity by the Hungarian participants (director, writer, actor, etc.) and even includes Nigel Green in its cast, well-known for his roles in THE IPCRESS FILE and ZULU, these touches are not enough to rescue this film from mediocrity.If you are lover of vampire films, as I am, buy this combo for THE VAMPIRE LOVERS. Unless you are particularly prudish or object to the women getting the upper hand over the men until the very end, you will not be disappointed.

These two long awaited MGM titles come to DVD at last in a nicely rendered double bill that should please most Hammer Horror fans. The first, 'Countess Dracula' gives us Ingrid Pitt in her second starring role for Hammer as Countess Erzebet Bathory an Hungarian noblewoman with a bent for bathing in virgins blood. Based loosely on Valentine Penrose's rather prosaic book The Bloody Countess, the film is lush to look at (aparently benefitting from sets left over from Anne of a Thousand Days)and competently acted. Sadly it is the weaker of the two, suffering from a draggy script and some inappropriate overdubbing. One would have thought that Ms Pitt's accent would have been just right for the character but instead we are tortured with the breathy and unsubtle vocals of an insipid teenage girl. It is a credit to Ms Pitt that this post production tampering doesn't sink her performance into self parody. The commentary is enlightening and I have to agree with Ms Pitt- the film could have been much more than the sum of its parts. Ultimately the script reduces itself to the level of a dull sex driven pulp romance masquerading as an historical tract and would have been far more interesting had it chosen instead to explore The Bloody Countess' recorded atrocities. It is also horribly painful to hear Peter Sasdy shoot Ms Pitt down in the final discussion near the closing credits. Much better and what should be the real A side of this DVD is 'The Vampire Lovers', made earlier the same year and co-financed by American International. This film gives us Ingrid Pitt in her seminal performance as the vampire Carmilla, invading the households of the local gentry to decimate their daughters and revenge the execution of her undead relatives at the hand of Joachim von Hartog. Like all Hammer films this one is beautifully photographed and solidly acted by the likes of George Cole, Ferdy Mayne and Peter Cushing in a cameo as the uncle of an early victim. Also boasting a fine musical score and gorgeous set dressings the film is driven by its fatalistic, if unconventional love story, the cause of much controversy at the time of its release. If the film is slow paced then this works in its favour, adhering faithfully to its source material, Joseph Sheridan le Fanu's 1871 tale Carmilla. The commentary tells us little that we didn't already know about the film; Ms Pitt sounding dreadfully ill and barely able to catch a breath. Having suffered the censors scissors for many years MGM have reinserted the previously edited full frontal hip bath scene but strangely have not restored Kirsten Betts' decapitation in the opening sequence. As Hammer Horror is a neglected cultural institution in its homeland, it would be nice if one day an English distibutor took it upon themselves to rectify this rather odd state of affairs and track down an uncut print. Much has been said about the sexual aspect of this film, that the protagonist is a lesbian and the imagery is the stuff of girlie magazines, but though 'The Vampire Lovers' is admittedly very much a product of its time it has managed to transcend its exploitative origins to become what we see today (thirty years on), a dreamlike gothic masterpiece that still weaves its magic. There is much to be cherished here.

I've always found 'Countess Dracula' somewhat overrated. Lacking in gore, violence and thrills you'd expect from Hammer at this time, it's a rather tame film -which admittedly works well as an historical feature- especially given the presence of Pitt, who is often cited as the woman who brought frank continental sexuality to the studio.The truth is that Pitt only starred in two Hammer films -this effort and 'The Vampire Lovers'. In the former she is pretty good (though too old to play Le Fanu's Carmilla really) and it's a film that stands up quite well despite the presence of a miscast George Cole and tennis courts in the background of the large house where it was filmed. Personally, my favourite of the Karnstein trilogy is 'Twins of Evil' (which has Cushing, the divine Collinson twins, a great Puritan sub-plot and is the bloodiest of the three...plus it doesn't have Mike Raven or the 'Strange Love' song which bedvil 'Lust For A Vampire'). Pitt's other major horror credits are a small part in 'The Wicker Man' and a showing in one of Amicuses' portmanteau horrors, which were old hat by the end of the sixties.In short, Pitt is no more important than Martine Beswick, Barbara Shelley, Hazel Court, Caroline Munro or many other actresses who appeared in Hammer Horrors 2-3 times each. My money is actually on Beswick, who did 3 I can think of off the top of my head (Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde, One Million Years BC and Prehistoric Women aka Slave Girls).The much-vaunted sexuality of Pitt and hammer at this time is somewhat toothless too in this feature. Pitt puts this down to director Peter Sasdy's squeamishness (hard to believe after watching his excellent 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' and less good but gory enough 'Hands of the Ripper'). Pitt insists on the bluray commentary that the nude and sex scene with Sandor Elles were truncated and that significantly more was shot, so maybe she's right. her contributions to the commentary -moderated by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones - become rather tiresome after a while- I'd far rather listen to the critics despite the fact that both of them routinely make observations in commentaries together that are sometimes factually incorrect.Although all the classic Hammer production values and excellent character actor cast are present, 'Countess Dracula' remains dull even on blu ray. Pitt's SFX makeup is of course excellent, her costumes superb and she is of course very pretty. But for sheer sexiness, she can't match the earthy, buxom eroticism of Andrea Lawrence, who plays Ziza, the wench from the tavern who has her wrist slit in Bathory's bath (many Hammer fans of a certain age will recall the still of her cradling her bare bosom with a strategically placed arm in a full-colour publicity still printed in an Alan G Frank book on horror cinema in the early 70s). In fact, Lawrence is one of the few Hammer girls to be genuinely voluptuous- most were in fact quite slim and their bosoms were constructed mostly of corsetry.Revisiting this film on BD for the first time in about 20 years (there are some duff moments in Networks' transfer, I must say, but overall I've seen worse Hammer 'hi def' transfers), I still feel it's minor, making my list of dullest Hammer Gothics (which includes The Mummy's Shroud, The Reptile, The Gorgon, Horror of Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, The Witches and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, none of which I've upgraded to BD).To sum up: CD is for Hammer completists only.

If you're reading this, then I'm guessing you've seen Countess Dracula countless times [as I have] so I think I'll talk about the Network extras. The main extra is the commentary featuring Pitt herself, horror writer Kim Newman and Stephen Jones [which, I've yet to watch]. Network, then added a few more extras featuring the principals, Ingrid Pitt and Nigel Green. The first and longest is an episode of ITV's Thriller series created by Brian Clemens [The Avengers, The Professionals]. Thriller was broadcast on Saturday nights between 1973 and 1976 and featured imported American stars like Donna Mills and Bradford Dillman. This episode, first shown on TV in early 1975, is called 'Where the Action is' and stars Edd 'Cookie' Byrnes and Pitt. As the title suggests, it follows gambler, Eddie Vallance [Byrnes] as he battles wits with a deranged millionaire Daddy Burns [James Berwick]. A stand-alone episode it lasts 1 hour 5 minutes and is very good with some great dialogue.Secondly, there is a two-handed play lasting 25 minutes called 'Peter and Maria', a part of the 'Conceptions of Murder' series first shown in October 1970. In it, Peter [Nigel Green] confesses to his wife Maria [Yootha Joyce] that he is a murderer. It was based on the notorious German murderer Peter Kuerten, an inter-war serial killer known as the 'Vampire of Dusseldorf'. He explains why he did it - they asked for it, basically. Conceptions of Murder only lasted for 6 episodes with all those written by Clive Exton and all based on true stories. Although, it's a bit stage-bound, the performances of Green and Joyce are rather good.The '50 years of Hammer' segment is a two minute reportage from a signing event featuring Pitt [briefly] and Andree Melly. It was for Meridian TV. The 'archive interview' with Pitt is a 7 minute interview for YTV where she talks briefly about her life and Hammer movies. For example, she says that she was due to star with Richard Burton [in the Wild Geese 2] before he 'drank himself to death.' She talks about Kosovo so I'd guess it was from about 1998/99. There's also a 23 page booklet written by Stephen Jones, a trailer and image galleries. Put it all together and it's a pretty good package with a couple of hours worth of entertainment.*some additional commentsThe image quality on this Network Blu-ray is a mixed bag and not in the same category as superior Network releases like The Ipcress File, Robbery or indeed, Twins of Evil. There is print damage, the odd stray line and a lot of spots and specks throughout. Some scenes are heavily grainy, others relatively free of it. One scene to another can be very different in quality. A special effects shot after the killing of the gypsy girl is particularly horrible. I wonder whether there has been fading but as I never saw this at the cinema I can't be sure. I'd give it 2.5 out of 5.The commentary by Pitt, who sounds like a dotty old woman, is gloriously un-PC - director, Peter Sasdy was an awful man, Sandor Eles was a puff etc. Newman and Jones fill in the gaps with facts about the filming and its context.

The BLURAY is good quality, though once again I find myself asking if the transfer is really that much better than a good DVD. Good sound and subtitles (the reason for my purchase). Plenty of (Non Sub) extras listed here. I have only watched the interview with Ingrid which made it fairly obvious her voice is dubbed in the film. The film isn't one of Hammer's best, though not a failure thanks to a decent plot, Pitt and Nigel Green and Maurice Denham, always VFM. I have to say I found Sandor Eles a most unconvincing virile leading ma!! The support actresses provide plenty of glamour and bosoms, and Marianne Stone tries to steal every scene (and succeeds). The booklet provides a complete cast list and production credits, and intersting programme notes by Stephen Jones. Recomended , to Pitt/Hammer fans even if not their best.

This solid transfer,finally in the correct aspect ratio, complete with some great extras, provides a much needed celebration of the multi-talented Ingrid Pitt - a true survivor in a notoriously difficult industry. Ironically - and much to her disgust - Hungarian director Peter Sasdy had concerns about her accent and re-voiced her so I believe Joan Plowright is the voice of the decidedly naughty Countess, we actually hear on the soundtrack. A very strange decision! This release is recommended for fans and for new audiences too who may be rather surprised about how explicit this film actually is. It's such a shame that Ingrid is no longer with us to enjoy this new blu ray too.The print is quite good but not restored and there is often minor damage and significant grain issues in a number of darker scenes.That said, the definition is better than the old DVD and the black levels etc. more acceptable although the contrast is far from perfect in several outdoor sequences but this might be a problem inherent in the original footage. Still the design, costumes and general production values are high and the cast is certainly more than proficient with several talented British actors in supporting roles and Sandor Elés making an unusual but quite effective leading man. His rapport with the flamboyant Ingrid was not very good on set and he found her full blooded voluptuousness rather challenging! This new Blu Ray is worth the investment if you can buy it at around £10 as the extras are guaranteed to interest Ingrid's fans too. A good, well thought out release, with an splendid booklet containing not only the traditional film notes etc but a long, detailed and amusing article on the real Countess written by Ingrid herself that displays both her impressive academic knowledge and lightness of personal touch!A.

A twin set of films from Hammer who were often mocked for their corniness even then but both outings are now standards in the seventies horror genre and frankly,they're very good with fine prints and extras which make the entertainment value over 6+1/2 hours and the commentaries are well worth hearing through-Pitt is intriguing and pithy to listen to as are the others who discuss technical details and Ingrid also reads atmospherically huskily from Le Fanu's Carmila and this in addition to both trailers all of which is great. The tale of Erzhebet Batory is as Ingrid says too dreadful to film realistically given that she was a historical sadist along the Gilles de Retz line but this side of the disc is the historical one and it's easy to forget in the Hammer cannon that this film is not occultist like The Vampire Lovers-People could be buried alive in those days of frequent plagues and arise looking more than awful and fearsome but again the Dracula myth is also fundamentally historic and horrible without being occult although that may seem the same thing for some where strong emotion and drama transcend everyday experience. So,two classic and excellent films whose real historic origins are both in the turbulent eastern reaches of Europa which is also why I would have liked the option of a Hungarian or a German dub with subtitles but otherwise as a DVD set,a double steal so if the genre appeals or you're a Hammer nostalgist or a neophyte or a plain horror freak,just buy it or try it now,they're both wonderful films.