Drakula Halála (a.k.a. The Death of Drakula)
"The real Drakula is not dead!"
Lapa Film Studio; Hungary; 1921
Director: Károly Lajthay
Script: Mihály Kertész "Michael Curtiz", Károly Lajthay
Cast: Paul Askonas (Drakula), Margit Lux (Märy), Dezsö Kertész (George),
Elemér Thury (The Chief Surgeon), Lajos Réthey (The Fake Surgeon),
Aladár Ihász (His Assistant), Karl Götz (Funny Man), Lajos Szalkay, Lene Myl
In a secluded alpine village, a 16-year-old seamstress, Märy Land, works hard to pay for the care of her ill father who is being treated at a mental asylum. Sadly, on Christmas day, Märy receives a notice that her father is close to dying and that she should visit him immediately. Upon her arrival, however, Märy is thrust into a nightmare world of terror. Not only does she witness her father's death, she is also attacked by two patients who want to operate on her eye with a surgical knife. The young girl's will to survive is further tested when a strange inmate, claiming to be the "immortal" Drakula, kidnaps her and drags her to his enormous and gloomy castle in the mountains. Once there, the frightful man conjures a bizarre ceremony with the intent of turning Märy into one of his many undead brides. Refusing to succumb to the monster, Märy desperately makes repeated attempts to flee until she, alas, finds shelter and aid from a kindly family and a brave doctor. Drakula, however, resorts to trickery and malice to keep his prey from escaping his evil clutches.
BOOKS: In Drakula Halála, an insane composer believes he's the immortal creature from Bram Stoker's 1897 vampire novel Dracula (Archibald Constable and Company). Later, the film's heroine dreams the composer really is the supernatural villain from Stoker's book.
The Death of Drakula: A Novella of the Phantasy Film by Lajos Pánczél was published in Temesvár in 1924. This short novella is a detailed adaption of the film and appears to correspond faithfully with the only two existing stills from the movie.
The Death of Drakula: A Novella of the Phantasy Film by Lajos Pánczél was published in Temesvár in 1924. This short novella is a detailed adaption of the film and appears to correspond faithfully with the only two existing stills from the movie.
PREQUELS, SEQUELS & REMAKES:
Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) -- Based on Stoker's novel. However, Dracula's name is changed to Graf Orlok. The character of Dracula has, of course, appeared in numerous films and TV shows since.
IMAGES & STILLS:
POSTERS & ADS:
This lost film has intrigued me for years. I wrote about it on my blog a while back.
ReplyDeleteCHECK IT OUT, if you're interested.
--J/Metro
I checked out your post and it was very insightful. The brief synopsis I gave above is based on the novella by Lajos Pánczél. I found an English translated posting of it at ingentaconnect: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/host/2010/00000001/00000001/art00003 . I don't know if you've come across it already, but it makes for a very interesting read.
Delete-- SP
Ahh, thank you. I will definitely give that a read when I get a chance. It wasn't available online at the time I wrote my article. Looks like it's time to update my post.
DeleteThanks again.
--J/Metro