LUGOSI:
HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA (2000)Director: Gary Don Rhodes
Spinning Our Wheels Productions
LUGOSI:
HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA (2000)Having the great distinction of
being the first horror star of the talking film era, Hungarian born Bela Lugosi
remains a top cultural icon to this day. Several other documentaries have previously
been produced on the actor's life, but LUGOSI: HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA is the best
of these. Written and directed by Gary D. Rhodes (author of several books on
Lugosi), the documentary probes its subject with affection and honesty, and
it benefits greatly by interviewing many of his co-workers and friends (some
which have passed on since this was shot), as well as informative authors and
film historians.
LUGOSI: HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA examines his early life in Hungary and Germany through his eventual move to the U.S. and success in Hollywood. Bela's vast stage and screen work, his five marriages (one lasting only four days!), his social demeanor, and his sad decline are all discussed at decent lengths. The whole show is hosted by actor Robert Clarke (who co-starred with Lugosi in 1945's THE BODY SNATCHER) who holds things together with distinguished command, and his narration is offset by actress Rue McClanahan's reading of some vintage extracts of critiques and fan letters. As a whole, the documentary depicts an honest, affectionate portrait of a man who was well liked by others and under appreciated in the years after his initial success.
For
diehard Lugosi fans and horror fans in general, you probably won't learn anything
new, but there are some unique stories to be told by the people that were around
him -- friends, family and co-workers. The film is tightly edited, running just
a little under an hour, but some of the interviews are a bit too brief. Among
them are make-up man Harry Thomas, producer Richard Gordon, producer Howard
W. Koch (THE BLACK SLEEP), director Robert Wise (THE BODY SNATCHER), actress
Louise Currie (THE APE MAN, VOODOO MAN), actress Lucille Lund (THE BLACK CAT),
actress Loretta King (BRIDE OF THE MONSTER), actor Sammy Petrillo (BELA LUGOSI
MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA), only-son Bela Lugosi Jr., and many others.
As a supplement, the DVD includes
approximately 30 minutes of "deleted scenes" that were edited from
the final cut of the documentary. I wish these scenes had been reinstated into
the final product,
as they are worthy, if not vital to the Lugosi story. They include extra footage
from some of Lugosi's silent pictures, extended discussions on specific important
titles (WHITE ZOMBIE, THE HUMAN MONSTER), sections on different periods of Lugosi's
film and stage career, and more interviews. The extra conversations include
Robert Clarke on-screen about making THE BODY SNATCHER, Dwight David Frye on
his father's and Bela's acting in DRACULA, and director Joseph H. Lewis discussing
THE INVISIBLE GHOST during a segment on Lugosi's 40s poverty row horrors. Here
you'll also find an original trailer for DRACULA (not the common Realart re-release
one) that's shamelessly missing from Universal's DVD of same title.
Aside
from the deleted scenes, there's also an extras section that includes silent
Hungarian film footage of the actor from 1918, the famous 1932 Hollywood backyard
interview with Bela (looking restored and beautiful this time out), a 1949 television
bit with Lugosi in Dracula garb opposite comic legend Milton Berle, and extended
interview sequences with Lugosi friend Richard Sheffield (relaying some fun
anecdotes), biographer Gary D. Rhodes (nicely explaining how this whole project
came together), and Lugosi's last wife, the late Hope Lininger (who appears
somewhat feisty and unsentimental!).
If that wasn't enough to already highly recommend this release, the package also comes with a separate 75-minute audio CD featuring excerpts of Lugosi on "Baker's Broadcast" (with Ozzie and Harriet), "Command Performance," "Mystery House" (with John Carradine in someting called "The Thristy Dead"), "The Texaco Star Theater" with Fred Allen, and a restored 40s interview of Lugosi discussing politics.
If you have trouble locating a
copy of LUGOSI: HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA, visit the official Web site at: www.lugosiDVD.com.
(George R. Reis)