Blood for Dracula - Criterion Collection

Starring:Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Arno Juerging, Maxime McKendry, Milena Vukotic, Dominique Darel, Stefania Casini, Silvia Dionisio, Inna Alexeievna, Gil Cagne, Emi Califri, Eleonora Zani, Vittorio De Sica, Roman Polanski, Stefano Oppedisano, Giorgio Dolfin
Director: Paul Morrissey
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

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Filming on Blood for Dracula began on location in Italy on the same day that filming of Flesh for Frankenstein ended, and knowing this enhances one's appreciation of director Paul Morrissey's delightfully twisted--and defiantly artistic--approach to violent, campy horror. Originally titled Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Andy Warhol's Dracula, both films are blessed by Morrissey's opulent visual style (he and his Italian cinematographer worked wonders with modest budgets), and both showcase Udo Kier and the languorous hunk Joe Dallesandro in opposing roles. Here we find Udo Kier as Count Dracula, looking even more ashen than usual and desperate for the blood of virgins to restore his waning health. He travels to Italy and stays at the fading estate of a once-wealthy family, and the presence of four lovely, sexually inexperienced daughters turns out to be a recipe for disaster. It so happens that only the youngest daughter is actually a virgin, and by process of elimination Dracula discovers that non-virgin blood makes him violently ill! Dallesandro plays the resident handyman--handy in more ways than one, as the daughters have learned--who dares to protect the remaining virgin from the Count's bloodsucking exploits, and as usual director Morrissey finds ample opportunity to combine sex and gore with outrageous sensibility and logic of plot. As in the case of Flesh for Frankenstein, this Criterion Collection DVD restores the film to its original director's cut, presented in its original aspect ratio with a supplemental commentary by Morrissey, Kier, and critic Maurice Yacowar. Kier is particularly delightful, observing during one gruesome scene that "vomiting looks great when you've got a tuxedo on." --Jeff Shannon

Description

Paul Morrissey's moralistic take on modern values is a brash mixture of humor, horror, and sex - and a revelation to fans of the horror film. In Blood for Dracula, the infamous count searches Italy for virgin blood. Criterion presents the long-suppressed director's cut of this outrageous cult classic in a new widescreen transfer.

Customer Reviews:

Campy Horror Film Falls Flat.......2006-07-03

Even though originally titled, "Andy Warhol's Dracula", this film had very little to do with Andy Warhol. Udo Kier plays a count visitng Italy to satisfy his "special diet", i.e. "virgin blood." Though the royal family's daughters seem promising, Joe Dellesandro (who uses the Andy Warhol style of "non acting")is busy making them ineligible for the Count's requirements. The count's reaction to non virgin blood (in repeat scenes) has to be among the grossest scenes in film, next to the end of Pink Flamingos. Other than that, the movie wanders, the dialogue is dull, the political conflicts unnecesary (remember this was the 70's) and parts of it are closer to soft core porn or badly acted costume drama than horror. Though not as amazingly awful as "Sins of the Fleshapoids" or Ed Wood (who has a certain charm) Blood for Dracula will leave you scratching your head one moment and then turning it away from the screen the next.

Campy, Melodramatic and Completely Likeable!.......2006-03-11

I have absolutely fallen in love with this movie!! But I suspect that it's going to be one of those films that people either love or hate.

Udo Kier plays a Count Dracula, so corpse-pale and grey-haired that he has to apply makeup and dye his hair to appear human. Forget the usual representations of Dracula: there's absolutely nothing iconic about this pale, sickly, whiney fiend. He's not romantic, he's not scary, heck, he's not even proud. What he is, is delightfully campy. Can we say melodramatic overacting? It's a wonderful performance! I howled with laughter.

On the other side we have Joe Dallesandro playing servant Mario Balato (excuse me, worker, Mario is no one's servant). This character is certainly no hero. He spends the majority of his time rolling around in bed with Saphiria and Perla, two daughters of the house and ranting about the aristocracy and their eminent downfall. At the end of the movie, in order to "save" the youngest daughter from Dracula's bite, he releases her from her virginity by raping her. (something he states earlier in the movie, he has always wanted to do). For all the reasons you should absolutely hate this character, you can find another two reasons for loving him. The New York accent in the middle of the Italian villa, the constant sneer that seems perpetually plastered to his face, the way he tosses his hair around, and the muscles - good Lord, don't forget the muscles!! Let's face it, Mario is hot. (and doesn't he know it)

This movie is wonderful campy fun. It is not to be taken seriously. So if you want a serious vampire movie - go elsewhere. If you want a really fun, crazy romp with bad accents, over-acting and enough cheese to kill a rat, this is the movie for you.

Disclaimer: some soft-core porn scenes make this unsuitable for young viewers

what would Christopher Lee like to tell his opinion?.......2005-11-29

Dracula is described ill at the end of his day, he upchucks twice and brokes his own stomach cause he sucks the blood of non virgin maid. The role of Dracula & his acting are very weak, weak and weak. He cannot catch his own victims by himself.

what happen, if Christopher Lee (the grandest Dracula Actor) sees the weak film like this? he said that he seems not so enthusiastic as he watched another variation of Dracula.

Let's go to the old Hammer classic Movies with Christopher Lee as a Count.

The original Cult Classic!.......2005-09-29

In this companion piece to FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN, producer Antonio Margheriti has apparently taken more attention to the film's setting and tone rather than his previous collaborations with director Paul Morrissey, one of Andy Warhol's acolytes who is usually credited a "supervisory" function throughout their filmography. Kier's Dracula needs virginal blood the way alcoholics need a fix. Unable to find any fresh virgins in his native Romania, the emaciated Count and his servant Anton (Arno Juerging) travel to Italy in search of female virgins. They become guests of an impoverished family of Aristocrats who are presided over by Vittorio de Sica and Maxime McKendry. However the sex-crazed gardener (Joe D'Allesandro), who is prone to mouthing American undergraduate ideas of revolutionary slogans, infects the blood of all available women, including the 14 year old daughter. Starved of his fax Dracula collapses to a vomiting heap in the bathroom after sucking the "impure" blood, until he and his servant are exposed in a gloriously bloody ending I will not give away here.

The story is silly and filled with sexual motifs which inpolitically correctly suggesting woman as disgusting and terrifying. Director Morrissey does on occasion get away with many visual gags; most notably Dracula grooming himself before a mirror which casts no reflection, and his use of the decadent decor which ultimately saves the picture. This is one of those moves that is so bad it's fantastic. If not Udo Kier, acting honors would definitely go to Roman Polanski for his cameo as a belligerent peasant and Vittorio de Sica who is rather excellent in the role of the pompous, yet curiously mercenary-like Aristocratic patriarch.

The dialogue throughout the film is both nonsensical and hilarious. Here's my favorite "Perhaps you're right"...."Of course I am". Did YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN rip that off?

Blood for Dracula Was Ok.......................2005-06-19

To those of you who do not know this movie is going to be reissued in september my Image Entertainment. So do not pay these riduclous prices for this overrated movie. This movie was ok to be quite frank it was stupid and the characters did not have any depth,.To those of you who like bad acting Get this movie otherwise stay away.

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