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Friday 30 September 2011

HAMMER FILMS: 'A LONG WAY TO FALL' THE DEATH OF DRACULA IN TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA

















There's a unique sadness to Dracula's destruction at the end of Hammer Films TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA. Yes, once more, good overcomes evil and the nasty man is destroyed. By lightning, by drowning, staking or frying, he always eventually.... and dramatically exits. I have to confess, since I was a boy, it's the thing I always lookforward to the most and still do when revisiting the films. Christopher Lee just does something. It's the whole package. The eyes, the face contortions and of course, those hands and fingers. The 1958 DRACULA did it with class. DRACULA AD 1972, Lee pulls out all the stops...twice!

For me, TASTE marked a change in the Hammer DRACULA saga. All the films that came after would be peppered with only moments. The closing scene from TASTE ironically features Dracula taking a long fall to his death. Before the death dive, the expressions and emotions shown in the Counts face say it all. Trapped, beaten and over powered. Once more, Christopher Lee showing his amazing range when dealing with pathos. In TASTE, Dracula was there only because the money said so. The film featured a wonderful supporting cast, impressive sets and a truly haunting score. But the Count had become a puppet, grafted onto a script that never intended to feature him. For Dracula, after he had RISEN in 1968 it was always going to be long way to fall.     

Marcus.

5 comments:

  1. I also, in my youth, found myself looking forward to Dracula's inevitable demise, eager to find how unique each slaying would be. Also looked very much forward to his return in any sequels. Sir Chris usually had a very many memorable death sequences, not just as Dracula. Always watchable!

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  2. I guess the question here is: Do you have a fav death scene and desurection scene, Steve? -Marcus

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  3. Wow! Butter fingers...make that 'resurrection' scene. This message panel does strange things as you type!

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  4. The ending of Taste The Blood of Dracula has generated some stick over the years for its rather questionable ending, with Dracula imagining that the church has suddenly become holy again. For all that, though, I still love the movie, as I do all the Lee Dracula outings.

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  5. Christopher lee is awesome and i love all his films and acting so good that i have admired him quite a lot since 1958.

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