Dracula A.D. 1972

Matthew · 17th December 2001, 09:58 PM

I recently saw this movie after locating it (with a great amount of surprise) among other Cushing/Lee movies at a popular movie rental store near my home. Out of all the Dracula films involving Mr. Cushing (including the ones without Mr. Lee), I feel this one had one of the better soundtracks, especially the highly impressive scenes involving Mr. Lee, primarily the one in which he fades into view from a cloud of smoke. Christopher Lee delivers some powerful, terrifying lines. Mr. Cushing as usual delivers an all around wonderful performance.

**Frederick Bergstrom** · 18th December 2001, 12:51 AM

Dracula AD 72..one of my favorites..reasons... i love the beginning with the stagecoach fight scene..well directed and acted..I also think the story line and plot is cool..especially like the scenes in the gothic church..how about when Peter Cushing tells Dracula to look on him and remember and Dracula looks like an animal as he remembers Van Helsing from the past..oh yes Dracula AD 72 one of my favorites..parts are weak like involving the kids but more than made up for with the Dracula and Van Helsing scenes

David Barbour · 4th January 2002, 08:09 PM

A.D. '72 is by no means even close to being one of Hammer's better efforts but it is still a slightly less than guilty pleasure for me.

It's primary virtue was the long overdue return of Peter Cushing and his Van Helsing to the Dracula series.

Also the wonderful prologue battle sequence at the beginning makes it worth having in your collection just for that if nothing else.

And having the legendary beauty of Caroline Munro and a fine performance from the very attractive Stephanie Beacham as Van Helsing's granddaughter certainly didn't denigrate the picture.

The two biggest misfires in the film was the already cliched at the time "Mod Squad" kids (including the infamous Stoneground party scene) and the fact they castrated Dracula by not letting him wander about London and take in the sights (and the necks) as he did in Stoker's original novel.

I, for one, did not care for Michael Vicker's trendy music score.
James Bernard would have been much more welcome.

Other than that, it's not nearly as bad as most Hammerites tend to make it out to be.

**Frederick Bergstrom** · 5th January 2002, 02:42 AM

yeah David good call on the music its the hardest part of sitting through the movie..I kinda liked the dracula scenes in the church i felt it gave it that gothic feel the movie needed I wonder if the director did it for that reason?

David Barbour · 5th January 2002, 07:34 PM

Fred,

I had no problem with keeping a gothic setting like the old church (yet another desecration that might disturb Ms. Rohan) as Dracula's headquarters but the writer, Don Houghton, and the director, Alan Gibson, missed a golden opportunity to have Lee/Dracula moving about in swingin ' 70's London.

Just think how cool that would have been to see Christopher at his most indignant having to suffer the peasant fools of Chelsea as he searches about for various blood types?

Just think how great it would have been to see him proud and defiant and disgusted with how the old neighborhood had changed?

I don't recall reading this anywhere but perhaps Christopher Lee himself, who was known to have objected to moving Dracula to the present day (the 70's in this case), would rather have stayed cooped up in the church anyway.

I may have to see if I can get Mr. Lee to answer that intriguing question (at least to me) elsewhere at this site.

It's more likely however that it was Hammer who wanted to keep Lee in one location (discounting the prologue) simply to save money as it kept his shooting schedule short and thus required him to be on the picture fewer days.

dvxagent1 · 14th January 2002, 01:41 AM

i agree, didnt care much for the music, and they couldve had dracula do more but, i dont think its a bad flim, peter and lee could always make any flim worth while, such were their great talents!, they did a great job on this, it was good to have van helsing back, hes always welcome, i can still watch the flim, the actress who played van helsings grand daughter was simply very good, its not a bad movie at all.

cutshaw · 20th January 2002, 10:44 PM

I actually quite like Michael Vickers modernistic (for the time) score. Of course, James Bernard is the master when it comes to Hammer movies, but I think it was an interesting experiment to attempt something different for the updating of the Dracula story. In some ways it reminds of the work of Italian composers like Fabio Frizzi (although he is far better at it!). There is also another score in the same vein by John Cameron for the quirky, one-of-a-kind PSYCHOMANIA (AKA: THE DEATH WHEELERS) that is worth checking out if you enjoy early seventies eccentricity!

19th March 2002, 04:39 AM

Actually I really havn't seen this film yet. So I can't really comment on it, personally though I think i'll enjoy it alot more than, say...the extreamly "overrated" -patchwork-of-a-film- "The Brides of Dracula(1960)....which I just watched a total of freakin 3 times over the weekend, still seeing how weak and overrated it is.....

**Domenick Fraumeni** · 15th April 2002, 09:16 PM

Well, I enjoyed the pre-credits sequence, and it is great seeing Caroline Munro, and a quite young Stephanie Beacnman in there. And of course, having Peter Cushing back was a blessing all in itself.

Lee, of course, was fantastic as usual, especially considering the fact that I'm not sure if Hammer was all that comfortable putting the Count in modern surroundings.
If I understand correctly, it was Warner Bros., the American distributor, who convinced Hammer to "update" their Dracula films.

But that score...oh dear. I thought it was simply dreadful. I never missed Bernard Herman so much.

noblerot · 15th April 2002, 11:07 PM

What a coincidence. I just rented this movie a week ago. It was never my favorite by any stretch, but I did enjoy it. I couldn't convince my husband to watch it with me. He thinks it's dreadful - especially the music.

Jonathan Craig · 16th April 2002, 12:16 AM

I LOVE Peter Cushing in this movie, especially during the end when he confronts Dracula. I usually just watch this movie for him, though, and that little moment in the beginning at Van Helsing's funeral where we hear this eerie, gothic music and then the camera (showing us Van Helsing's tombstone) swings up to the sky and the music turns to that swinging 70s stuff and we see a plane go by. I always fall out of my chair laughing at that moment. I love it!

**Alfonso Casal** · 16th April 2002, 06:08 PM

Quote:

I couldn't convince my husband to watch it with me. He thinks it's dreadful - especially the music.

The song Alligator Man, was this a feeble attempt at mimicing Southern Rock? Who were they trying to copy? CCR? Lynyrd Skynyrd? :D

**Alfonso Casal** · 16th April 2002, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Ithe camera (showing us Van Helsing's tombstone) swings up to the sky and the music turns to that swinging 70s stuff and we see a plane go by. I always fall out of my chair laughing at that moment. I love it!

Yep. But for sheer comic effect, the scenes of modern London with the little "shadow Dracula" cut-out in the corner while "spy movie music" plays in the background during the titles of Satanic Rites of Dracula can't be beat.

**Susan Pitcher** · 16th April 2002, 06:58 PM

Quote:

The song Alligator Man. . . .Who were they trying to copy? CCR? Lynyrd Skynyrd? :D

Both, and poorly :1roll: !!!

I guess they were famous for as long as it took the "fuzz" to arrive at the party: 4 1/2 minutes.

The movie was dated before they yelled the first "Cut," but at least it did have some good moments. I got a kick out of looking at all the strange clothes myself.

**Frederick Bergstrom** · 16th April 2002, 11:13 PM

Alligator man was actually covered by Led Zeppelin and appears on some of the early 70s bootlegs. In fact Jimmy Page actually produced the Stonegrounds first album and did some writing on the second album....oh yeah and Christopher Lee will be at the star wars opening dressed as Dracula