Horror of Dracula (1958) Re-edited

[ManchestrMorgue]

Just found this link whilst browsing...

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts/fi...cle2556476.ece

Evidently Horror of Dracula has had original/gory footage re-edited into it, and has been shown at Cannes. Hope this gets a wider release (+ DVD :) )

I remember a thread several months ago talking about additional scenes in the japanese release... I wonder if this restores some of these fabled scenes??

[Doc Faustus]

I hope so. The current Hammer DVDs suck. I was really mad at Universal's Hammer Franchise collection. While their old horror films get the red carpet treatment, Hammer gets the shaft. Makes Universal look quite egotistical. The Hammer releases should be uncut or include the option of watching the uncut version. Classics Media's Toho master collections do that and I think Hammer DVDs should too. Then again, any company can learn something from the Toho master releases. Universal should remember that Dracula doesn't only mean Lugosi.

[crabapple]

I'll gladly stand in line to see this, even if they've restored only a moment or two of stuff. I love Dracula and this sounds like fun to me!

[ManchestrMorgue]

I hope this isn't a "one off" that is only shown at Cannes and other limited screenings. This really needs to become widely available.

And Doc F, you make a good point about the Universal Hammer Franchise Collection. Squeezing 8 films onto 2 discs says it all (albeit they were double sided/dual layer). No extras whatsoever - and some of these films were amongst Hammer's best. Not to mention there were reports that many discs had errors (my Evil of Frankenstein doesn't play properly on all players). Whereas the Universal classic horror boxsets get a slew of extras (which they rightly deserve).

At least the Universal Hammer set was cheap, but I would have gladly paid 50% more even to have each movie on a separate disc with an original trailer.

[crabapple]

Whoops guys, I did some extensive reading on this, and this is not such a big deal. It's being publicized as a "restored" version but really it is basically the American cut, which has always been available, and it has the original UK title "Dracula" at the beginning. No extra gore that hasn't been seen on TV in the US. This is a small change being heavily hyped.

No restored Dracula withering in sunlight.
No restored Jonathan Harker shrivelled in the coffin.

[ManchestrMorgue]

What a let down :(

Why the big deal of a showing at Cannes if this is the case? - the British Film Institute must be bored...

[Doc Faustus]

That's a shame. It makes me stand even more by the statement that Universal needs to get its act together when it comes to Hammer properties. Christopher Lee is still alive, there are lots of film historians. Commentaries can be done.

[HollywoodGoth]

I believe there is one tantalizing reference in the linked article to searching Japan for lost footage. This is supposedly one territory where the complete disintegration scene did survive.

Still, overall, it sounds as though the "restored" version is basically the American cut - which gives British audiences something to be excited about, but does nothing for us on this side of the Atlantic.

[crabapple]

Oh, sure. I want to hear all about where they searched, I want to know how that all went, where they went, who they talked to.

If they were able to dig up a complete disintegration scene, that would be cool, even as a special feature snippet. Jonathan Harker shriveled? I wanna see that too, doesn't have to be cut into the film, by itself is fine. Considering that I haven't heard it confirmed that either of these two things was actually found, though, I imagine they are probably still lost.

As far as commentaries, YES, they should do one. The commentary track for "Dracula: Prince of Darkness" (featuring Chris Lee and Barbara Shelley!) is really very good and I would love to see more of that.