El gran amor del conde Drácula

Plot synopsis:
When their carriage loses a wheel while traveling over the Borgo
Pass, the five stranded passengers, Imre Polvi [ Vic Winner] and four young women --
Karen [Kaydee Politoff], Senta [Rosanna Yanni], Marlene [Ingrid Garbo], and Elke [Mirta
Miller] -- are forced to seek refuge at the Klinik
Dr Kargos. It was near here, Imre explains to the girls, that Jonathan
Harker and Professor van Helsing finally put an end to the king of the
vampires, Count Dracula. The sanitarium once held the laboratories of Dr
Kargos, who was hanged for his unsavory research in blood studies. It has
recently been purchased by an Austrian physician, Dr Wendell Marlow [Paul Naschy], who
is agreeable to putting up the travelers until supplies arrive in a week
and they can hitch a ride back to Bistritz.The first night in the somewhat rundown sanitarium (Marlow is having
difficulty hiring local workers) seems to go well. Karen and Senta share a
room while Elke, Marlene, and Imre have their own rooms, although Imre
finds his way to Marlene's bedroom for a little lovemaking. When Karen
leaves her room to close a window banging in the storm, she runs into a
vampire, but Marlow returns her to her bed, assuring both Karen and Senta
that it must have been a tramp taking refuge from the bad weather. The
next day Marlene and Imre go off alone while the other girls swim in the
pool and explore the sanitarium, ending up in a library where they find an
old book about Dracula's immortality that foretells a time when a true
virgin will fall in love with Dracula and give herself to him willingly.
When this happens, Dracula will be restored to his full power and will
rule mankind for all eternity, and his daughter Radna will also be
awakened.The second night, as Imre makes his way to Marlene's room again, he
is attacked and bitten by the vampire/tramp. When Imre finally makes it to
Marlene's room, he bites her, too. Meanwhile, Karen can't sleep, so she
leaves her bedroom and finds Marlow sitting in a chair, reading. Since
Marlow has been gone all day (checking his traps, he says), they take a
stroll together and talk about his lonely life. The next morning, the
girls notice that Marlene and Imre have disappeared but chalk it up to
them going off together and getting lost in the forest. The girls spend
the day looking for them, until Senta gets her foot caught in one of
Marlow's traps. When they return to the sanitarium, Marlow begins to clean
up the blood but then relinquishes the duty to Karen so that he can get
some disinfectant.During the night, Marlene bites Elke's neck. Senta wakes up and pokes
her head outside her bedroom door. She sees Marlow walking down the hall.
Senta has had the hots for Marlow since the day they arrived, so she
invites him into her bed and he is all too happy to join her, although he
does lecture her afterwards about how they shouldn't have done this.
Besides, Senta is not a virgin. Meanwhile, Imre tries to put the bite on
Karen, but her scream brings Marlow running. Marlow bests Imre and tosses
him out the window. Imre falls on a stick of some sort and is impaled.
Suddenly, Karen is attacked by the vampire/tramp. Marlow fights with him,
but the tramp seems to be getting the best of Marlow, until Marlow catches
up with him and drives a stake through his heart. Karen cowers in Marlow's
arms and reveals that she's in love with him. Marlow promises that they
will leave tomorrow.When Karen wakes up, Marlow is gone. She goes in search of him and
hears him calling her. She follows his voice into a chamber of coffins and
finds Marlene, Elke, and Senta (who has now become a vampire) waiting for
her. Marlow reveals himself as Dracula and tells Karen of his plan to use
her to cause his final rebirth along with the rebirth of his daughter
Radna, then he cuts Karen's neck and drinks her blood. With the first
ceremony completed, he imprisons Karen to wait until the next full moon
when they will perform the second ceremony.When the next full moon comes around, the three vampiresses kidnap a
virgin from the village and whip her until her blood flows. Then they hang
her upside down over Radna's coffin and slit her neck. At the same time,
they slit Karen's wrist so that Karen's blood will mingle with the
innocent virgin's blood, both combining to give life to Radna. After going
through all that in order to awaken Radna, however, Dracula/Marlow
decides, out of love for Karen, not to awaken Radna and has her coffin
tossed in a lake. He stakes Senta through the heart and hangs Marlene and
Elke out in the sun to fry. But, when Dracula/Marlow asks Karen to
renounce her mortal life and unite with him, Karen refuses, so he thrusts
a stake through his own heart and turns to dust. Alone now, Karen begins
the long walk over the mountains to Bistritz.Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl.

Tags: romantic, gothic

Review:
DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE (1972) ** ½ Paul Naschy, Haydée Politoff, Rosanna Yanni, Ingrid Garbo.
Unfortunately for the travelers, the castle's owner, Dr. Wendell Marlow (Paul Naschy), turns out to be none other than Count Dracula.
Like a lot of '70s European horror movies, the film suffers from slow pacing and a somewhat muddled plot.
In "Count Dracula's Great Love" Paul Naschy plays legendary vampire Dracula.The legend says that he is still lurking in his castle in the middle of nowhere.Four buxom ladies decide to spend the night at the old castle which most recently was used as a sanitarium.Quickly the passengers fall prey to Count Dracula.But Count falls in love with Karen...Javier Aguirre's "Count Dracula's Great Love" is a trashy and sleazy piece of Eurohorror with plenty of nudity and grue.The shots of white mists and dense forests are wonderfully atmospheric and the macabre mood is very sensual.Paul Naschy is memorable as Count Dracula/Dr.Wendell and he plays his evil character with gusto.8 sensual vampires out of 10..
Paul Naschy's version of the notorious character Dracula , it turns out to be an acceptable picture compellingly directed by Javier Aguirre with a good cast plenty of Eurobabes .
A man (Vic Winner) along with four women (Ingrid Garbo , Mirta Miller , Rosanna Yanni , Haydee Politoff) spend the night in an old deserted and rundown mansion on a mountain of a far country , Los Carpatos , Romania .
As Dracula starts a reign of seduction and horror, draining the life from four girls .This thrilling as well as terrifying film contains horrifying scenes , chills , lots of gore and red tomato was used for the blood .
The picture contains a crazy love story , but also nudism , lots of blood and gore as when Dracula stabs enemies and bites women .
It results to be a strong tale as well as sensitive flick with melodramatic touches in which Dracula falls in love with a gorgeous young played by Haydee Politoff .
Other significant horror figures Paul played were the Mummy, Jack the Ripper, the Hunchback, the Frankenstein Monster, the Phantom of the Opera, the Devil and even Dracula , his performance as the Prince of Darkness in this "Count Dracula's Great Love" it was one of his personal favorites.
Rating : Good , it will appeal to mad-cults movies and Naschy fans ; it's one of the best films ..
Imagine a Latin, less animated Bob Hoskins playing Dracula and you've got Paul Naschy in this film.
A group of four women and one guy are crossing through Romania by carriage and as the guy is explaining about Dracula and what not the wheel falls off the carriage and a horses kicks the driver right in the head and kills him, which isn't the best form of criticism.
We later get an explanation (from a narrator or Naschy, I'm not sure) that Drac needs a virgin to bleed onto the corpse of his daughter to bring her back to life and only true love etc etc zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Luckily this is a Spanish Vampire film and not a Hammer vampire film and things shortly get underway with the neck biting and the staking and naked boobs and the blood and the vampire chicks in nightgowns and more boobs and the slaughter of the villagers and even more boobs, so you've not got much time to get bored.
COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE (Javier Aguirre, 1972) **1/2.
Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy's take on another traditional monster (making for the blood-sucking Count's beefiest incarnation since Lon Chaney Jr.'s turn in SON OF Dracula [1943]) results in one of his more enjoyable efforts, albeit given the "Euro-Cult" style's trademark languid approach and with a few weird touches all its own.
This begins with the shot illustrating a man falling down the cellar steps of Dracula's castle after having his head split open with an axe being repeated ad nauseam all through the credit sequence!
Also in the cast are Rosanna Yanni (from Jess Franco's two "Red Lips" films from 1967) and others bearing such dubious names as Vic Winner and Ingrid Garbo (her character is named Marlene to boot)!; on a personal note, it was nice to see character actor Jose' Manuel Martin (who had been one of the beggars in Luis Bunuel's VIRIDIANA [1961]) as Dracula' first victim – subsequently 'residing' in his house, he notches up victims of his own and is even killed by the master (oddly enough, all vampires here contrive to dispose of one another) for daring to attack his beloved!
Other unusual ideas, then, include: the fact that Dracula's prowlings occur on full-moon nights (as if he expects to turn into a werewolf?!); his having a dead daughter, which he intends to revive by mixing the blood of a virgin (Politoff, who rather than being vampirized has a knife driven through her throat in the manner of a conjuror's act) and an innocent (a village girl his brides abduct and present before him to be whipped)!; and, perhaps most baffling of all, Politoff's rejection of Dracula's offer to live eternally by his side throws him into such a dejected state (apparently, he has fallen hard for her) that not only is he willing to give up on his daughter's revitalization but actually commits suicide by piercing his own heart with a wooden stake!
As I said, the film is certainly among the better of the star's vehicles that I have come across (though still not adding up to a completely successful work) and, in fact, this viewing inspired me to acquire another Spanish variant on the theme i.e. THE Dracula SAGA (1972), directed by frequent Naschy collaborator Leon Klimovsky but not involving the redoubtable Jacinto Molina himself.
Naschy doesn't physically fit the part of the classic Dracula, but then again he doesn't really play the classic Dracula--he turns the traditional bloodsucking embodiment of evil into a tragic, doomed figure much like his "Waldemar Daninsky"/"hombre lobo" character who can only be cured of vampirism by a virgin who truly loves him giving herself freely to him.In a horribly clichéd set-up a group of attractive young women and their male chaperon have to take refuge in the sanitarium where Dracula lives after a wheel of their carriage falls off and crushes their driver.
This is pretty typical Naschy movie really in that it has the style of an old Hollywood or early Italian Gothic horror movie, but with the old 1970's standbys of blood, boobs, and, of course, bloody boobs.And speaking of boobs, the best way to see this movie unedited today is on the double-feature DVD hosted by Elvira.
Well, this time we have the indefatigable Paul Naschy, starring in a film in which he plays Count Dracula, (he is one of the actors who has played the vampire most times in the history of cinema).The story is simple, a group of people, a man and four beautiful women, get lost in the middle of a carriage ride and seek refuge in an old castle inhabited by a mysterious man, played Naschy.
From there will unleash a story full of attractions and sexual tensions on the part of women towards that attractive and mysterious man.The film is developed in few scenarios, but these are pretty well decorated and detailed so as not to be crappy, which raises the quality of the film.The address of Javier Aguirre is quite contained and correctly fulfilled.Photography, on the other hand, could have been better, although it was not horrible either.And as for the actors, Naschy is much better than usual, showing us a Dracula quite sentimental and full of emotions.
It does have a fair bit to offer Euro horror lovers, like the expected sex (some of the ladies bare their breasts), the violence (the camera really loves zooming in on the red stuff), and the sadism (virgin girls are whipped so their torturers can lick up their blood).
Count Dracula's Great Love (1973) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Four women and their male traveler break down in the forest and must take shelter at a nearby sanitarium, which has a history of evil.
Once there they meet Dr. Marlow (Paul Naschy) but what they don't know is that he's in fact Count Dracula.
Soon the women begin to be turned into vampires with Dracula needing the virgin to fall in love with him so that his dead daughter can return to life.COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE was the only time that Naschy got to play Dracula and needless to say he did a very good job with it.
As far as the film goes, it's easy to see why it has such a strong cult following because even though there are some flaws to be had the film for the most part is a success thanks in large part to director Javier Aguirre who manages to keep the film moving at a nice pace and he builds up a very good atmosphere.The film is available in a few different versions but the recent Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome returns the film to its R-rated cut that contains all of the nudity missing from some version.
As I had said, the atmosphere is certainly a strong highlight as we get all sorts of fog, a great castle and of course some nice bits of blood and vampire attacks.The actresses playing the women all do a nice job in their roles and especially Rosanna Yanni.
I always had some sort of respect for the late Paul Naschy and I even definitely consider myself a fan of the Spanish horror legend, but I really have to be in a special kind of mood in order to enjoy – or sometimes even endure – his films.
I have seen a few Naschy movies that are quite bonkers already, but "Count Dracula's Great Love" is surely one of the craziest.
Our hero Naschy stars as Count Dracula, but he has actually taken the human shape of Dr. Wendell Marlow.
Typically Paul Naschy  In practically all of the films that he (co-)wrote, his character is extremely successful amongst the ladies even though he's not the least bit attractive.
Fans of gory and sleazy 70's exploitation flicks certainly can't complain, though, as "Count Dracula's Great love" is a 80 minutes showcasing of gratuitous nudity and thick red bloodshed.
Purely talking technical, "Count Dracula's Great Love" is truly horrible.
Naturally Count Dracula (Paul Naschy) lives there and attacks them all.
The late great Paul Naschy had his chance to step into the role of Count Dracula, and scripted this weird variation on the vampire.
The deliverer bitten takes a bite out of Imre(Víctor Alcázar), the man of the group staying with Marlow, and it sets of a chain reaction where by film's end, practically everyone is a vampire.
Dracula and the sole survivor, Karen(Haydée Politoff)fall in love and this makes his prospects of using her(..and a village girl virgin)blood to reawaken his dead daughter who has been resting for centuries.
The print I watched, on the Elvira DVD, was rather ghastly.Taking the liberties afforded to him, Naschy's script allows for vampires to slowly disrobe their female targets, as they enjoy their bloody neck meals, the lips steadily moving down the breasts and chests of the women victims.
El Gran Amor del Conde Dracula, or Count Draculas Great Love as it's more commonly know among English speaking audiences is set in 1870 & starts with two hired hands delivering a large heavy wooden crate to an abandoned sanatorium high on a mountain in the middle of nowhere.
Watch it & find out!This Spansish production was co-written & directed by Javier Aguirre & I thought it was a really enjoyable Euro sex/gore exploitation film that has a stab at some genuine style & depth under the blood & breasts.
I loved the ending as well which in my opinion was a brave decision by Aguirre to have things turn out as they did, Count Dracula sacrificing himself because he has fallen in love with Karen works very well & I was pleasantly surprised about how things turned out for everyone without a happy 'hero kills the bad guy & gets the pretty girl' clichéd ending in sight, with better dubbing, dialogue & acting this could have been a really emotional climax.
Paul Naschy is a little on the short side but still makes for a good on screen Dracula, there is also a nod towards his Werewolf films when howling is heard in the night & he comments on it.
Now to the exploitation elements in which El Gran Amor del Conde Dracula doesn't disappoint either, there is plenty of neck biting & dripping blood (usually on naked women's bodies & breasts), whippings, killings, plus there's plenty of naked female flesh & sex as well.
This film is one of the classic Spanish vampire tales, starring Paul Naschy as Count Dracula.
This is considered to be his best performance as a vampire - Naschy having played vampires in other movies.
Four unwary young women end up having to spend the night there, three become vampires, the fourth becomes Dracula's lover.
A quintet of wayward travelers -- one jerky guy and four hottie ladies -- wreck their stagecoach in the middle of nowhere and seek refuge in the opulent castle of Dr. Marlow (glum, stocky, plain-looking Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy, who's miscast, but not half bad in the part), who turns out to be none other than Count Dracula.
This is a very low budget Spanish version of Dracula that is chock full of breasts--sort of like a nudie version of a horror film.
After viewing this Spanish B-picture, "The Great Love of Count Dracula," it's clear to me that I've looked too far.
Anyways, their carriage breaks down, and the film turns into an old-dark-house type of horror movie before the weird voiceover-narrated stuff starts happening.Dracula is portrayed by a short and stocky man--an oddity that's even pointed out by one of the ladies, who says she prefers her men tall and slender.
So while watching it this time I'm pleased to say the quality of this blu-ray release from Vinegar Syndrome made it a much better time.The story follows 5 companions, one man and four women, traveling through the Carpathian Mountains when their carriage breaks down and loses a wheel.
The group walks along in hopes of reaching a nearby castle now owned by Wendell Marlow (Paul Naschy) who in reality is Count Dracula.
He makes the travelers welcome, feeds them and offers them shelter until someone can come and take them on their way.Legend has it that Dracula can return to human form when a virgin offers her love to him willingly, an offering that will include making a blood sacrifice to bring back his deceased daughter as well.
Along the way plenty of flesh is exposed, the typical Euro-horror inclusion of lesbian attraction between the female vampires, gore enough to satisfy those seeking it as long as they keep in mind the film was made in Spain and in 1973 and a lack of concern from the characters over the disappearance of their friends.
I've only come across Naschy in recent years (I know, forgive me) but each time I watch one of his films I see a passion for the genre that many tend to want to deviate from.
With all previous efforts to present this film have been severely lacking, offering washed out prints, visible scratches and a version from Elvira that included her performance as that character, I wondered what this version would look like.
If that wasn't enough, the disc comes with the inclusion of several extras including a commentary track with director Javier Aguirre and actor Paul Naschy, a video interview with actress Mirta Miller, both an English dub and Spanish language soundtracks, a still gallery, an 8 page booklet and reversible cover artwork.Horror fans and Naschy fans will want to toss aside any of those previous releases of this film and add this one to their collection immediately.
Naschy had a very specific body type, so it's great to see those films where he didn't let his shorter, stockier physique get in the way of playing characters that are traditionally tall and/or gaunt.
The plot of Count Dracula's Great Love concerns ye olde sanguine's attempts to procure the blood of virgins and innocents so as to revive his dead daughter (which is a great twist from the usual lost-love pining).
And Naschy proves that he can play a romantic lead without the crutch of Waldemar, though his Count Dracula is more akin to Barnabas Collins than the manic blood-junkies one normally has to endure in a vampire film (though there's nothing wrong with the occasional manic blood-junkie).
Paul Naschy is best know for his roles as Count Waldemar Daninsky, who turns into the Wolf-man.
He takes a break for this film and play Count Dracula.
Naschy fans will enjoy the film, even if it was rudely interrupted by the unfunny Elvira.Four gorgeous babes (Haydée Politoff, Rosanna Yanni, Ingrid Garbo, & Mirta Miller) and their male companion (Víctor Alcázar) end up in an old sanatorium after their carriage breaks down.After they bed down for the night, Imre Polvi (Alcázar) quickly moves to Marlene's (Garbo) bed, while Karen (Politoff) get a scare in the hallway.
Solid vampire film with added Naschy.
It was inevitable that the Spanish king of horror, Paul Naschy (real name Jacinto Molina) would get around to making a Dracula film sooner or later, and this bizarre outing is well worth a look for fans of traditional vampire movies.
Cutting aside, COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE is a fine vampire yarn which takes things in a different direction from that of tradition, has plenty of fetching leading ladies to watch and some exciting action.