page_title: Dracula (1931 Spanish-language film)
hierarchical_section_title: Dracula (1931 Spanish-language film)
caption_attribution_description: English: Theatrical release poster for the 1931 Spanish-language film Dracula, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the same name, released by Universal Pictures the same year as the production company's separate.
context_page_description: Dracula is a 1931 American Spanish-language pre-Code horror film directed by George Melford. It is an adaptation of the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker and the 1924 stage play. It was filmed at night on the same sets that were being used during the day for the 1931 English-language film of the same title.
  In the early days of sound film, it was common for Hollywood studios to produce foreign-language versions of their films using the same sets and costumes. Of the cast, only Carlos Villarías was permitted to see rushes of the English-language film, and he was encouraged to imitate Bela Lugosi's performance. Some long shots of Lugosi as the Count and some alternative takes from the English version were used in this production.
  As of the late 1980s, this version has become more highly praised by some than the better known English-language version. The Spanish crew had the advantage of watching the English dailies when they came in for the evening, and they would devise better camera angles and more effective use of lighting in an attempt to improve upon it. This version's supporters consider it to be much more artistically effective.
context_section_description: Dracula is a 1931 American Spanish-language pre-Code horror film directed by George Melford. It is an adaptation of the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker and the 1924 stage play. It was filmed at night on the same sets that were being used during the day for the 1931 English-language film of the same title.
  In the early days of sound film, it was common for Hollywood studios to produce foreign-language versions of their films (usually in Spanish, but also in French, Italian and German) using the same sets and costumes. Of the cast, only Carlos Villarías (playing Dracula) was permitted to see rushes of the English-language film, and he was encouraged to imitate Bela Lugosi's performance. Some long shots of Lugosi as the Count and some alternative takes from the English version were used in this production.
  As of the late 1980s, this version has become more highly praised by some than the better known English-language version. The Spanish crew had the advantage of watching the English dailies when they came in for the evening, and they would devise better camera angles and more effective use of lighting in an attempt to improve upon it. This version's supporters consider it to be much more artistically effective. The Spanish semiologist Roman Gubern says that the longer runtime allows more development of the plot in spite of the shortened shooting time and smaller budget.
  The film was thought to be lost until a print was discovered in the 1970s and restored. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
caption: Theatrical release poster
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