The Satanic Rites of Dracula

Starring: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing Director: Alan Gibson Original UK Premiere: 1974 Dvd Release: 17th November, 1998 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Colour, Dolby, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen, Region 0 Encoding

Article Index: [Background Info] [DVD Review] [Biographies] [Articles/Resources] [Link To This Article] Looking To Buy? Buy This DVD Here

The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a 1974 Hammer Horror film directed by Alan Gibson & starring Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee. In the United States the film was distributed as Count Dracula & His Vampire Bride. // Work began on what was tentatively titled Dracula is Dead & Well & Living in London in November 1972. The film was eventually retitled as The Satanic Rites of Dracula. It is a mixture of science fiction, horror & spy thriller with a screenplay by Don Houghton, a veteran of BBC televisions Doctor Who. It wrapped on January 3, 1973 — 15 years to the day since the original Hammer Dracula wrapped — & it was the last time Lee would play the role of Dracula. A police investigation uncovers four prominent government ministers involved in a satanic cult. Van Helsing is drawn into the investigation & discovers that the cult leader, a reclusive property developer named D D Denham, is in reality Count Dracula with plans to end his own existence by wiping out life on Earth. Rigby, Jonathan,. A Century of Horror Cinema, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd ISBN 1-903111-01-3. Haining,Peter.

The Satanic Rites of Dracula, the final film in which Christopher Lee played Dracula, is a bleak, even poignant affair. The vampire & his adversary Lorimer Van Helsing reach the end of the line amidst the desolate, rain-streaked concrete city scapes of the early 1970s. Dracula has, it seems, allowed his contempt for humanity to reach its logical conclusion: no longer content with drinking blood, he has gathered together a group of scientists & created a plague which will eradicate all life on earth.

This quasi-medical plot admits a certain element of Avengers-style techno-kitsch, all the more uncanny, then, that Joanna Lumley here takes over Stephanie Beachams role as Van Helsings grand-daughter Jessica, yet its all off-white enamel & Formica rather than lights & dials. There is an extraordinary scene in which Dracula, masquerading as a property tycoon, is confronted by Van Helsing in his office. He is no longer the brooding, elemental figure of yore, but instead lurks in the shadows behind his desk, having become little more than a shifty businessman, while Van Helsing seems to realise that the two of them are nothing more than tired old men fighting a battle which has become meaningless. Fascinatingly odd. The video comes with some nice behind-the-scenes fact cards.

Lee Ming Shun, Christopher, also spelled Lee Meng Soon or commonly shortened as Christopher Lee, was born in Malacca, Malaysia on 23 July 1971. Hes a model -turned- actor at Singapore s television broadcaster, MediaCorp Studios. He came in second in the male category in MediaCorps Star Search 95, a competition held bi-annually to scout for acting talents & secured an acting contract with the station. Christopher Lees acting career soared when he bagged the Best Actor Award in Star Awards 97, an annual award ceremony for TV personalities, for his dramatic performance in Price Of Peace. In 1998, his portrayal of Yang Guo, in Singapores version of Louis Cha s Return Of The Condor Heroes was so successful that he was voted Taiwan s Most Popular MediaCorp Male Artiste. Since then, he has been in a number of co-productions, acting alongside regional actors, such as Jordan Chan. Not satisfied with just acting, Lee released a solo album in 1999 & also recorded a compilation album for MediaCorp Music, along with the rest of the MediaCorp artistes. // 1997. Posters Of Christopher Lee

Editors Choice: Jinnah, Rasputin The Mad Monk, Discworld, Wyrd Sisters, An Eye For An Eye, The Man With The Golden Gun, Return From Witch Mountain, To The Devil A Daughter, View DVDology

Peter Cushing was a British actor, perhaps best known today for his role as Grand Moff Tarkin in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Cushing is also remembered for his work in the Hammer Horror films — particularly his recurring roles as Dr Frankenstein in Hammers Frankenstein films & as Professor van Helsing in Hammers Dracula films. His first major role & probably the most significant on television in his entire career, was starring as Winston Smith in BBC Television s 1954 adaptation of George Orwell s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Cushing drew much praise for his performance in this production, although he always felt that his performance in the existing version of the play – it was performed twice in one week & only the second version survives in the archives – was inferior to the first. In the mid- 1960s, he played the eccentric human scientist Dr Who in two movies based on the television series Doctor Who. Posters Of Peter Cushing

Editors Choice: Shock Waves, At The Earths Core, The Beast Must Die, Horror Express, The Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, Satanic Rites Of Dracula, The Satanic Rites Of Dracula, View DVDology

©2004-2008 DVDArk.co.uk