6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When his castle is exorcised, Dracula plots his revenge against the Monsignor who performed the rites by attempting to make the holy man's young niece his bride.
Starring: Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barbara Ewing, Barry AndrewsHorror | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
German: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono (Spain)
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Warner Home Video's first volume of Hammer Horror Films contains two of the sequels to the famed British studio's successful 1958 reboot of the Dracula franchise, both starring the late Christopher Lee in a role that, until Lee played it, was so thoroughly identified with Bela Lugosi that most actors would have been afraid to tackle it. The success of the 1958 film, due in no small part to Lee's commanding performance, helped confirm Hammer's status as a major player in the international market, and eight sequels followed. Lee did not appear in Brides of Dracula (1960), but he returned for Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), which introduced the character of Father Sandor, played by Andrew Keir, who assumed the mantle of Peter Cushing's Van Helsing as Dracula's chief nemesis. At the conclusion of Prince of Darkness, Dracula was entombed in the icy waters near his castle outside the German town of Karlsbad. Which brings us to 1968 and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (or "DHRftG"). There's nothing wrong with this sequel that a little more of Dracula wouldn't cure, but considering the film's production issues, its stylistic flourishes are the best it can offer. Director Terence Fisher, who had helmed the three previous films, became unavailable after sustaining injuries in a car accident. Into his place stepped cinematographer (and occasional director) Freddie Francis, whose visual gifts can be seen in such diverse projects as Dune and Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear. Francis' eye provided flair to an uninspired script by Anthony Hinds (writing under the name John Elder) that underutilizes both the character of Dracula and the gifts of the actor playing him.
For its Blu-ray debut, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave has been newly scanned at 2k by Warner's MPI facility from a recently made IP. The results on this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray are so impressive that one can enjoy the full theatrical artificiality for which Hammer Films is so justly famous. The blood of Dracula's victims has a thickness and color unknown in nature; the wounds on their necks look like stage makeup; and the various sets resemble scenes from a play (which they might as well be). It's the stylized photography, with filters around the frame in key shots, that transforms these stage-bound conventions into cinema. This Blu-ray presentation conveys the cinematic quality more effectively than any prior version. Detail, depth, black levels and color density are all superior. A fine grain pattern is observable throughout. The only shots that are inferior are the stock establishing shots of several villages, and those are not the fault of the transfer. In yet a further sign that a new regime is settling in at Warner Home Video, DHRftG has been mastered with an average bitrate of 29.94 Mbps, which far exceeds the historical WHV approach. The compression has been skillfully performed.
DHRftG's original mono track is encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 1.0 and sounds just fine within the limits of its source material. Dialogue is always clear, as are the sound effects, even when they don't quite match the action. (Is the cross that Monsignor Ernst uses to seal Dracula's castle made of wood or metal? The sound effects suggest metal, but other indications say wood.) Some of the dialogue is unsynchronized, but this is due to post-dubbing and (probably) script changes. The melodramatic score by Hammer regular James Bernard sounds somewhat tinny and shrill, but again this appears to be a source issue.
Other than a trailer (480i; 1.78:1, enhanced; 2:29), the disc has no extras. Warner's 2004 DVD was similarly featureless.
Such was the reputation of Christopher Lee and Hammer Films in 1968 that DHRftG was both successful and highly profitable, but over time it has suffered in comparison to the other films in Hammer's Dracula series. For volume 2 of Warner's Hammer collection, here's hoping we get the 1958 Horror of Dracula, which began the franchise. DHRftG isn't the place to start, but for fans of the series, Warner's presentation is recommended.
1970
1969
1972
Dracula / Warner Archive Collection
1958
Collector's Edition
1966
1959
1970
Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride
1973
1943
Collector's Edition with Theatrical & Badham color
1979
Collector's Edition
1960
Includes "Drácula"
1931
1936
1931
1963
The Mask of Satan / La maschera del demonio | The Mario Bava Collection
1960
1971
Collector's Edition
1963
2007
1972