Il conte Dracula

SOUNDTRACK

Our series ''Bruno Nicolai for Jess Franco'' comes back, years after, with this divine soundtrack composed and directed by Bruno Nicolai. Although the film was released in theaters in 1970, it was only in 1982 that Edipan released a LP record (CS 2013) containing twenty stereo tracks selected by the author. In 1994 that same material was released on CD (CDS 2502). Thanks to the stereo master tapes of the original recording session, ten unpublished tracks were discovered, which bring the running time of the CD up to 64:44 minutes. The soundtrack opens with Dracula's theme called ''Processo'', epic and suggestive piece with the intervention of the Hungarian harpsichord played by Leonida Torrebuono, which is then brought back in several tracks, such as ''Sparviero'', ''Incubi'' and ''Magia''. Dramatic music takes turns with classical music, like ''Concerto variato''. This edition is a new chapter in the ever growing discography of Maestro Nicolai, a musician much loved by his fans all over the world.

DIRECTION AND CAST

Directed by Jesus Franco in 1970 and starring: Christopher Lee, Fred Williams, Herbert Lom, Klaus Kinski, Maria Rohm, Soledad Miranda, Paul Muller.

PLOT

Jonathan Harker (Fred Williams) is in charge of dealing with Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) for the purchase of a house in Budapest. Once arrived in Transilvania, he has a wagon waiting for him to conduct him to the count's castle. The stay at the sinister mansion is a real nightmare: weird dreams and frightening events undermine Harker's mental health who, after fleeing from the castle, is taken into a mental institution run by Van Helsing (Herbert Lom), a black arts researcher, who notices the vampire's bite on Harker's neck. Mina (Maria Rohm), Jonathan's girlfriend, and her friend Lucy (Soledad Miranda) arrive in Budapest. Count Dracula also moves to Budapest, into the house he bought, which is located in front of the clinic. In the following nights the vampire gets into Lucy's room, making her a vampire. After Lucy's death, his boyfriend Quincey arrives and he joins Harker, returned to sanity, and Van Helsing in the hunt for the vampire who, after trying to make Mina a vampire as well, runs from Budapest to his castle. Harker and Quincey chase after it and, helped by a group of gypsies, destroy the monster.

NOTES

Other than many Franco's movies, ''Count Dracula'' (aka ''Il conte Dracula'') doesn't change that much in all the versions released around the world.
Christopher Lee stated that Soledad Miranda's neck was one of the best he had ever ''bit''! For the role of Van Helsing, the director thought of Vincent Price, but he had an exclusive contract with AIP, so Herbert Lom was chosen instead. During the shoots Herbert Lom and Christopher Lee never saw each other, they shot their scenes separately. The movie represents the start of a partnership between the director and beautiful Spanish actress Soledad Miranda, who shot seven movies together. The actress died at the age of 27, at the peak of her carreer, in a tragic car accident.