Blood for Dracula
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| Blood for Dracula | |
|---|---|
 Blood for Dracula, 1974 |
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| Directed by | Paul Morrissey |
| Produced by | Andrew Braunsberg Andy Warhol |
| Written by | Paul Morrissey |
| Starring | Joe Dallesandro Udo Kier |
| Distributed by | Bryanston Distributing Company |
| Release date(s) |  March 1, 1974 27 November 1974 |
| Running time | 103 min |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Blood for Dracula is a 1974 film by Paul Morrissey, starring Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Maxime McKendry and Arno Juerging. Roman Polanski and Vittorio de Sica appear in cameo roles.
The film was shot on locations in Italy and was partly improvised as the filming of Flesh for Frankenstein by the same team had been quicker and less costly than expected.
[edit] Plot synopsis
A sickly and dying Dracula travels from Transylvania to Italy in his search for virgin blood as he believes the moral values in a Catholic country must be better than the increasing amorality of the modern world. Here he meets the conservative De Sica who wants to marry off his daughters in order to provide a source of income, as he cannot take care of his duty as a provider, in a culture at the brink of economic ruin.
[edit] Themes
In one interpretation, De Sica and his family represent European traditional values, and Morrisey produces a narrative of a doomed Europe that is self-destructing as the bourgeoisie attempts to survive making an alliance with the aristocracy while the aristocracy (represented by the pathetic Dracula in what some consider one of Kier's best performances) is losing the battle of power against the powers of industry and modernity.
Continuing in this vein, Modernity is depicted as seducing the young and innocent. It is conceptualized as a combination of Marxist beliefs and American pragmatism (as represented by the Brooklyn-accented Joe Dallesandro); Morrisey is saying that the conflict of the day is not Capitalism vs Communism but rather Modernity vs Traditionalsm.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Flesh for Frankenstein |
The Criterion Collection 28 |
Succeeded by Picnic at Hanging Rock |
