Sandor (fictional character)

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Sandor is a character in the 1936 Universal Studios horror film Dracula's Daughter. He is played by actor-director Irving Pichel.

Sandor is regarded as one of the prototypical "sidekicks" in the Universal horror canon, but while this category usually refers to "Ygor"-style characters, Sandor (who sometimes is even misidentified as a hunchback), is a smooth and sophisticated assistant who even harbors possible romantic interest in the film's "monster."

The motivations of Sandor are an intriguing aspect of Dracula's Daughter. As her driver, procurer, and general factotum, Sandor lives a life of total commitment and subjugation to Countess Marya Aleska (Gloria Holden), the Dracula's Daughter of the film's title. However, he also freely interacts with the countess verbally in a way that is more complex than a master-servant relationship would permit. For example, when the countess burns her father's corpse and proclaims herself free of the curse of vampirism, Sandor manipulates her back into a dark mindset by twisting her hopeful words. When she describes the happy fluttering of birds' wings and the barking of dogs, Sandor cynically flips them into images of bat wings and the sound of

"Barking because there are wolves about."

Toward the end of the film, we learn that Sandor is not himself a vampire, but rather a kind of goth wanna-be who has been promised by Countess Aleska to become her undead consort. (Hence his attempt to keep her bloodthirst alive.) This is made clear when her romantic attentions turn to Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger), arousing murderous jealousy in a bow-wielding Sandor. We are left to ponder why he allowed himself to be strung along by the countess, the ultimate circumstances that would have resulted in her granting him his wish for immortality, and why she felt she could tell him of her desire to be free of vampirism without arousing his anger at feeling betrayed.

Also uncertain is the romantic connection between the countess and Sandor. Countess Aleska has become a lesbian film icon, due in part to the tortured life she leads but mostly because of a suggestive scene in which she seductively attacks a young model. The character, however, does confess romantic intentions toward the male Dr. Garth, so it's left to the viewer to decide if Sandor feels betrayed because he thought the countess had romantic feelings toward him, thought she couldn't have romantic feelings toward him, or is gay himself. The latter theory is sometimes suggested in connection to the lesbian theory because of Sandor's arch countenance (and perhaps his coolness to the pretty model), but, if one is searching for other clues, there is no hint in Pichel's performance of the effeminateness that signified gayness in films of this era.

Irving Pichel plays Sandor with wit and understatement, and his well-written scenes with Gloria Holden feature an unsettling chemistry that leave us wondering about their relationship. His basic make-up, by Universal's monster expert Jack Pierce, is sometimes criticized by genre fans for its horror-movie-host appearance, particularly the center-parted slicked black hair. Others see that as an unfair comparison to a hackneyed stereotype that developed decades later. In his high-collared tunic and various hats, Sandor is an altogether unique and memorable figure in Universal horror history.

Pichel went on to direct several well-regarded films, including The Miracle of the Bells (1948), Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), and Destination Moon (1950). He died in 1954.