January 18
2017
TTOK is happy to host Simon’s Silver Screenings:
Tod Browning’s “Dracula” (1931), starring Bela Lugosi, is the cultural monolith of American vampire movies.
Whether playing to or against the archetypes created by Lugosi and Browning, it’s hard to argue that subsequent screen adaptations haven’t struggled to assert themselves over this iconic film. The character of Dracula himself has become synonymous with Lugosi’s measured and heavily-accented speech.
And yet there are many critics who say Browning, lauded as a silent film director, didn’t know how to work in the age of talkies. While the film certainly has its flaws, I maintain Browning’s work is beautiful, falling short mostly through the lacklustre to laughable performances of the supporting cast. The exception here being character actor Dwight Frye as Renfield, who stands with Lugosi as an exceptional and memorable performer. Plus he delivers one of my favourite monologues in screen history!
Come join the other creatures of the night for “Dracula” at The Theatre on King!
Simon’s Silver Screenings features movies from the early decades of horror film-making, a time when artists were learning the ropes of a new medium as much as they were experimenting with its potential. Movies introduced by Simon Turner and his brainbox of arcane trivia! Screenings will include subtitles.
