Mel Brooks' most recent in a string of parodies of classic Hollywood movies, does have some laughs. Peter Nicoll does a nice imitation of Dwight Frye's mannerisms in the original Dracula (1931) and steals the show in a scene in which he tries to convince Harvey Korman's Dr. Seward that he is not insane, all the while snatching bugs off the table and popping them into his mouth. Also noteworthy are the sets by Bruce Robert Hill featuring a perfect copy of Lugosi's cobwebbed staircase from the original Dracula and color photography by Michael D. O'Shea that is beautiful if sometimes too brightly lit.
So why does Dracula - Dead And Loving It! just lie there, especially considering the still-potent comic power of Brooks' Blazing Saddles (1974) and Young Frankenstein (1974)? For one thing, the timing, as with most of the latter Mel Brooks movies, is a good deal slower than those earlier examples. There is nothing sadder than a film comedy that pauses to let the laughter die down when there is no laughter to die down.
Next the comic invention tends to run out quickly. Renfield suffers from motion sickness caused by a bumpy stagecoach ride but, because the sun is going down, the driver does nothing but speed up. Renfield gets thrown around the inside of the stagecoach but nothing more comes of it. In another scene Brooks and company build a shiphold on gimbals to show Dracula's coffin sliding back and forth and bumping into the walls, but other than him groaning as the coffin hits the walls and Renfield failing to stop it, there is no payoff. Remember Dr. Frankenstein being choked by the monster in Young Frankenstein and going into charades to tell Igor to prepare a sedative? A few seconds of that scene has more invention than long stretches of Dracula - Dead And Loving It!.
The biggest drawback, however, is the approach to Dracula himself. Casting Leslie Nielsen as Dracula might not have been a bad idea. The Nielsen of Airplane! (1980), playing the role with perfect seriousness, might have managed it. Brooks, however, cannot resist letting Nielsen play the classic bloodsucker as a buffoon, banging his head or falling down the stairs of his castle. Afterwards, Nielsen will pull another of his goofy expressions from the Naked Gun movies. This completely undercuts the character when he is suppose to be threatening or seductive. What made Gene Wilder's Dr. Frankenstein so funny was the dignity with which he tried to carry himself as everything went wrong around him.
Those of Brooks' fans who must own everything will find a well-packaged presentation in the Dracula - Dead And Loving It! DVD. The image is available letterboxed and in 16X9 formats and is accompanied by a feature length commentary track by Brooks, his two writers and his co-stars Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck. Although it would be asking a bit too much to love this Dracula, some mild chuckles will be found by the patient.
For more information about Dracula - Dead and Loving It, visit Warner Video. To order Dracula - Dead and Loving It, go to TCM Shopping.
by Brian Cady
