Frank Langella

(2) Playbill for the 1977 theater production of Dracula

(1) Movie Poster for the 1979 version of Dracula
created by a modern day fan

Dracula's Legacy

        Bram Stoker's Dracula was published in 1897, but its influence is still prevalent to this day. Since its debut, Stoker's novel has been adapted for countless films and plays, with some adaptations more similar to the original than others (3). In 1931, Bela Lugosi played Dracula in its first film adaptation, and numerous actors have played this role since then. One of the most famous early actors to play Dracula was Frank Langella who played the role of Dracula in the 1977 theater production and 1979 film (4). 

Langella's Life and Career

       Frank Langella was born into an Italian American family in New Jersey on January 1, 1938. After graduating from Syracuse University with a BA in drama, Frank put his degree to use. He starred in a variety of different productions and eventually participated in his first Broadway show seven years after graduating from Syracuse. He also began to take on movie roles shortly after his graduation, but continued to prefer preforming on stage. While not all of the films and plays he took part in became popular, he has been nominated for and won several awards over the years, including a 2009 Grammy Award nomination and a 1971 Golden Globe win. After marrying and having two children with Ruth Weill, the pair eventually split. Interestingly, Frank then dated Whoopi Goldberg from 1996-2001. Frank Langella is still alive today and is currently 82 years old (5). Click here to watch an interview with Langella as he discusses his career and his advice for other aspiring actors.

Langella as Dracula 

       Langella experienced great success playing the role of Dracula on Broadway, but unfortunately his film version did not receive quite as much recognition. However, for both the play and the movie, Frank had the same vision of Dracula as a character (6). Around the time of the film's production, Langella declared that he sees Dracula as "a nobleman, an elegant man, with a very difficult problem." As opposed to the more violent and horrifying character which Dracula had previously been portrayed as, Langella was determined to play the role of a classy but powerful Dracula (7). Instead of making Dracula brutal and scary as Lugosi did back in 1931, Langella developed Dracula as sexual and seductive in the 1977 Broadway production and fought hard maintain this image during the shooting of the movie. In other words, Langella preferred to think that Dracula seduced his victims rather than aggressively ambushing them. He even chose not to wear fangs because he did not think this true to this newer version of Dracula that he had developed (6). As Langella says in his interview, (see the end of "Langella's Life and Career" section) he believes that an actor should always only do what feels right to them. Frank clearly stood up for what felt right to him during the production of the play and movie.

       The 1979 version of Dracula that Frank starred in certainly does not follow the same story line as Stoker's original novel. In this adaptation, Lucy is Jonathan Harker's fiance and Dr. Seward's daughter. While Mina is still portrayed as Lucy's friend, she is also Dr. Van Helsing's daughter. Reflective of Langella's desire for Dracula to be portrayed as an erotic figure, Lucy becomes Dracula's lover, seemingly due to his seduction. Click here to watch an intimate scene between Dracula and Lucy which seems to demonstrate the reciprocal nature of their relationship in the film. Another difference between the film and Stoker's novel is the fact that Mina becomes Dracula's first victim, and it is she who dies first instead of Lucy.When Van Helsing is called by the Sewards to help, he recognizes that Mina is Un-dead and joins forces with Dr. Seward and Jonathan to defeat Dracula and protect Lucy (8). While he was unable to have as much of a say in the film version as compared to the play, Langella worked hard to stay true to who he felt Dracula was as a character. It might not be as sexual as the play, but the actor revealed that it is definitely a love story (6).

Sources

1) “Dracula-1979-Frank Langella.” Deviant Art, 4 Oct. 2011, www.deviantart.com/4gottenlore/art/Dracula-1979-Frank-Langella-261655834.

2) “Frank Langella ‘DRACULA’ Edward Gorey / Bram Stoker 1978 Broadway Playbill.” Amazon, ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2B5p6qfWHL._SY445_QL70_.jpg.

3) Rikard, Nicole R. “The Unslayable Tale: Dracula, Adaptations and the Role of the Sequel.” Journal of European Popular Culture, vol. 9, no. 2, 2018, pp. 105–118., doi:10.1386/jepc.9.2.105_1.

4) morales_gus. “Actors That Have Portrayed Count Dracula.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 1 Nov. 1969, www.imdb.com/list/ls025453942/.

5) “Frank Langella Biography, Life, Interesting Facts.” Famous Birthdays By SunSigns.Org, 12 Oct. 2018, www.sunsigns.org/famousbirthdays/d/profile/frank-langella/.

6) Travers, Peter. “Can Frank Langella Re‐Vamp ‘Dracula’?” New York Times, 8 July 1979.

7) “People.” Time Magazine, 12 Nov. 1978.

8) “Dracula.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt0079073/plotsummary.