02 April 2013 (released)
02 April 2013
Acclaimed writer Jonathan Rigby is the author of English Gothic – A Century Of Horror Cinema, as well as Christopher Lee – The Authorised Screen History, amongst other works. No wonder that horror expert Mr. Rigby was asked to contribute to the bonus material of the 1958 Hammer classic Dracula, recently released in fully restored gory glory on Blu-ray and DVD.
Film-News met up with Jonathan Rigby to discuss the Prince of Darkness, as well as the legendary studio that dripped blood.
Film-News:
Jonathan, it's fair to say you are an expert on Hammer Horror. Since when have you been a fan?
Jonathan Rigby:
I got into horror films around the age of ten, or maybe even earlier, but the big moment was seeing Dracula Has Risen from the Grave on TV aged 11. It was the first showing on British television and my Dad watched it with me. The lurid look of it, and the acting, hooked me straight away.
Film-News:
You have written a book about Christopher Lee. To many, Lee – despite a lack of dialogue in later Dracula films - is the ultimate screen incarnation of Dracula. Why do you think that is?
J. Rigby:
He had the height, the presence, the charisma. I once described him as “a kind of necrophile Dirk Bogarde” and for 1950s audiences that kind of deathly sex appeal was a real revelation. And it continues to be so, really.
Film-News:
March 2013 is the first time that Terence Fisher’s 1958 Dracula has become available on Blu-ray and DVD since many years, whereas Dracula – Prince Of Darkness for example has been available since a long time. What is the reason?
J. Rigby:
Well, Dracula and Dracula - Prince Of Darkness were both available on DVD for quite a while. But Prince made it to Blu-ray first because it entailed quite a lot less in the way of restoration!
Film-News:
When the 1958 Dracula was first released, it immediately run into censorship problems, and some scenes had to be removed/toned down as they were deemed ‘too explicit’. If today’s audiences get to see the fully restored version, surely they must wonder what all the fuss was about…?
J. Rigby:
This is in the nature of things, isn’t it? The film was first shown 55 years ago (it’s now nearly as old as Bram Stoker’s novel was at the time!) and a hell of a lot of cinematic gore and carnage has made it seem relatively timid in the years since. It’s still quite shocking in its own right, if you adjust your mental spectacles to ‘1958’. I think it’s very important to make that kind of adjustment with every old film you watch, but many people nowadays simply can’t do it, I’m afraid. It’s their loss!
Film-News:
Over the decades, there have been several screen incarnations of the blood-thirsty Count. From the German silent classic ‘Nosferatu’ (as portrayed by Max Schreck) to Universal’s Bela Lugosi, from Frank Langella’s take in the 1979 version to all the others in between… Apart from Christopher Lee, which other actors do you feel do Stoker’s creation justice?
J. Rigby:
My next favourite Dracula is a rather obscure one, though the actor, Narciso Ibañez Menta, was a big horror star in Spain and (particularly) South America. He looked and sounded great in the 1972 film La saga de los Dràcula, and I wish he’d had the opportunity to play the character in a proper film adaptation of the book.
Film-News:
In an age where so many horror movies get increasingly gory, and special effects rake reign over plot and character development, do you think the old Hammer Classics stand a chance to be appreciated by future generations of horror fans?
J. Rigby:
People who become seriously interested in horror films also, I think, become interested (eventually) in its history. It’s a genre with an extremely rich heritage and I think there will always be an audience for Hammer films, since they form such an important part of that heritage.
Film-News:
It is a sad but very true fact that quite a few horror fans amongst young audiences don’t actually know who Christopher Lee is, nor who Peter Cushing is…
J. Rigby:
Well, again, this is in the nature of things, isn’t it? And, again, there’ll always be an audience for these marvellous actors among audiences who want to see great acting, rather than great special effects, in their horror films.
Film-News:
Which other Hammer films are amongst your favourites, and for what reason?
J. Rigby:
The Quatermass Xperiment and The Curse of Frankenstein were the films that kicked things off for Hammer, and they both remain extremely powerful. I love the earlier Hammer phase (particularly The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Brides of Dracula), but also rate The Plague of the Zombies, Quatermass and the Pit and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed very highly. To be honest I love most of their films, even the ‘less good’ ones. Though I draw the line at Slave Girls…
Film-News:
Apart from being an author and an expert on horror, you also act. In fact, you portrayed the Count in a stage version in the early 90’s, and portrayed him again in a more recent TV-program by fellow writer and thespian Mark Gatiss. What are your current projects with regards to your acting career?
J. Rigby:
Like most actors, I tend not to have a ‘plan’; I just take whatever comes along. Currently I’m doing a tour of Educating Rita, which is a perfect part for me. Frank the professor, I hasten to add, not Rita the student!
Film-News:
Many thanks for your time, Jonathan, and best wishes for your future projects.
Please also read my review of Hammer’s DRACULA.
