Lambert Hillyer, by way of suggestion from David O. Selznick, the man who gave us such masterpieces as The Third Man, Rebecca, Gone with the Wind, and King Kong, creates a strikingly cunning sequel to the original Dracula with the help of co-writer Garrett Fort who penned the screenplays for such horror classics as Frankenstein and Dracula.
The film works on basically three levels: Sexual, psychological, and comical. The production could have been the first in a series of revisions and repetitions of the original but instead it not only offers something different but attempts to challenge the viewer on more than one level.
The figure of Dracula, of all of the major antagonists of horror, is the epitome of sexuality. As we first saw in the original, it isn’t so much that he is modelesque as so many remakes today portray him, but his charm, charisma, and mystery build the fascination and attraction that is Dracula. The producers of this film didn’t let this fact go unnoticed nor did they fail to explore it further in that they produce arguably the first metaphor for vampirism to serve as a symbol for homoerotic urges in the figure of Countess Marya Zaleska, Dracula’s daughter as played by the stunning Gloria Holden. We see this most poignantly as she becomes entranced by the thought of feasting upon a vagabond named Lili (Nan Grey), using the alibi that she wants the latter to model for her newest portrait. For ’30’s cinema, aside from the lesbian context, we are given a lot of flesh from Lili as she removes her blouse and willfully removes the straps of her underwear so that they don’t distract from the artist’s work (which makes the necessity of so doing plausible instead of an instance of mere exploitation on screen). Zaleska and the camera ogles over Lili’s body as we close in upon her before the camera pulls away to the malevolently (knowing?) smiling mask above the mantle. For this, as with Bringing Up Baby two years later, Hillyer challenges, not only Hollywood, but society’s ideals on two counts with this amazingly bold but effective scene.
The theme of sexuality is manifold in that the plot doesn’t solely rely upon this one isolated scene but around the playful, but nonetheless powerful, love between a psychologist, Dr. Jeffrey Garth (Otto Kruger) and his sardonic secretary Janet Blake (Marguerite Churchill) as well as Zaleska and her servant Sandor (Irving Pichel), whom she has promised the eternal kiss. We are accustomed to witnessing a bond between the two protagonists in such a film but Hillyer compounds the density of the plot by having a counter in the union of the monster and her servant. Complications arise when Zaleska becomes reliant upon Garth, perhaps having become sexually interested him (thus insinuating the theme of bisexuality), as Sandor senses a threat to his pledged immortality.
Hillyer further adds to the complexity of the female monster that is Zaleska in that she is a tragic, apologetic figure who is haunted by her lot as a vampire. Instead of positing an immoral creature who maliciously feeds without remorse, Hillyer presents us with a vampire who yearns to be rid of her immortality which, she believed, would have been removed upon her predecessor’s death but, after finding her urge for blood still dominating her existence, she goes to Garth after hearing him speak upon the power of suggestion and the possibility of manipulating and controlling one’s desires. Of course, the concept of infinity in relation to the notion of value is subtlety breeched here in a forum which adds to a sequel which had to obligation to do anything beyond mimic its forerunner.
The humor of the work, which makes the original Dracula seem like a staunchly serious approach to the genre, is second only to Bride of Frankenstein in that the former isn’t as subtle in its jibes. I was stunningly surprised to find Garth’s character, preparing to set out to hunt grouse before being pulled away by Janet, state that there were a few birds back in London he wouldn’t mind shooting. Aside from the sexual innuendoes, the humor isn’t confined to the film’s theme as it is in so many other horror productions but serves as socially acute double-edged sword. For example, as Garth looks over Zaleska’s apartment, he notes upon finding her abode devoid of mirrors, “You know, this is the first woman’s flat I’ve been in that didn’t have at least twenty mirrors in it.” Then, much credit to due to Holden for suppressing a grin by issuing a deadpan, and somewhat downtrodden response when offered wine, “Thank you, I never drink . . . wine.” Also, the film opens with the introduction of two hopelessly inept officers, Sergeant Hawkins (Halliwell Hobbes) and Constable Albert (Billy Bevan). The presentation of ineffective police who, rather than help eradicate the problems of society only manage to complicate and, in several instances, inadvertently help to promote it, is seen in much of Hitchcock’s canon and is now standard cinematic fanfare.
The work does suffer from a sin that most films during the period were guilty of which is too much dialogue, especially in the scenes involving Zaleska. Lugosi’s vampire was effective because he was mysteriously silent, which insinuated a dominating power which needn’t be vocalized. However, during this period in Hollywood, screwball comedies, which relied upon the quibbling of the diametrically opposed leads, forced any production that wanted to retain the audience’s attention to appease the standard of the day.
Dracula’s Daughter is a film which challenges the audience, Hollywood, and the genre of horror and, though not entirely successful at every turn, culminates in an honest effort which is unjustly overlooked by many viewers.
Also, for conversation sake, James Whale originally slated to do Dracula’s Daughter.
-Egregious Gurnow
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
