Fandom: Dracula (TV 1968) Historical Period: 1890s Content Notes/Warnings: None, save general vampire tropes and shaky old TV. What it is/what’s so great about it: Feature length b&w adapation (originally part of ITV's Mystery and Imagination series), starring Denholm Elliott, Corin Redgrave, James Maxwell, Joan Hickson, Bernard Archard, Suzanne Neve & Susan George. It's shaky old b&w telly, yes, but it's also an interesting adaptation, and it's a lot of fun as a launching place for Dracula fic.
In this version, all the action is confined to Whitby, Arthur and Quincy have been dispensed with, while Jonathan (Corin Redgrave) is conflated with Renfield and is 100% overwhelmed by Dracula (sadly Dracula prefers girls if he can get them, poor Jonathan) and the sole strapping Victorian male gent left is Dr Seward... who spends the whole thing fainting under the strain. He's Van Helsing's miner's canary. Van Helsing (Bernard Archard) clearly has history on this supernatural stuff as well as epic fake hair, because Dracula has heard of him. (He's long wished to cross swords with him. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Aha. Ahahaha.)
Meanwhile, Lucy (Susan George) is busy seducing Mina (Suzanne Neve) <3 <3 <3 when she's not making John faint again, and Denholm Elliott's Dracula likes to turn up to dinner parties and troll people. Many flowers get killed; this distresses Dr Seward. It all winds up with Dracula ostensibly defeated, but Mina probably still vampirised and eyeing up Dr Seward's neck, and Jonathan shaken and silent. And then...? Who knows, dear Yuletider, that's the thing.
It's also a great one to be in if you're a minor character - as far as we know, Mr Swales, the three Brides of Dracula, and Mrs Weston (Joan Hickson aka Miss Marple, oh yes) are all still alive when the credits roll.
Basically, it's only 1hr 20 mins, available, femslashy, and has all the questions and loose ends of the kind that mean fic is needed. Just because there is also some terrible fake moustaches is no reason to run away.
Dracula (TV 1968)
Historical Period: 1890s
Content Notes/Warnings: None, save general vampire tropes and shaky old TV.
What it is/what’s so great about it: Feature length b&w adapation (originally part of ITV's Mystery and Imagination series), starring Denholm Elliott, Corin Redgrave, James Maxwell, Joan Hickson, Bernard Archard, Suzanne Neve & Susan George. It's shaky old b&w telly, yes, but it's also an interesting adaptation, and it's a lot of fun as a launching place for Dracula fic.
In this version, all the action is confined to Whitby, Arthur and Quincy have been dispensed with, while Jonathan (Corin Redgrave) is conflated with Renfield and is 100% overwhelmed by Dracula (sadly Dracula prefers girls if he can get them, poor Jonathan) and the sole strapping Victorian male gent left is Dr Seward... who spends the whole thing fainting under the strain. He's Van Helsing's miner's canary. Van Helsing (Bernard Archard) clearly has history on this supernatural stuff as well as epic fake hair, because Dracula has heard of him. (He's long wished to cross swords with him. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Aha. Ahahaha.)
Meanwhile, Lucy (Susan George) is busy seducing Mina (Suzanne Neve) <3 <3 <3 when she's not making John faint again, and Denholm Elliott's Dracula likes to turn up to dinner parties and troll people. Many flowers get killed; this distresses Dr Seward. It all winds up with Dracula ostensibly defeated, but Mina probably still vampirised and eyeing up Dr Seward's neck, and Jonathan shaken and silent. And then...? Who knows, dear Yuletider, that's the thing.
It's also a great one to be in if you're a minor character - as far as we know, Mr Swales, the three Brides of Dracula, and Mrs Weston (Joan Hickson aka Miss Marple, oh yes) are all still alive when the credits roll.
Basically, it's only 1hr 20 mins, available, femslashy, and has all the questions and loose ends of the kind that mean fic is needed. Just because there is also some terrible fake moustaches is no reason to run away.
Where to find it: YouTube & Links -
1. The whole thing is up here at YouTube
2. Dracula (1968) (Wiki entry)
3. Reviews:
http://www.gothic.stir.ac.uk/blog/Dracula-1968/
http://cult-tv-lounge.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/mystery-and-imagination-dracula-1968.html
Plus: Many many gifs at my tumblr.