Drácula, Morto mas Feliz

"Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is a movie that seems to define what someone either really likes or dislikes about a comedy, and more specifically a parody: gags. For me, the gags herein worked, there were reasons for their having been used and therefore makes it funny to me. The storyline didn't stall, the gags weren't desperate for laughs, and the acting was exactly what was needed: the comedic touch.

The casting choice to have Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck, both veterans of the TV series "Wings", was brilliant because the chemistry between their personalities was proven and honed before the movie. The choice of Leslie Nielsen for the titular role was dead-on. Someone that has the wisdom of centuries (decades, whatever), is cunning (a la the Naked Gun series), and above all, never gives up (until turned to dust). Mel Brooks, having proved his comedic prowess with films like "Young Frankenstein", comes through in the role of Van Helsing. Even the incidental characters seem to have a reason to belong and flow in the movie, like Essie, the guardian of Mina, or Martin, Dr. Seward's right-hand man of the sanitarium...

Martin: "...the patient in the west wing? He's havin' a conniption fit."

Dr. Seward: "Oh. Give him an enima."

As stated, the movie will most likely be quite funny or very dull, depending on what the viewer expects from it beforehand. Being that I like a good slapstick comedy (and I do), the performances above all are what were able to pull me in.

FOOSH-TAA!

"Dracula: Dead and Loving It" gets 9 of 10 stars

While this skewering of the Dracula mythology and the various cinematic interpretations of the story never achieves the kind of crazy heights of "Blazing Saddles" or "Young Frankenstein", it still shows that Brooks still had it in him to come up with some great, gut busting scenes. Being a genuine horror fan as well as a comedy legend, he and his team of collaborators do go to great lengths to give this film the proper look, and it's a colourful, stylish looking movie, going with the idea that the composer wasn't in on the joke and featuring a score by Hummie Mann that's full of foreboding. Leslie Nielsen is the pratfalling prince of darkness who is set up quite well early on when he comments on the "Children of the Night" and "the mess they make" - and then promptly slips in such a mess. He's a delight as always, with wonderful support by a bunch of actors who mug for all they're worth, especially Peter MacNicol as the loony, bug munching Renfield and veteran Brooks colleague Harvey Korman, who in his performance as Dr. Seward, does an amusing impression of the actor Nigel Bruce. Brooks himself, in fine hammy form, plays the part of the intrepid Van Helsing. Lysette Anthony and Amy Yasbeck are both quite ravishing as Lucy and Mina respectively, with Steven Weber as a prudish and uptight Jonathan Harker, and Mark Blankfield, Megan Cavanagh, and Clive Revill doing well in smaller roles. Cameos include Avery Schreiber, Chuck McCann, co-screenwriter Rudy De Luca, Charlie Callas, and the wonderful Anne Bancroft paying tribute to Maria Ouspenskaya in her brief bit. Standout scenes include the staking of Lucy (Van Helsing stays well out of the way for good reason), the breakfast sequence with MacNicol and Korman, which is particularly priceless, and the scene where Dracula is trying to manipulate both Mina and Essie and not having much success. A snappily paced movie leading to a fairly big finish, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is good entertainment as Brooks comedies go, and even gives its principal cast members the kind of "curtain call" at the end that we don't see in movies that often. Seven out of 10.

Mel Brooks's scattergun approach to comedy has a number of misses. Spaceballs was OK at parodying its genre. This film is far more sophisticated and well played.

The successful jokes are on the culture of Victorain times with references to an engaged couple who after 10 years have suddenly held hands being condemned as immoral, prostitutes, lechers and the like.

Into these cultural and successful observations Brook's introduces Leslie Nielson doing a great impression of Bela Lugosi's Dracula with the difference that his powers are incompetent.

Seeing the Lugosi movie will give you the basis to appreciate the sophistication of this film.

"Dracula: Dead and Loving It" is another parody of Mel Brooks, this time based on the Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" and its characters. The spoof has funny moments, especially for Mel Brooks' fans. Leslie Nielsen is good as usual in this type of movie that he became the greatest name but Peter MacNicol steals the show in the role of Renfield. The sequences of Harker impaling a stake in Lucy following the instructions of Professor Van Helsing and the ball with Dracula fleeing and Reinfield trying to save his master are the best moments of this film. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Drácula - Morto Mas Feliz ("Dracula - Dead but Happy")

I remember being an 11 year old boy in stitches with laughter when I first viewed this film on new release VCR (yeah, video - old school)!

Having just watched this film again recently I have to say that it's still just as funny as it was as a child. The film of course is a parody on the 'Dracula" mythos and the jokes and gags are much better understood if you've watched films such as "Bram Stoker's: Dracula" which I can't watch seriously anymore cos' I constantly think of this film in certain scenes and start laughing!

The cast is brilliant in their roles especially Leslie Neilsen as "Dracula" and his brain-washed slave "Renfield" (Peter MacNicol) portraying an insane, insect eating madman extraordinarily well!

The humour is all in the typical Mel Brooks 'tongue-in-cheek' style and also quite reminiscent of Monty Python in parts, the over-the-top British accents may attribute to that part.

The final film directed by Mel Brooks, "Dracula Dead and Loving It" is very entertaining and the mindless humour make for a very enjoyable spoof movie!

Highly recommended : )