Dracula (1931 English-language film)

Dracula
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tod Browning
Screenplay by	Garrett Fort
Based on	Dracula by Bram Stoker Dracula by Hamilton Deane     John L. Balderston
Produced by	Tod Browning Carl Laemmle Jr.
Starring	Bela Lugosi David Manners Helen Chandler Dwight Frye Edward Van Sloan
Cinematography	Karl Freund
Edited by	Milton Carruth Maurice Pivar
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	February 12, 1931 (1931-02-12) (New York) February 14, 1931 (1931-02-14) (United States)
Running time	74 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Languages	English Hungarian
Budget	$341,191[2]

Dracula is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is based on the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker.^[3] Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée.

Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, Dracula is the first sound film adaptation of the Stoker novel.^[4] Several actors were considered to portray the title character, but Lugosi, who had previously played the role on Broadway, eventually got the part. The film was partially shot on sets at Universal Studios Lot in California, which were reused at night for the filming of Dracula, a concurrently produced Spanish-language version of the story also by Universal.

Dracula was a commercial and critical success upon release, and led to several sequels and spin-offs. It has had a notable influence on popular culture, and Lugosi's portrayal of Dracula established the character as a cultural icon, as well as the archetypal vampire in later works of fiction. In 2000, the film was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[5][6]