Saturday, July 11, 2009

Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974)



Blood for Dracula (also known as Andy Warhol's Dracula
or Dracula cerca sangue di Vergine e morì di sete.)
is a 1974 film directed by Paul Morrissey (in Italy Antonio
Margheriti) and produced by Andy Warhol and Andrew
Braunsberg. It stars Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Maxime
McKendry, Stefania Casini, and Arno Juerging. Roman
Polanski and Vittorio de Sica appear in cameo roles.



The film was shot on locations in Italy and was partly
improvised as the filming of Flesh for Frankenstein by the
same team had been quicker and less costly than expected.
Blood for Dracula was initially released to theaters in a 103-
minute version that was given an X rating by the MPAA due
to its violent and sexual elements; it was later cut to 94
minutes and reclassified with an R rating for re-release.
The original uncut version has been released to DVD
several times, though it is now unrated.



Synopsis:

A sickly and dying Count Dracula, who must drink virgin
(he pronounces it "wirgin") blood to survive, travels from
Transylvania to Italy. With a shortage of virgins in Romania
and thinking he will be more likely to find a virgin in a
Catholic country, Dracula befriends Marchese di Fiori (played
by de Sica), an impecunious Italian landowner who, with a
lavish estate falling into decline, is willing to marry off one
of his four daughters to the wealthy aristocrat.



Of di Fiori's four daughters, two regularly enjoy the sexual
services of Mario, the estate handyman (played by Dallesandro),
a Marxist with a hammer and sickle painted on his bedroom
wall. The youngest and eldest daughters are virgins, but the
latter is thought too plain to be offered for marriage, and is
past her prime, and the youngest is only fourteen years old
(portrayed by 23 year old Silvia Dionisio). Dracula obtains
assurances that all the daughters are virgins and drinks the
blood of the two who are considered marriageable. However,
both are non-virgins and their tainted blood makes Dracula
ill, but still turning the two girls into mental slaves.




Mario realizes the danger to the youngest daughter in time
and rapes her ostensibly for her own protection. But in the
meantime Dracula has drunk the blood of the eldest
daughter, turning her into a vampire. After the mother is
stabbed by Dracula's servant (whom she then shoots) and
Mario kills Dracula, the peasant Mario commands the estate.

7 comments:

Le Vixen Fatale said...

Gracias por el post!!

Este año prometo ponersela a mis alumnos cuando demos Warhol..

Por cierto, cada portada es diferente y puede vincularse a casi todas las estéticas de carteles desde los 50 a los 80...interesante

Mandra said...

Muchísimas gracias a ti Le Vixen!
Veras como a tus alumnos les gusta este Film.

Le Vixen Fatale said...

Curioso también la versión japonesa del cartel, Udo Kier salido del bloody-ukiyo!!

Seguro que les gusta, además del argumento la pelicula tiene una fotografía de lo más interesante.

Warhol amaba el poder de seducción de Drácula!

Mandra said...

Con estas Portadas queda bastante completo el Post sobre Blood for Dracula.

Esas Portadas Japonesas son geniales, especialmente la primera. Muy interesante.

Le Vixen Fatale said...

He encontrado que Warhol volvió a saciar su apetito de monstruos con 'Andy Warhol's Flesh for Frankenstein', de Paul Morrisey. 1974...

http://www.dl4all.com/movie/10507-andy-warhols-flesh-for-frankenstein-1974.html

:D

Mandra said...

Sabia de su existencia. Me queda pendiente un visionado de estas dos Joyas. Gracias!

Esa portada que me has enseñado no la conocía, mire usted esta:

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/wildbill/647/posters2/horror1/00000016.jpg

Le Vixen Fatale said...

La leche...

perdón, que buena, vaya...estoy por hacer una revisión de estos carteles para alguna de mis clases...increíble que gráficamente sean tan o más potentes que muchos carteles de nuestros dias...

gracias por la imagen, me encanta!!!