The Brides of Dracula is the best of the eight sequels to the 1958 Hammer film, Horror of Dracula, even though the legendary Count is nowhere in sight. Instead of a blood shot eyed Christopher Lee with blood dripping from his fangs, we are given a rather foppish villain in David Peel as he attempts to seduce French beauty, Yvonne Monlaur. It was rather a bold move by Hammer to make a sequel to Horror of Dracula without Dracula, but it works surprisingly well. This is largely due to the performance of Peter Cushing, reprising his role as Dr. Van Helsing from the previous film. Cushing's specialty was obsessive authority figures; during this time period he also played Baron Frankenstein. Yet, despite their superficial similarities, his Frankenstein and Van Helsing are worlds apart.
Cushing's Frankenstein is an extremely cold and distant man, who believes that the end justifies the means (even if it involves murder). He is so detached from mankind that, in Frankenstein Created Woman, when an acquaintance of his is beheaded for a murder (that he didn't commit), the Baron is ecstatic that he finally has a corpse to test his latest hypothesis, the transference of the soul, on. He feels no remorse over the death of a friend, but rather just views it as an opportunity. On the other hand, Cushing's Van Helsing, despite his obsessive behavior, is capable of warmth and compassion; in Horror of Dracula, he comforts a little girl (who was nearly a vampire victim) by wrapping his coat around her, putting a crucifix around her neck, and telling her that the sun will be be a couple of minutes. In Brides of Dracula, when it schoolmaster Herr Lang starts to berate Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur) for being late on the job, Van Helsing explains her predicament and, simultaneously, puts Herr Lang in his place. It is also interesting to note that The Brides of Dracula may be the only film in which Peter Cushing gets the woman in the end (well, kind of), but more on that later.
It is important to stress just how vital Peter Cushing is to this film's success; he gives a sincere performance and delivers his lines with such conviction that the audience readily believes the dangers they are being told about. Cushing has never been given the recognition he deserves, largely because of his association with the horror genre. He probably would be considered one of the all time greats had he appeared in more "respectable" films.
What's interesting about The Brides of Dracula, especially for a Hammer film, is that it's central character is a woman, Marianne, a young school teacher traveling to her place of employment. Hammer films tended to a be a bit male centric and women tended be either relegated to supporting roles or attractive scenery (like Valerie Gaunt in Horror of Dracula). Therefore, it is interesting that the first half hour of The Brides of Dracula is told through Marianne's point of view; she is the one that sets the story in motion by releasing the Baron Meinster from his chains, unaware of the evil that she has just unleashed upon the earth. She serves as the audience surrogate as she is a rather ordinary person (albeit one with supermodel looks) that finds herself in an extraordinary situation.
The Brides of Dracula slavishly copies the structure of Horror of Dracula; the first half hour of that film follows Jonathan Harker as he runs afoul the sinister Count. In both films, Van Helsing doesn't make his first appearance until nearly one third of the way in. Yet, the audience clearly identifies more with Marianne than they do with Harker, largely because he is student of Van Helsing and, therefore, is knowledgeable in the ways of the vampire. He is aware of the risks, therefore it's not too surprising when he comes to an untimely end. Marianne, on the other hand, just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time; her main concern is getting to her school on time and is fairly ignorant when it comes to vampires. When the Baroness Meinster offers Marianne a place to say for the night, we as the audience are naturally shouting at her to stay put. We know this can only lead to bad things, therefore we slap our foreheads in disbelief when the sweet Marianne accepts the Baroness' hospitality. It's not necessarily a complex part, but Yvonne Monlaur gives a rather affecting performance as the beleaguered Marianne.
If there is a main flaw in The Brides of Dracula it is David Peel's Baron Meinster; he's not necessarily bad in the role, but he completely lacks the physicality and menace that Christopher Lee brought to the role of Dracula. In fact, the duel between Van Helsing and the Baron for Marianne's soul is a complete mismatch in Van Helsing's favor, Cushing gives such a dynamic performance that he leaves David Peel standing in the dust. In the Dracula films that followed Christopher Lee was given very limited screen time, yet still managed to be intimidating despite having nothing to do (there are endless shots of him just standing in a corner, completely disconnected from the rest of the action).
However, The Brides of Dracula has not one, but two aces up its sleeve: Martita Hunt as the Baroness Meinster and Freda Jackson as her crazed servant, Greta. Hunt manages to make the Baroness actually sympathetic, despite her deplorable acts against humankind. The Baroness has lived a life of pure decadence, indulging in all sorts of carnal pleasures, including (heavily implied) incest with her son. She used to host parties on a frequent basis and Dracula just happened to show up at one of them; which eventually lead to her son being turned into a vampire. The Baroness had her son chained up in a hidden room and brought young women to castle for him to feast upon. Marianne was to be the Baron's next victim, but she unwittingly turned the tables on the Baroness. The Baroness is a terrible person, but it's amazing how Martita Hunt is able to make her sympathetic by allowing the guilt to come out in her performance. The Baroness is consumed by guilt; she knows she is largely at fault for the monster that her son has turned in to. Freda Jackson's Greta is another memorable villain in the Hammer universe, with her crazed eyes and old crone laugh, she would give anyone the chills. There's a wonderfully chilling moment in which Greta, kneeling over a freshly filled cemetery plot, calmly starts giving birthing instructions to a vampire trying to claw out of her grave.
I mentioned earlier that Van Helsing (kind of) gets the girl in the end, and I stand by my statement, for in actuality The Brides of Dracula is really a love story between Van Helsing and Marianne Danielle. So let the over analysis begin.....
Van Helsing is an expert when it comes to the occult, but is completely clueless when it comes to worldly pleasures like love and sex. Therefore, when he first encounters Marianne, unconscious, in the woods, he is naturally taken aback by her great beauty, but is at a complete loss what to say. He is extremely inexperienced when it comes to romance, hence he doesn't know where to begin. Also, his priorities are on ridding the world of pesky vampires, therefore he's not interested in being tied down to a long term relationship. He is so singled minded in his thinking that he is completely oblivious to the fact that Marianne fancies him. The signs are all there, she constantly smiles and flashes her eye lashes at him, but he can not take a hint. She misinterprets his timidness for indifference and therefore moves on to the next man that comes available to her: Baron Meinster.
I never bought that Marianne would so willingly consent to be the Baron's wife, given the very little time she has known him and the extremely creepy circumstances that brought him together; him being chained up in a castle. Now, there are three possibilities as to why she would accept his proposal:
1) He has hypnotized her. In most movies and books, vampires possess hypnotic powers that can turn even the most strong willed individual into a complete putty. There are very few people that can resist their hypnotic stare; Van Helsing being one of them. However, since Marianne is oblivious to the ways of the vampire, she makes for easy pickings.
2) She figures, "Why the hell not?" Marianne is stuck at an all girls school, in the middle of nowhere, therefore her prospects at finding a husband are fairly slim. Now, if she were a lesbian, this wouldn't be a problem as her roommate Gina is fairly attractive, but Marianne does not swing that way; though is implied that Gina wants to be more than just friends with Marianne. Enter Baron Meinster, an extremely handsome and rich man who not only fancies Marianne, but wants her hand in marriage as well. How could she possibly refuse such a proposal? Sure, it makes her sound completely superficial, but remember The Brides of Dracula takes place in a time (1890s) when women were expected to get married and raise children. Marianne is in her twenties, hence, by the standards of that era, it is her obligation to find a husband and starting having children.
3) The Baron is a rebound relationship. Marianne is really smitten with Van Helsing, but since he doesn't show any interest, she hooks up with the first man who comes in her sights, which just happens to be the Baron Meinster. Yet, despite his youthful looks and extreme wealth, there relationship is very passion less. This is surprising, especially in a Hammer, given how sexually charged the scenes between Christopher Lee and Melissa Stribling were in Horror of Dracula. There's definitely more sexual tension between Marianne and Van Helsing than there is with her and the Baron. If Van Helsing would have asked Marianne to drop her teaching career and come away with him, you get the impression that she would done so without any hesitation. Marianne evens seems to regret her decisions, especially when Gina is prattling on about how she wishes she could find true love. Marianne smiles and nods her head, but doesn't really have anything of substance to say, largely because she knows it's all a ruse. Hell, when Van Helsing finally spills the beans about the Baron's true identity, Marianne is only too willing to believe him; she is a complete disbelief for like TEN SECONDS!!!! She gets over it rather quickly!
It isn't until Marianne announces her engagement to the Baron that Van Helsing realizes the true extent of his feelings towards her. He is absolutely shocked by Marianne's announcement. Sure, it probably worries him that she just got engaged to a vampire, but the expression in his face indicates his feelings for her run deeper than must mere friendship. His reaction reminds me of the time I was in high school and I found out that the girl I fancied was dating a guy that (I believed) to be a complete douche bag. I kept asking myself, "Are you serious? Is she really dating that asshole?" The same thought process seems to be going through the good ol' Professor's mind. In the case of Van Helsing, it is justified, because he's a far more interesting person than the handsome Meinster. Take away the Baron's vampirism and he's an extremely dull personality who over compensates by dressing in a flashy manner. It should be noted that, despite being considerable older than Yvonne Monlaur, Peter Cushing looks fairy youthful in this film, especially when compared to his other Hammer roles at the time. Therefore, a romance between Van Helsing and Marianne isn't entirely unbelievable. The Baron even openly mocks Van Helsing's feeling when he proclaims, while hissing like a snake,"Beautiful, isn't she? What a pity such beauty must fade, unless we preserve it."
There is an interesting moment at very end of the film; after Van Helsing has successfully slewed the diabolical Baron, Marianne runs towards and they embrace. However, before they embrace there is a slight pause between the two of them and it almost looks as if they are going to kiss. However, even though Van Helsing has essentially won the fair Marianne's hand, he is still at loss as to what to do next, so Marianne has to settle for an embrace...for now. The three Dracula films that followed (Dracula - Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, and Taste the Blood of Dracula) are all Van Helsing free; which indicates that after the events in Brides, Van Helsing settled down with Marianne and raised a family.
The next time Peter Cushing would appear in the series was Dracula A.D. 1972, in which he played a descendant of Van Helsing, Lorrimer. What more proof do you need?
Cast: Peter Cushing (Van Helsing), Yvonne Monlaur (Marianne Danielle), Martita Hunt (Baroness Meinster), Freda Jackson (Greta), David Peel (Baron Meinster), Miles Malleson (Dr.Tobler), Andree Melly (Gina), Henry Oscar (Herr Lang), Mona Washbourne (Frau Lang), Fred Johnson (Father Stepnik), Marie Devereux (Village Girl), Norman Pierce (Landlord), Vera Cook (Landlord's Wife), Michael Ripper (Coachman), Victor Brooks (Hans).
Director: Terence Fisher.
Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan, Edward Percy.
Running Time: 85 min.
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