Carlos Villarías days: Córdoba's own Dracula at the Filmoteca
Two free evenings on the Córdoba-born actor who played Dracula in 1931: his Spanish-language version and Bela Lugosi's.
All the information
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About the event
The Filmoteca de Andalucía devotes two evenings to the Córdoba-born actor Carlos Villarías, each with a talk and discussion and a screening: on Wednesday 28 October at 18:00, «Drácula» (George Melford, 1931), the Spanish-language version he starred in, and on Thursday 29 at 18:00, Tod Browning's «Dracula» with Bela Lugosi, shot at the same time on the same sets. Free admission.
Key points
- Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October at 18:00
- Free admission
- Talk and discussion on the Córdoba-born actor Carlos Villarías
- On the 28th, George Melford's Spanish-language «Drácula»; on the 29th, Tod Browning's with Bela Lugosi
- A classic horror film outing in Halloween week
The man from Córdoba who was Dracula
Carlos Villarías was born in Córdoba in 1892, learned his trade in theatre and zarzuela companies and ended up in Hollywood, where he died in 1976. His best-remembered role is Count Dracula in the Spanish-language version that Universal shot in 1931. The Filmoteca de Andalucía, which is based in Córdoba, devotes a session to him with a talk and discussion on his life and career before the screening.
A Dracula shot by night
The film, directed by George Melford, was made at the same time as Tod Browning's «Dracula» with Bela Lugosi: the Spanish-language crew used the same studios and sets at night, once Browning's crew had finished for the day. It was Universal's first and last attempt at full-length versions for the Spanish-speaking market. The story is the familiar one: the count moves from the Carpathians to the West with the help of the lawyer Renfield, falls in love with a young engaged woman and visits her at night until her family turns to Doctor Van Helsing.
Time and admission
The sessions are on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October at 18:00 at the Filmoteca de Andalucía, calle Medina y Corella 5, next to the Mezquita-Catedral. Wednesday screens George Melford's Spanish-language version and Thursday Tod Browning's with Bela Lugosi, so you can compare the two films shot on the same sets. Admission is free until the venue is full. The Filmoteca warns that the activity is subject to change, so it is best to check its website on the day.
