Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Director: Mel Brooks Mel Brooks

Overview

"Mel Brooks' vampire spoof Dracula: Dead and Loving It makes its debut on DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film. During the commentary track (recorded by Brooks, co-screenwriters Rudy de Luca and Steve Haberman, and lead actors Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck) many comments are made about the various films they intentionally stole concepts and shots from, making the widescreen frame all the more valuable. All five of them also discuss how much fun they had making the movie. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround Stereo. English, French, and Spanish subtitles are accessible. This is a decent release of one of Brooks' lesser films."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/29/2004
UPC:	0053939270020
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Castle Rock
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	12,785

Special Features

Commentary by director/co-writer Mel Brooks, co-stars Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck and co-writers Rudy de Luca and Steve Haberman; Theatrical trailer; Subtitles: English, Français, and Español

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Leslie Nielsen	Dracula,Ballroom Guest,Ballroom Guest
Peter MacNicol	Renfield
Steven Weber	Harker
Amy Yasbeck	Mina
Lysette Anthony	Lucy
Harvey Korman	Dr. Seward
Mel Brooks	Professor Van Helsing
Mark Blankfield	Martin
Megan Cavanagh	Essie
Clive Revill	Sykes
Chuck McCann	Innkeeper
Avery Schreiber	Peasant in Coach
Cherie Franklin	Peasant in Coach
Ezio Greggio	Coach Driver
Leslie Sachs	Usherette
Matthew Porretta	Handsome Lieutenant at Ball
Rudy de Luca	Guard
Jennifer Crystal	Nurse
Darla Haun	Brunette Vampire
Karen Roe	Blond Vampire
Maud Winchester	Ballroom Guest,Ballroom Guest
Charlie Callas	Man in Straight Jacket
Phillip Connery	Ship Captain
Tony Griffin	Crewman
Casey King	Crewman
Nick Rempel	Crewman
Zale Kessler	Orchestra Leader
Barbaree Earl	Ballroom Guest
Robin Shepard	Ballroom Guest
Elaine Ballace	Ballroom Guest
Shirley Kirkes	Ballroom Dancer
Lisa Cordray	Hat Check Girl
Manette LaChance	Ballroom Dancer
Cindy Marshall-Day	Young Lover at Picnic
Stan Mazin	Ballroom Dancer
Benjamin Livingston	Young Lover at Picnic,Young Lover at Picnic
Jody Peterson	Ballroom Dancer
Alton Ruff	Ballroom Dancer
Gregg Binkley	Woodbridge
Anne Bancroft	Gypsy Woman
David DeLuise	Intern,Villager
Tommy Koenig	Intern
Grinnell Morris	Intern
Audrey Baranishyn	Ballroom Dancer
Vince Grant	Intern
Jeffrey Broadhurst	Ballroom Dancer
Johnny Cocktails	Intern
Ric Coy	Intern
Michael Connors	Intern
Stephen Wolfe Smith	Intern
Richard Alan Stewart	Intern
Kevin Crawford	Ballroom Dancer
Sonje Fortag	Villager
Henry Kaiser	Villager
Loraine Shields	Villager
Derek Mark Lochran	Villager
John Frayer	Ballroom Dancer
Ira Miller	Villager
Kathleen Kane	Villager
Sandy Johnson	Ballroom Dancer
David Savoy	Specialty Dancer,Specialty Dancer
Tricia McFarlin-Mattson	Ballroom Dancer
Anne McVey	Ballroom Dancer
Delores Nemiro	Ballroom Dancer
Jim Peace	Ballroom Dancer
Dennon Rawles	Ballroom Dancer
Sandra Rovetta	Ballroom Dancer
Blane Savage	Ballroom Dancer
Ted Sprague	Ballroom Dancer
Jude Van Wormer	Ballroom Dancer
Alan Walls	Ballroom Dancer
Hummie Mann	Composer

Technical Credits

Mel Brooks

Rudy de Luca

Steve Haberman

Mel Brooks	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Rudy de Luca	Screenwriter
Steve Haberman	Screenwriter
Lindsay D. Chag	Casting
Gary Combs	Stunts
Richard Ratliff	Special Effects
Peter Schindler	Executive Producer
Mike Shea	Special Effects
Bill Shepard	Casting

Editorial Reviews

Dracula: Dead and Loving It received much scorn at the time of its release, as critics derided the creative bankruptcy they thought it represented in both its star (Leslie Nielsen) and its writer/director (Mel Brooks). Too bad those critics couldn't know how truly bankrupt the parody genre would become in the years to follow. If Dracula: Dead and Loving It can be accused of anything, it's of being sort of limp. Brooks and Nielsen have both been famous for the gag-a-minute pacing of their material, so it's a bit surprising that their first and only collaboration traffics in more a sporadic kind of joke-slinging. In fact, many scenes don't even end on a joke. However, since some jokes work on a basic visual level -- such as Steven Weber's Harker getting repeatedly drenched by blood after staking a corpse -- the decision to concentrate on a relatively small number of them can actually be viewed as a disciplined sort of shrewdness. Unfortunately, comic minimalism is not why most people watch either a Brooks movie or a Nielsen movie, meaning Dead and Loving It should still be filed among the lesser works of both funnymen. At the very least it's fun to see the two legends interacting with each other, especially in the scene where Brooks' Van Helsing and Nielsen's Count Dracula jockey to see who can get in the last word -- which has a funny payoff at the end. Also, Peter MacNicol was a brilliant casting choice to play Renfield. With his excellent ability to twitch and dart his eyes around the room, he was born to play that character. Still, viewers are more likely to remember a bat with Leslie Nielsen's head crashing into a window and going cross-eyed, which is a more representative example of the film's humor level.