MovieChat Forums > Dracula's Daughter (1936) Discussion > Humor in Dracula's Daughter

Humor in Dracula's Daughter

posted 17 years ago by mlraymond
9 replies | jump to latest

There is a suprisingly large amount of humor in this movie, which adds to its charm. Most of it is quite intentional, but there is one delightful moment that I don't believe was meant to be funny. When lugubrious servant Sandor sits in a chair, as the Countess plays the piano, and comments on her hopeful remarks about being able to lead a normal life, her straight faced reactions to his morose interruptions become more and more alarmed, until the high drama of the scene begins to result in chuckles.

Countess: The song my mother used to sing to me in the twilight...
Sandor:...Twilight...
Countess: Quiet, you disturb me! Twilight, shadows on the hills...
Sandor: Evil shadows...
Countess: No, no peaceful shadows! Overhead, the fluttering of wings...
Sandor: The wings of bats!
Countess: No, the wings of birds! Far off, the barking of a dog...
Sandor: Barking because there are wolves near by!
Countess: Stop, I forbid you!

Instead of seeming foolish, this odd exchange adds to the offbeat nature of the movie as a whole. Interesting that this 1936 Universal movie mingling horror and comedy was released a year after Whale's Bride of Frankenstein,though the humor is less strange and cynical in this film.

[–] Dan1863Sickles 17 years ago

I agree, that moment makes me smile every time I watch. But I don't think Gloria Holden and Irving Pichel had any idea how funny it would "play" in the finished film. I think they thought it was very serious drama. And it's just that un-selfconscious innocence that makes the film so hard to resist.

"Your next challenge is always your biggest." Joe Namath

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] mewtwo570 15 years ago

Everyone has a different sense of humor. I think penguins are some of the funniest things in the world, but I know plenty of people don't think so.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] rwilliams4254 13 years ago

The funniest thing to me was at the end, when Van Helsing points out to the head of Scotland Yard that the wooden arrow through the heart of the Countess has killed her, proving her a vampire and presumably vindicating him. Except that an arrow through the heart would kill anybody, vampire or not.

[–] joystar5879 13 years ago

That's just it. It was a WOODEN Arrow. An ordinary non wooden item would NOT kill a vampire.

[–] GJValent 10 years ago

I think you have it backwards. As a previous poster said, any arrow through the heart would kill anyone. But, if it was a non-wooden arrow, and, she lived, that would prove she was a vampire. That would have had to be worked into the script earlier, so that the wooden arrow scene would make some sense.

[–] BrownBear00386 10 years ago

"You know, my guests are dying to meet you"

[–] lm362 9 years ago

I didn't find that exchange funny at all. She is trying to have hope of leading a normal life and Sandor is discouraging her. That is not funny. It is sad.