1175 - LUGOSI, HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA

LUGOSI, HOLLYWOOD’S DRACULA (USA 1997) – Lugosi: Hollywood's Dracula uncovers the life and career of legendary actor Bela Lugosi, examining his early life in Hungary and Germany through his Hollywood successes and eventual decline. The film features a vast array of never-before-seen footage of the actor, ranging from remains of his 1918 film Struggle for Life to behind-the-scenes home movies on the set of RKO Studios. Lugosi is peppered with dozens of rare films clips and photographs, with the story itself coming to life thanks to the vast array of on-camera interviewees.Legendary directors Robert Wise and Joseph H. Lewis, producer Howard W. Koch, makeup man Harry Thomas, and actors like Louise Currie, Loretta King, Helen Richman, David Durston, etc. bring to life the film career of Lugosi. And his close friends Richard Sheffield, Ruth Sheffield, Bob Shomer and others explain the personal life of the screen's Dracula. Lugosi's final wife Hope Lininger also appears in what would be the only filmed interview she ever gave. Lugosi costar Robert Clarke synthesizes all of these parts into a coherent sixty-minute documentary with his voiceover narration.