" Countess Dracula " MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Carlton - Region 2

directed by Peter Sasdy
UK 1971

Countess Dracula has, of course, nothing whatsoever to do with Countess Dracula, but a great deal to do with the infamous Elisabeth Bathory, a sexual psychopath who tortured young girls for pleasure and bathed in their blood to restore her skin. Protected from possible repercussions by her powerful relatives, Bathory slaughtered literally hundreds of victims, moving from castle to castle every time the local supply of girls began to peter out.

Capturing the appalling social implications of this situation, with the aristocracy quite literally preying upon the peasant classes, is just one of the things that Peter Sasdy’s film does very well. The Countess’s attitude is encapsulated in the opening sequence when, returning from her husband’s funeral, her carriage runs over and kills a peasant. She doesn’t even blink, let alone stop and check the damage. Convinced of the restorative qualities of her servant’s blood, she wastes no time at all in murdering the girl to obtain it.

Excerpt from 'And You Call Yourself a Scientist! ' review located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 31 January 1971 - UK

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DVD Comparison:

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Carlton - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed for all the Screen Caps!

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Carlton - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	MGM Region 1 - NTSC	Carlton Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:33:12	1:29:18 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.63:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.47 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.77:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.40 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: MGM
Bitrate: Carlton
Audio	English Dolby digital 2.0 mono.	English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono.
Subtitles	English, French, Spanish or none.	English for the hearing impaired or none.
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.63:1 Edition Details: • Commentary with Ingrid Pitt, Peter Sasdy and Jeremy Paul. • Trailer (3:08). DVD Release Date: August 26, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Carlton Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.77:1 Edition Details: • Trailer (2:57). DVD Release Date: October 14, 2002 Keep Case / Box Chapters 8

Comments

The MGM screenshots are in original size and the Carlton are sized down from 1016x570.

Carlton has squeezed the original 1.66:1 AR to 1.77:1!

Both releases have good blacks, the flesh tones looks a bit strange at times on both, but generally I think the MGM looks more naturally.

Viewed on a large screen the Carlton benefits of the higher resolution with an more detailed picture while the MGM suffers from occasional digital artifacts - but none of them looks particular good. We prefer the image quality of the MGM DVD which also includes 'Vampire Lovers'.

- Ole Kofoed

DVD Menus

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Carlton - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)