The 1979 film Dracula starring Frank Langella was released in 1979.
Directed by John Badham, the British-American gothic horror film cast Langella as Count Dracula alongside Laurence Olivier as Professor Van Helsing, Donald Pleasence as Dr. Seward, and Kate Nelligan as Lucy Seward. It was adapted from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel and from the influential 1924 stage play by Hamilton Deane and its later revision by John L. Balderston.
The film gave Dracula a strongly romantic and seductive characterization, reflected in its promotional tagline, “A Love Story.” That approach distinguished it from the more monstrous image associated with Bela Lugosi’s 1931 performance. Langella had already played Dracula in the successful Broadway revival of the stage play, which helped shape the film’s interpretation.
1979 was also a busy year for Dracula-inspired cinema. Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre and the comedy Love at First Bite were released internationally in the same year. Badham’s film opened strongly in the United States, received generally positive reviews for its atmosphere and performances, and won the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. John Williams composed its musical score.