Re: Dracula

On Fri, 24 Jul 1998, Robert Cumbow <cumbr[_at_]perkinscoie.com> wrote:
>
> Once Universal has the title DRACULA on register [with the MPAA], it can
> make as many films it wants called DRACULA, and if other studios want to
> make their own films on Dracula, they must add other words to the title
> to make it a uniquely registrable title. That's why the 1950s Hammer
> horror films DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN were released in the USA under the
> titles THE HORROR OF DRACULA and THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. The later
> John Badham/Frank Langella film, by contrast, was called simply DRACULA,
> because it was a Universal film, and Universal was entitled to reuse its
> own registered title.

Interesting. I recall that there was an older movie about the sinking of the Titanic, also called "Titanic." I had thought it was perhaps "The Titanic," and just checked.

No, it was "Titanic," in 1953, directed by Jean Negulesco. But it was a 20th Century Fox release, somewhat in common with the 1997 blockbuster. (The 1997 release is listed as "Produced by: 20th Century Fox / Lightstorm Entertainment / Paramount Pictures.") That's consistent with Bob's explanation.

Titanic-the-movie trivia: A small part of Chief Officer Wilde was played by an actor named Mark Lindsay Chapman. This poor guy nearly had his big break a few years ago, playing John Lennon in a made-for-TV movie about Lennon's life. However, someone noticed the strong similarity between his name and that of Mark David Chapman, who shot Lennon. The producers thought that would be too weird, and recast the part. He went by the name "Mark Lindsay" for a while because of this, but eventually resumed using his full name. Chapman has done a lot since, but mostly small parts. To further tie into this thread, his last role was in "Bram Stoker's Legend Of The Mummy," which apparently was released in 1997, but somehow escaped my notice.

--
Terry Carroll       |    
Santa Clara, CA     |    
carroll[_at_]tjc.com     |       
Modell delendus est |