MovieChat Forums > Dracula (1979) Discussion > Dracula lines I don't understand.

Dracula lines I don't understand.

posted 10 years ago by recklesscow
11 replies | jump to latest

There are two lines of Dracula dialogue in this movie I don't quite get.

One, in the dinner scene: "If at any time my company displeases you, you will have only yourself to blame. For an acquaintance who seldom forces himself, but is difficult to be rid of."

Huh? I'm sorry, I don't follow--what exactly does that mean?

Second, when confronting Van Helsing: "For 500 years those who have crossed my path have all died, and some not unpleasantly."

Is it just me or did he use a double negative, thereby basically saying they DID die pleasantly? Had he said "died unpleasantly" or "some not pleasantly", okay, it would make sense, but "not unpleasantly" is a double negative and doesn't fit, am I wrong?

[–] Carpenter_Fan 10 years ago

I am with you on the dinner scene, I'm not sure what he meant by that either. I'm guess it's a weird of saying "You're mine whether you like it or not."

The Van Helsing scene he actually said it correctly "some not pleasantly", it's also written that way in the script.

"We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves." - Sam Loomis

[–] recklesscow 10 years ago

Thank you.

I guess I should have used the subtitles for the second one, but some lines in this film are difficult to comprehend.

I still don't know what Donald Pleasance says about Mina's neck wounds ("Small but not hoarsome" and Lucy's like "Not hoarsome, what are you talking about?!") or whatever, if that's even the word.

And the part about the bells in the beginning.
Woman: "Bells! (something) bells!"
Man: "(something) bells!"
Donald Pleasance: "(something) bells, are you mad, (something like "slave?")?

And Renfield is like "You sold me house right out from under me and then you sold that Dracula a right bill of goods with your fancy silver tongue, I've right a mind to tell Dracula he been took good!" or something...ah. I cannot make a lot of the lines out, obviously.

[–] Carpenter_Fan 10 years ago

Yeah, most of the dialogue is taken from the Broadway play and I've had to watch the dvd several times over the years to comprehend some of the lines.

Seward says "Two punctures. Small, but not wholesome." I agree with Lucy, what is he talking about ? Still don't get that line.

The woman in the sanitarium says "Hallow bells."
Then Swales says "Sunken bells."
Seward replies "Sunken bells, are you mad, Swales"?

This is a reference to a legend where Whitbey Abbey was suppressed and dismantled. The abbey bells were put on ship and the ship sank shortly after disembarking within sight of the abbey ruins. People had claimed to still hear the bells being rung by invisible hands.

"We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves." - Sam Loomis

[–] RICKW1 10 years ago

When Seward says " Two punctures. Small but not wholesome". He is stating that though they appear small....they are not healing.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Thirdover4 8 years ago

Second, when confronting Van Helsing: "For 500 years those who have crossed my path have all died, and some not unpleasantly."

Everyone who has crossed his path have died. Some of them died in a pleasant way (pleasant to him?)

One, in the dinner scene: "If at any time my company displeases you, you will have only yourself to blame. For an acquaintance who seldom forces himself, but is difficult to be rid of."

I think what he is saying is that if you invite a guest as spectacularly entertaining and fascinating as himself, and you fail to be pleased with said company, then you have only yourself to blame, because who wouldn't love Dracula. As far as the part about him forcing himself, I gotta say he seems to force himself on a number of occasions. You gotta admit, though, he is quite difficult to be rid of.

I guess he didn't like the soup.

My real question is, why would a 500 year old vampire who has just transferred his blood sucking operation halfway across Europe with most of his dirt boxes destroyed or lost, barely unpacked, and obviously in a precarious position, accept a dinner invitation in the first place. If mirrors are such a problem, perhaps he shouldn't go storming into rooms without knowing the layout. I never liked the mirror thing anyhow.

[–] PrometheusTree64 8 years ago

"If at any time my company displeases you, you will have only yourself to blame. For an acquaintance who seldom forces himself, but is difficult to be rid of."

Like the Devil, you have to invite him into your heart.

--

[–] KatharineFanatic 8 years ago

The first line you have trouble with ("... who seldom forces himself") is not just you -- from an editing / writing standpoint, that's convoluted dialogue. I'm surprised the script editor and/or Langella or even the director did not complain about that line, because it IS weird. It's as if it leaves off in the middle of the run-on sentence.

It means once she finds his company displeasing, she can only blame herself -- because she invited him in, in a sense, and once he IS in, he doesn't leave.

I think they were alluding to the need to invite him in, in the original vampire lore (vampires could not enter houses uninvited) even though this film doesn't really go that route.

He's a bit of a cheeky bastard in this film, inviting HIMSELF into Mina's mind right in front of them all -- but only Lucy caught on ("She'll have no will of her own...").

"... have all died, and some not pleasantly."

Not unpleasantly, pleasantly, as in -- some of them went to their deaths in a rather gruesome fashion, because they angered me. ;)

[–] m_bruneio 8 years ago

I took the "if at any time my company displeases you" line to mean: "My couch pulls out....I don't."

[–] millsey72 (10372) 2 years ago

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[–] millsey72 (10372) 2 years ago

I'm not even sure Dracula knew. Remember he has been a vampire his whole life. He was never educated at a young age in school like most everyone else