lew@ihuxr.UUCP (Lew Mammel, Jr.) (02/10/84)
I remember being astounded some years ago when I saw what I thought was unmistakeably a Star of David being worn as a pendant by Bela Lugosi in (I believe) his original Dracula movie. This was in the dinner party scene near the beginning of the movie. Of course, from a bigot's point of view the cross is a perfect weapon against a Jewish demon. Through the middle ages Jews were regarded by the majority as practically a form of demon. They were blamed for everything from the Plague to imagined human sacrifices. The latter corresponds quite well with vampire beliefs. Can anyone corroborate or refute my impression of Dracula's jewelry? Lew Mammel, Jr. ihnp4!ihuxr!lew
sims@hou2b.UUCP (J.SIMESTER) (02/11/84)
Lew Mammel, Jr., writes: >I remember being astounded some years ago when I saw what I thought >was unmistakeably a Star of David being worn as a pendant by Bela Lugosi >in (I believe) his original Dracula movie. This was in the dinner party scene >near the beginning of the movie. I'm not certain about the scene in question, but I AM pretty sure that Dracula's standard pendant was a sort of ornate iron cross with a red jewel in the center. Any Dracula afficionados out there to provide confirmation and/or the purpose/symbolism (if any) of said pendant??? -- Jim ..!houxm!hou2b!sims
avi@pegasus.UUCP (02/12/84)
Lew Mammel asks about why Bela Lugosi (playing Dracula) wore something that looked like a Star of David. To start with, I have no idea. As it happens, I am Jewish AND I was born (but not raised) in Transylvania. (Seriously, it is a part of modern Romania, and I was born there). The original Dracula is (well) known to have been modeled after V'lad Tepes -- who was definitely not Jewish (although I seem to remember hearing that Bela Lugosi may have been). Lew, are you sure it was not a five-pointed star? A pentagram would make more sense in this context. Even if it was six-pointed, that does not (necessarily) make it a Jewish Symbol. The Star-of-David has been used by others in the past, and I often see people of non-Jewish origin wearing it today. Dracula violated too many Jewish laws - including murder and drinking blood - to have been viewed as a practising Jew. In any case, I assume that the producer/director/whoever of the movie is the likely source of the pendant the actor wore. It may be that they were exhibiting bigoted attitudes, or just trying to use some symbolism. One of the favorite Christian pre-occupations in medieval Europe was to use the (in)famous "blood libel" against the Jews. This fits in well with equating Dracula with them. Needless to say, Dracula is a myth, and the blood-libel claims were unfounded. P.S. I consider myself thoroughly American. My accent is from "Brooklyn". -- -=> Avi E. Gross @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6241 suggested paths: [ihnp4, allegra, cbosg, hogpc, ...]!pegasus!avi
moriarty@uw-june.UUCP (02/14/84)
Excuse me, but isn't it possible that the Star of David was (if it was there at all) a plot device? If I remember the dinner scene correctly, Dracula is trying to convince Jonathan Harker that he is a foriegn nobleman. Could the Star have been part of the "disguise" Dracula was wearing? (I guess then we would say that Drac is a bigot, which is small potatoes compared to his other bad habits.....) Trivia Is My Business | Currently residing in | UUCP: -jwm- | {...decvax!}tektronix!uw-beaver!uw-june!moriarty | ARPANET: AKA MORIARTY | moriarty@washington