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| The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires/The Seven Brothers meet Dracula | 
 enlarge | Directors: Cheh Chang, Roy Ward Baker
Actors: Peter Cushing, David Chiang, Julie Ege, Robin Stewart, Szu Shih
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD
Buy New: $48.95
New (4) Used (9) Collectible (2) from $33.89
Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 73528
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 89
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Letterbox
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 6305183392
UPC: 013131056099
EAN: 9786305183396
ASIN: 6305183392
Theatrical Release Date: June 1979
Release Date: January 12, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW, factory sealed (w/security strip). AUTHENTIC & Rare Out of Print ANCHOR BAY Original, NOT an import OR bootleg. Ships 1st Class Promptly, Int'l buyers welcomed. TRUSTED seller, ck out my feedback & purchase w/confidence!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 The Greatest Film Ever Made November 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An extravagant claim but one I'm gonna endeavor to back up.
'Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires' is the last horror picture Peter Cushing made for Hammer, and is magnificent. He plays Van Helsing, (yes.. honest!)and to his eternal credit he looks believably close to tears every time he utters an emotionally-charged line like "In Europe it is the crucifix, in Asia; the image of the Lord Buddha".
I adore Peter Cushing anyway, and to see him in any film is good for me, but to see him in a work of this magnitude and gravitas is a real treat. He must be lying there now, thinking about his 50-odd year career, each performance building up to "My knowledge is restricted to the Western Hemisphere". Strangely, there's not much in his autobiography about 'LOT7GV' which is unfathomable.
Julie Ege is the female lead, a Scandinavian buxom-vamp fresh from her Oscar-nominated role as Voluptua in 'Up Pompeii-the Movie'; ("There's no decorum/ in the forum/and they're quite at home in the hippy-drome, you can chose who you prefer/'coz Ben Him's just like Ben HER!!") and the biting satire-twins 'Not Now Darling' and 'Rentadick'. One disreputable publication described her performance as 'a pair of t*ts with a Swedish accent', just goes to show that however much genuine talent you have, you can never drag the gutter press erm..out of the gutter. (!)
Robin Stewart plays the 'young hero' role. He's a classically trained comedy actor, mostly seen with Sid 'Sir' James in the abject Brit-Com 'Bless This House' and wearing a kaftan in the Michael Armstrong 60's slasher 'the Haunted House of Horror'- a gory travesty with Frankie Avalon and Mark Wynter(yes.. honest!). Viewing Stewart's performance as Leyland van Helsing (a FANTASTIC analogy with the Bolshevic-run 1970's car giant British Leyland, whose worker's spent the whole decade on pointless strike) it's easy to criticise, but he is in fact showing 'solidity' with his lion-hearted co-unionists. This is breathtakingly poignant and relevant, it's not every-one that can fight 50 heavily armed kung-fu zombie vagabonds with the conviction of a house-brick. 'Red' Ron and all the other commies back in Blighty held out at their braziers for another year on the strength of Stewart's subtly and deftly understated showing.
Count Dracula, present in every scene and the central evil core of the movie, is played by John Forbes Robertson in the campest make-up in British cinema, all pinks, greens, bat-eyebrows and lipstick. Much criticised among the unknowing (described in another disreputable publication (not really - it was the same one!) as a 'pantomime dame'), but it put me in mind of Olivier's Oberon in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'(another - slightly lesser - work of feminism and sexual ambiguity) and JFR's performance as one of British literature and world cinema's most recognisable and serious characters, just HAS to be experienced.
As the villain he has all the best lines; "A curse on you and your house!" "I am Dracula; Lord of Darkness, Master of the Vampires, Prince of the Undead, Ruler of the Damned!" (yes.. honest!) and "Right! van Helsing - you will once more see my face... before you die! Behold van Helsing - look on me, now." You'll fill up -as I did - at the magisterial impact of it all.
Music is by James Bernard, re-jigging themes from his previous scores, and even here 'LOT7GV' wins. Not many blockbusters were recycling in the wasteful, excessive 70's. The Bond movies for example, had Sir Roger Moore flying all over the world, inadvertently ruining it. So well done Hammer!
The plot is so sophisticated and progressive, no-one can understand it. Unkindly scorn holds sway. Stupid critics pathetically concentrate on the appalling special effects,(post-modernism) atrocious action (satirical slapstick) and the cavernous holes in the script(delicious irony) as justification of universal condemnation. How wrong can you be?
The '7' of the title also refers to van Helsing's companions, 6 lads and a girl heading to their remote village to destroy '7' vampires that have plagued them for centuries, and this is where the feminism and sexual ambiguity comes in. The 'sister' can fight kung-fu nearly as good as the men (yes.. honest) in a film set in 1904(!) and only dies when she weakens for love. What a gal. Rest easy Emily, it seems chaining your bra to the railings wasn't for nothing after all.
Director Roy Ward Baker claims his masterpiece was flawed by studio interference (In this instance, co-financiers the Shaw Brothers, based in Hong Kong and who know nothing about making martial arts movies.) They should've just let the ex-English public school prefect to his vision, he was obviously so in-tune with the aesthetics of the medium, their pettiness could easily have ruined the film.
'LOT7GV' is deliberately hysterical. Some beautiful, screaming girls with their breasts revealed as they lie strapped down next to a bubbling cauldron of blood, is vital to the plot in a real sense, as well as the abstract that Ward Baker is delicately invoking. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the scene unfolded, so moved was I by it's multi-layered intensity and relativism.
So you see, there can be no doubt as to the claims of 'LOT7GV'. I've only scratched the surface here - the action sequences seriously challenge Kurosawa and the terror, so originally and tensely conveyed, is as full-blooded and awesome as any Jacobean tragedy. Acting is Welles-perfection and production is refreshingly minimalist and compact.
Much like '2001', 'Once Upon a Time in the West' or 'Jaws', the locations are so visual and forceful, you feel like you're actually there in Szechwan Province with Peter and the boys, vanquishing vampires and returning the world to safety and contentment. And isn't it wonderful that since Hammer/Baker's uber-treatise on cultural bonding and the futility of violence was released in 1974, there hasn't been a single war.
Now, you tell me, could anything but the greatest film ever made do that?
 Hammer's last stab at Dracula March 5, 2008
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is a less than successful hybrid combining Hammer horror and mid-70s chop socky movie as Dracula (not Christopher Lee but an inadequate John Forbes Robertson), for reasons never really explained, possesses the body of a Chinese bad guy to control six golden vampires while Cushing's Van Helsing, on a far from successful Chinese lecture tour, finds himself teaming up with seven brothers and their one sister to rid a remote Chinese village of yada yada yada.. "Black belt against black magic" screams the trailer, and while it's not as poor as I recalled, the only things going for it are a few okay action scenes and a magnificent display of bosom heaving from Julie Ege in one particularly memorable shot.
But it's a masterpiece compared to the butchered US version, retitled The Seven Brothers Meet Dracula, which makes it sound like a bad Howard Keel musical. Although the original was far from dialog-heavy, a good two-thirds of the dialog has been dropped completely (in some cases you can still see the actors' lips moving but no sound emerging). Even more bizarre is the opening two reels, which reuse much of the same footage three times in a row in three separate scenes, hoping that by flipping it around no-one will notice. The end result is a surreal experience that just washes over you.
Anchor Bay's extras package is particularly good: both cuts of the film, the US trailer (which the narrator constantly refers to as 'The Seven Brothers and Their One Sister Meet Dracula'!) and the old LP narrated by Peter Cushing as an audio extra. However, the double-bill set with Frankenstein Created Woman is a better bet than this individual release/
What fun ! January 15, 2008
Libretio is right on the money--THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES is a minor part of the Hammer library, but an interesting pastiche, and one heckuva lotta fun! There is absolutely nothing to take seriously here, so enjoy! Enjoy!
I loved the bouncing zombies in their skull masks, the Seven Golden Vampires who run around in what look like thick mudpacks (I guess only Drac looks good after four hundred years!), the first-generation chop-socky fights (no telegraphed punches here. . .well, maybe a few. . .well, maybe all of 'em), the stiff-upper lip delivery of the always wonderful Peter Cushing (although here he is so rail-thin and gaunt that you can't help but wish for the athletic Sherlock Holmes he played just about twenty years before), the exciting James Bernard score and the great sets. Grand, just grand.
And it was very interesting to see the two radically different cuts of the film. The truncated, hour-and-a-quarter version uses the same Vampires/Zombie village attack material several times, but by cutting story (huh?) it runs fifteen minutes shorter than the vastly superior original cut. It does have the better "bad" title, though: THE SEVEN BROTHERS AND THEIR ONE SISTER MEET DRACULA! Wotta hoot!
And the real treat is the audio promo story on side one! Rarer than hens' teeth, and here it is! With the fabulous UK poster artwork, as well! Love it, love it, love it!
You may not want to actually buy this one without renting it first, but check it out and you just might decide that THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES is so bad, it's great!
Have fun!
A Cult Classic? April 5, 2007
I think this was an interesting idea given the time the film was made to link the horror and KungFu genres. Apparently there were many problems involved with the shooting of a European film in Hong Kong, at the Shaw Brothers studios. Despite these problems the film is good visually, and is reminiscent of the earlier Hammer 'Dracula' films.
The acting standard is about average, with the customary excellent performance from Peter Cushing in the pivotal role. Sadly missing from the cast is Chris Lee; John ForbesRobertson is hopelessly miscast as Dracula. This problem is not helped by the poor Dracula make-up, which often got laughs in the cinema.
Thankfully Dracula doesn't appear too often in the film, and it may have been improved if they had cut him out altogether! Convincing performances are delivered by all of the Chinese cast. The golden vampires are impressive (and were a good, original idea), in their golden masks and medallions, etc.
Another, possibly intentional, humorous touch are the zombies. They appear to virtually hop around everywhere in a very comical manner. Les Bowie's special effects are marvelous, especially the resurrection scenes (somewhat similar in nature to the sequence in 'Plague of the Zombies').
Julie Ege is enticing as the film's loveinterest. David Chiang (who had previously worked with Bruce Lee) plays the leader of the brothers well, and has only a slight accent. His KungFu techniques are highly convincing.
Totally mixcast is Robin Stewart (a British TV comedy 'actor') as Van Helsing's inept son Leyland. His style of acting appears to come from the 'oakschool', and his presence always seems to detract from the atmosphere of the film.
The movie is beautifully crafted by the consistently amazing Roy ward Baker (the style recalls memories of his earlier 'Vampire Lovers'). Even without the KungFu this would have stood alone as a good horror film. The MartialArts aspect complements the film, and it amply deserves its cult classic status.
Sadly the film didn't receive its deserved widerelease after completion in 1974. It has only been around the UK film circuit a couple of times since then, usually on the lower half of an inferior doublebill. It took five years to be released in the States, with a ridiculous title change. However, it has still managed to become a cult film.
Only a butchered version was available in America. Most Hammer fans avidly sit through this film many times whenever it makes one of it's rare screen appearances.
It was one of the old Hammer company's last attempts at a comeback to the horror genre, the other being 'To the devil, a daughter' in 1975. Neither film was financially successful enough to keep the company above water, so that further movies could be made.
One great asset of the film is the superb score by James Bernard and Phil Martell. (A story read by Peter Cushing with some music is available on an exceedingly rare soundtrack LP.) As an exmartial artist I feel that the KungFu sections were of a high enough standard to satisfy fans of that particular genre, as well as the straight horror fans. KungFu films were extremely popular in 1974/5 following the Bruce Lee movies.
It makes a pleasant change to see vampires being killed by the use of unusual weapons and fighting methods (the fight scenes were always actionpacked and highly exciting), rather than the traditional run into the ground stakes, crosses, garlic, etc.
On subsequent viewings the film holds up well and never becomes boring, audiences never seem to tire when watching it. It's a great shame that this film is virtually the only one of its kind, being a most agreeable blend of differing film styles.
Despite the minor flaws of Dracula and Leyland, Roy Ward Baker is to be commended on the construction of an atmospheric and enjoyable film; a fitting tribute to the skill and craftsmanship of the Hammer cast and crew.
 Horrible Hammer Flick June 30, 2005
5 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is one of the worst Hammer Movies Ever Made this is even considerd to be a Sequel to "Satanic Rites of Dracula" NO IT ISNT this is not a sequel has nothing to do with the Dracula Series if this is a Sequel there are a few things Wrong with This
1. Satanic Rites of Dracula took place in "1974" This happens in "1904" NO SEQUEL
2. The Van Helsing in this can't be the one from the previous one or from "Horror of Dracula"
3. This could have been the prequel to "Horror of Dracula" if they had stuck with the year the movie starts in which is "1804" Because "Horror" starts in the year "1885" but they messed it up
Dont bother with this one I only got this because I am a Big Fan of Hammer. Dracula "John Forbes Robinson" Looks Horrible in this
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