SANTO VS. BARON BRAKOLA (1965)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *marvelous*
MYTHICITY: *poor*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*

As the lobby card above shows, the actual title of this film is EL BARON BRAKOLA, but since I've seen listings call the film SANTO VS. BARON BRAKOLA, I decided I'd use the more colorful title. And given how utterly ordinary this flick is, I have to get my entertainment where I can.

Sometimes Santo's villains are more interesting than he is, but the Baron's not one of these. He is, as his name suggests, just one of dozens of Lugosi-Dracula ripoffs, but this time some writer thought he'd use a different aristocratic title and a name that sounded like a mispronounced "Dracula." 

Like a lot of lucha villains, Brakola (Fernando Otes) has revived in modern times and is immediately out to avenge centuries-old grudges. The only slightly original thing about this vendetta is that when Brakola was still a lord in Spain of the 17th century, he tried to wed a beautiful young heiress, one Rebecca, but was prevented by both her family and by an ancestor of Santo's, known as the Knight in the Silver Mask. (I see no actor credit for this character, so possibly Santo plays this hero, given that the Knight is also never seen without his mask.) At some point Brakola apparently turns himself into a vampire and successfully turns Rebecca as well. The Knight has some lively fights with the powerful baron, but he escapes with his prize to a hidden tomb and for some reason both go into hibernation for the next few centuries.

The movie technically begins with Brakola reviving in modern times, but Rebecca remains dead bones. The bloodsucker decides he'll go after the modern-day descendant of Rebecca's father, even before finding out that the modern-day guy, Don Luis, just happens to have an attractive daughter, Sylvia. (In contrast to the usual practice, Rebecca and Sylvia are played by separate actresses.) Brakola makes some early forays to capture Sylvia and Santo stops him, though not without more big brawling fights. Them, at one point, Brakola manages to get into Don Luis' house (without being invited in) and he sucks some of Sylvia's blood. Only after his daughter needs an emergency transfusion does Luis suddenly remember that his ancestor left behind a document that might lead a vamp-hunter to Brakola's tomb. Luis can't translate the document but somehow Santo does, tracks the vamp to his tomb, kills the vampire and saves Sylvia.

The fights are the only interesting part of this totally derivative effort, and that's probably because Otes had a good deal of experience playing lucha-heroes, having been the star of the 1961 film wherein Santo made his film debut, though Santo's character was given some other name for that secondary role. I did think it interesting that although Rebecca was initially portrayed as a virtuous young woman, and although she doesn't do anything to encourage Brakola, no one's very concerned about trying to de-vamp her once she's been turned. She's just kind of thrust aside to set up the modern-day peril of Sylvia.