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Released by: Kino Lorber/Redemption Films
Released on: 1/24/2012
Director: Jean Rollin
Cast: Sandra Julien, Marie-Pierre Tricot, Michel Delahaye, Jean-Marie Durand, Jacques Robiolles
Year: 1971
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The Movie:
Redemption continues its “The Cinema of Jean Rollin†series on Blu-ray with this second in the series (numbered two on the spine of the cover) with a bizarre little vampire tale from the cult director. This time around get ready for gothic locations, gorgeous naked women, vampires, lesbians, lesbian vampires, insanely horrible men's fashion, and a slow story that sort of makes sense.
Isa (Sandra Julien) and Antoine (Jean-Marie Durand) are a newly wed couple that make their way to Isa's family estate to meet the family and spend their honeymoon. But tragedy has struck prior to their arrival, and Isa's two cousins have died suddenly, leaving behind Isabelle to keep the place going. Isabelle (Nicole Nancel) is apparently the wife of both men (huh?). Isa is so grief-stricken by the loss of cousins she never knew that she refuses to let Antoine consummate the marriage that night. Instead she seeks comfort from a woman who comes out of the grandfather clock and seduces her.
Meanwhile, two nameless servants at the castle (Kuelan Herce and Rollin regular Marie-Pierre Castel) parade around mostly nude or barely covered in see-through cloths, doing whatever is requested by the two cousins (Michel Delahaye and Jacques Robiolles). Yeah, they're alive. And they want their cousin to join them in their ways. The ways of the vampire, that is. And their cousin Isa seems to be quickly drifting away from her new husband and more interested in the caresses of the lesbian who turns up in the most unlikely of places, much to her husband Antoine's chagrin. He knows something stinks in the castle and he wants to get her out of there.
At least that's how this viewer understood the whole thing. But whether it makes sense or not doesn't really matter because it's the visual side of this one that makes it shine. The location is amazing, for one thing. The old castle the vampires live in is practically a character, and Rollin fully exploits what the building has to offer, from giant ceilings to mammoth fireplaces, and a there's a fantastic graveyard that also gets a lot of screen time. The camera is used in some interesting ways, like being in the middle of a group of people talking, going to each person in a circle in one long take. Another neat example is when the maids are going into the crypt for the first time and the camera follows them as they pass by windows. The screen is black other than the windows passing by and it feels almost like an amusement ride. Some interesting angles are used, and some of the shots are framed in such a way that feels a bit goofy, but totally works. There is one scene that utilizes freeze frame that seems so unconventional and out of place that it might make you giggle.
Then there are the characters in the movie. Antoine is simply an idiot who thinks he has a clue but doesn't. If you saw a couple of dudes in a room with someone and you notice blood on their mouths but you don't notice the body of a woman laying limp in front of them, wouldn't you be more concerned with the body than the blood on their mouths? Not Antoine. He never even mentions the body, but the bloody lips sure made him believe something was amiss. Then there's the female vampire, barely dressed and who makes great appearances on the screen. The clock scene is just wonderfully creepy. Rollin employs his standard trick of having the blonde and the brunette pair of ladies be the centerpiece of the movie, and although they don't seem as vital to the story as they do in Fascination, they still have a lot of screen time and we should all be grateful to the costume designer for keeping them exposed most of the time.
Which leaves us with the cousins, the two vampires that want Isa to join their ranks. Man…these dudes are creepy as fuck, but they are so unintentionally funny that the creep factor isn't as effective. Dressed to the nines in the most outlandish costumes, one sports long flowing black hair and the other combs his hair with buttered toast. And what are they all about? They explain themselves at some point, but it makes only partial sense. The movie is styled in such a manner that you might forget that it takes place in the early 70s and not a hundred years before, and these two dildos remind you that it is in fact the 1970s every time they're on camera. But they aren't the only reminder of what decade it is. The music used seems as out of place as the aforementioned freeze frame, sounding like pre-“Darkside of the Moon†Pink Floyd stuff. Kind of a trippy, psychedelic sound that adds a bit of cheese to the whole picture. The thing is, aside from being awesome music, it just adds to the surrealism of the film which wouldn't be the same without it.
The movie pokes along pretty slowly and it does seem to drag, even at a little over an hour and-a-half, and that may turn off some people, probably those who prefer more recent vampire fare. But to those who like exploitation and left-of-center movies, this one is incredibly worthy of your attention. It's a funky piece of filmmaking.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Redemption brings the film to its first high-definition version with a 1080p, AVC encoded transfer, carrying a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. For a movie 40 years old and made on the cheap, it looks pretty darn good. Plenty of natural grain is present for those who dig it, as are white flecks that appear throughout the picture. They are not distracting at all and are probably expected by most people who have followed this movie through its various home video versions. The colors, while not a standout item, look good even though they are a little flat. The skin tones look correct, and the black levels seem consistent. Lots of detail can be seen here and the overall image is quite satisfying. There doesn't seem to be any edge enhancement or noise reduction added, and there are no problems to report with aliasing or artifacts.
French language and an English language LPCM mono tracks are available. Both versions can be watched with easily legible subtitles, but the English language version has subtitles that don't match the dubbing. Try watching the movie in English with the subtitles on and you just may go nuts. The balance seems fine between the talking and the music (the awesome music…is there a soundtrack for this movie?) and there doesn't appear to be any issues with the sound. It's nothing special, but totally serviceable.
The extras include a 2-minute intro by the director, followed by a forty-minute interview with Rollin conducted by Dr. Patricia MacCormack. It's a must watch if you have any interest in the director and is a pretty good overview of his career. Trailers for other films found in “The Cinema of Jean Rollin†series are included: two trailers for the feature, plus The Nude Vampire, The Iron Rose, and Lips Of Blood. Also, as included in all the Blu-rays in the series, a 20-page booklet is included, written by Video Watchdog editor Tim Lucas. It's worth reading more than once.
The Final Word:
If you only ever watch one Jean Rollin movie, make it this one. Is this sheer exploitation or is it something beyond that? Arthouse fare perhaps? Who cares?? This movie needs no label, other than entertaining. And kudos to Rollin for giving this viewer a good jump scare, something that hasn't happened since watching The Exorcist III in the theater. Redemption does a nice job with the presentation and supplements too, which make this a must have disc.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
http://www.finderskeepersrecords.com/discog_fkr038.html
And i totally agree with you about how great the soundtrack is