Severin Review: Vampyros Lesbos (1970, dir: Jess Franco)

VAMPYROS LESBOS
(1970, dir: Jess Franco)“Psycho-Sexadelic Horror Freakout!”

Young lawyer Linda (Ewa Strömberg, She Killed in Ecstasy) is haunted by an erotic recurring dream involving herself and her lover Omar (Andrea Montchal, Eugenie de Sade). The dream involves herself and Omar enjoying a stage show involving a young and beautiful seductress (Soledad Miranda, Count Dracula). After the show, Linda is beckoned, seduced and killed by the mysterious nubile. Her therapist, Dr. Seward (Dennis Price, Son of Dracula) seems to think that the recurring dream is down to Linda needing a new sexual partner. Fair enough! Unfortunately, there's no time for that as Linda is assigned to visit a woman by the name of Countess Nadine Carody, who has recently inherited property from none other than Count Dracula! Once she has arrived and settled in, it's on to business. Before she can get the Countess's signature and realise who she's dealing with, she is drugged, seduced and then bitten by the bloodthirsty Countess. As if it wasn't bad enough, Linda then finds herself with a case of amnesia and under the care of Dr. Steiner (Paul Muller, Lady Frankenstein). It's her lucky day however, as Steiner is more than just a doctor, he's also a vampire hunter. With the help of the doctor and Omar, Linda must put an end to Countess Carody's bloodthirsty reign. It's not going to be easy, but it sure is going to be bloody!

 
Where do you start with a film like Vampyros Lesbos? Jess Franco is one of my all time favourite directors and even though I find his back catalogue to be very hit and miss (with a filmography that size, it's understandable), I can safely say I enjoyed this greatly. Right off the bat, you can tell this is a Franco film. From the cinematography to the way the action is staged and played out. Some may find his overuse of the zoom to be annoying and the snobs out there will turn the nose up at the occasional out of focus shot, but these tiny things all play in to my compassion for Jess Franco. There's some absolutely gorgeous locations used here and the set design as well as the costumes are second to none. As cheaply made as this film is, Jess definitely has a good eye for style and working around budget constraints. You sometimes find yourself scratching your head when trying to follow the plot of a Franco film, but Franco with the help of Jaime Chávarri (To an Unknown God) and Anne Settimó (Jungle of Fear) have scribed a cohesive, yet abstract enough to stand out feminine retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, even if Chávarri now distances himself from the film. There's a real sense of atmosphere throughout that often makes the film feel almost dreamlike. The score from Sigi Schwab (The Devil Came From Akasava) and Manfred Hübler (Intercontinental Express) adds to that dreamlike atmosphere, but also ranges from haunting to out right funky. It's up there with one of Franco's best film scores and worth looking in to if you like jazz. The star of the show (both literally and metaphorically) is the Countess herself, Soledad Miranda. All she has to do is look directly in to the camera and the audience is eating out of her hands. Her performance is subtle, yet effective and fundamentally sensual. Right from the first few seconds where she is beckoning the viewer. This is her film. Don't get me wrong, everyone else puts in a good turn for the most part, even Franco himself appears as a somewhat mentally challenged and sleazy island local with his own secret, but the focus is on Miranda, even if this may not be her most demanding role. It's clear that if she hadn't had met her untimely demise, she would have made even greater waves in the film industry. Of course, those looking for bare flesh and blood will be very happy I'm sure as there is a good amount of that thrown in too. That being said, this is more classy than pure schlock or sleaze. A perfect film for the turtleneck wearing Franco fan!

  In terms of sound and picture quality, the film has been beautifully restored and presented here. Of course, being that this is a Franco film and the source material may have not been preserved at the most optimal of levels, there are some focus issues and the sound can get a bit questionable, it shouldn't be an issue at all. Those wanting special features will be very happy in my opinion. There's an interview with Franco himself talking about the film, his relationship with producer Artur Brauner and of course Soledad. Is it just me or is it like watching your granddad telling you stories when you watch a Franco interview? Sticking with Soledad, there's an interview with Amy Brown, founder of the official Soledad Miranda website, that goes in to the life, career and death of Soledad. The final major feature is an interview with Franco scholar Stephen Thrower which gives a bit more insight in to the film. Not only that, but we also get an extra clip of Franco talking about his experience with Stuart Freeborn (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope)
and his true inspiration behind the look of Yoda, original German opening title sequence and of course, the German trailer. As if that weren’t enough, the film is packaged up with some gorgeous newly-commissioned art from Wes Benscoter. All in all, this is a must own for UK lovers of Jess Franco, Soledad Miranda and of course; Vampyros Lesbos. This would also make a great starting point for newcomers!

Vampyros Lesbos is available on DVD & Blu-Ray from Severin.
PDx

5 Of My Favourite Directors

I have always wanted to do a list like this but at the same time I know I'm going to hate the outcome. To pick only five from a whole list of directors who have had an impact on me personally is a real bitch but hey, I like lists in general and any excuse to get something up on the blog is OK for me. I will tell you now that these are in no particular order and this list could be completely different in a few hours! I'm sure you guys feel me on that one. Let's get started shall we?

Radley Metzger

My first experience with Radley Metzger was The Private Afternoons Of Pamela Mann. After experiencing the intelligence and sophistication of this film I had to see more and look into the world of Radley Metzger. His earlier films are European drenched soft core classics and his later films (under the name Henry Paris) are hardcore classics that are considered the best of the genre. What I love about Radley's work is just how classy and beautiful they are. Don't get me wrong I love 70's roughies where the sex is dirty and the characters are scuzzier than the toilet from Trainspotting but every so often, I do appreciate to be intellectually cared for. Basically, if you like 70's high end Italian cinema you should definitely seek him out. Films to look out for are Camile 2000, The Opening Of Misty Beethoven and Score amongst MANY others.

Umberto Lenzi

To many, Umberto Lenzi could be considered a hack director. This is entirely unfair because aside for being infamous for films like Cannibal Ferox and the fact that he has directed around 65 films over his career Lenzi is a true genius in my eyes. For those who primarily know him for his horror and cannibal stuff I would definitely suggest looking at his poliziotteschi efforts because they really do show just how amazingly talented Lenzi is as a director. You also just have to see the many interviews up on Youtube and you will definitely appreciate how his mind works. I love him for making films that gross me out and make me unintentionally laugh but I adore him for providing me with some of my Italian crime flicks. You should check out The Cynic, The Rat, The Fist, it's one of my personal favourites!

Lucio Fulci

Here is a director who needs know introduction to any of you gore hounds out there. All I need to say about Fulci is he was the king of gore and yeah, some of his films made no sense but man did he know how to make an interesting and entertaining film. I did a whole piece of him a couple of days a go (as of writing this) to celebrate his work on the anniversary of his death. Please check out that post if you are a Fulci fan. Films I would definitely urge you to check out are Conquest and Black Cat.

Michael Haneke

I remember first watching the Americanised shot for shot remake of Funny Games and really not liking it. Needless to say, my first taste of Haneke was a very bitter one. That was one of the many times in my life where I become a dick and disregarded his other work... until I actually watched it and actually see what he was trying to say in his films. After watching a couple of his films in my Film Studies course I thought it was only fair to give him a chance and I picked up the ten film box set from Artificial Eye. After watching more of his work and actually listening to interviews and what he has to say... I was just blown away and slapping myself at the same time. What Haneke does is challenge his audience both during and after most of his films. You are ultimately the person who has to finish the film the way you see it. At first I thought he was just a self obsessed academic who completely had his point lost in ridiculous cinematic moments but now I am finding myself spending hours reassessing the film I just watched. A director that pushes the boundaries but never goes past them just for the sake of it. Be careful what film you start with but highlights from his filmography include The Piano Teacher, Caché and Benny's Video. In fact do yourself a favour and pick up the fantastic box set from Artificial Eye!

Werner Herzog

The thing I love most about Herzog is how he can take a story or personal account, turn it into an almost documentary style film that has a sense of fantasy to it. I know bigger Herzogians than myself will probably be shouting "That's not what he is about!" but that's how his films make me feel. I will admit some of his recent documentary work such as Into The Abyss really doesn't do it for me and just feel like opinionated video essays more than anything. I am of course nitpicking. The term "dangerous filmmaker" gets thrown around a lot but it fits perfectly with Herzog... on a literal scale. The technical feats and dedication to his films Aquirre: The Wrath Of God and Fitzcarraldo shot in Peru are testament to that. Filming in an almost inaccessible location and living off the land to make a film is just astonishing. Herzog really throws himself into his films and doesn't take advantage of the director role. Giving up his rights to luxuries such as trailers and studio lackeys. His early films have a fractured and rough feel to them which appeals to me and talk about breathtaking visuals! Some of the most genuinely beautiful landscapes in cinema can be found in Herzog's films throughout. I have so much time and respect for Herzog and his films touch me in a way most others have never done so. My all time favourite has to be The Enigma Of Kasper Hauser and another one worth checking out is the beautiful Heart Of Glass.

PDx

My Day At The Munich Film Festival 2012

Recently, I spent the day in Munich for the Munich Film Festival 2012. The festival ran from the 29th June up until the 7th July. I went on the Thursday with my better half. It was thanks to her that i had this opportunity because she studies Film Criticism and students where able to get passes at a great discounted price. We ventured out with the intention of catching an early afternoon screening of a film called Le Cochon De Gaza ( English title not translated but under the name of When Pigs Have Wings) which was a German dubbed only version of a film about a man who lives between Israel and Palestine. He goes fishing and catches a pig.  Of course being between Palestine and Israel… Pigs aren't exactly the most "desirable" creatures, if you know what I mean. The film basically follows the guy becoming friends with the pig. Now, although that sounds hilarious, our tiredness took over so we slept for another hour. Yeah, shoot me. When we finally decided to set off, we took the train, enjoyed the scenery and finally made it to Munich which is a gorgeous city. Full of pretentious people but gorgeous all the same. After winning the battle with probably the most confusing train systems ever we finally made it to the building where we got our passes and to our joy, a nice big bag of swag.

Ooo... lovely bags o' swag!

My "Woody Allen" photo.

The cute handmade book showcasing Italian cinema.

The awesome chunky program.

 As you can see there was a hell of a lot of nice swag for Jeanny and I. Cosmetics that we could easily sell for €40+, some awesome 3D glasses from Sky, A hefty coffee table book version of the festival program, a cute little hand made notebook showcasing the Italian cinema at the festival and the mints and sweets. Not bad at all huh? That put a smile on our faces before we had even began to watch films. After marvelling at our swag for a while, we decided to work out what we wanted to watch so we could get tickets. Our main intention was to watch Killer Joe (William Friedkin) and 360 (Fernando Meirelles) as Jeanny needed to watch and critique these films for her course. Unfortunately, tickets where sold out so we had to look through the program and find some other films to watch. We found ourselves some nice little films.

WELCOME TO PINE HILL
(2012, dir: Keith Miller)

Now when you mention docudrama to me… I usually slap my face and sigh. Don't get me wrong, there are some fantastic examples out there but most of the time they are pretentious and dull. Welcome To Pine Hill however, did not fall under that description. The story follows a recently reformed drug dealer and gang member called Shannon Harper (actually played by himself) who has a somewhat steady job for an insurance company. Down the line he finds out some devastating news that makes him want to make peace with his past and the people he used to know and hang with. To tell you more about the story would do this film a real injustice. A powerful piece of film making that not only tells the devastating story of Shannon and the people in his life but also has an equally powerful message. From a technical point of view, this is a fantastically shot film, the handheld camera actually does what it intends to do and makes the audience feel (sometimes painfully and awkwardly" connected to Shannon's world. Minor complaints are some of the shots linger on too much which I understand symbolises the pain of our main character but it jet made the film run a little too long. Don't get me wrong, this film had me invested all the way through, especially with the fantastic, improvised performances from all the cast involved. Overall, this is one of the most genuinely touching and devastating films that I have seen in a long time and made me think a lot about some of the things in my life. You can't enjoy a film like this of course because the subject matter isn't enjoyable but this is a damn fine film that will have you hooked from start to finish. As far as I know, there is no information with regards to who owns the distribution rights for this film here in the UK for home release but all i can say is, there needs to be a deal done as soon as possible because people need to see this film. Thanks to this film I have also become aware of the Brooklyn Film Makers Collective. What more can I say about this film? It's not perfect by any means but it's a triumph all the same.

After being blown away by the screening we booked our tickets for the next film we wanted to watch but the screening was in a few hours so we decided to go for something to eat. Jeanny suggested a nice steakhouse called Maredo which is a chain in Germany. Being the hopeless, old fashioned romantic that I am, I thought it would be nice if we ate outside and absorbed the sunshine and the gorgeous architecture of Munich. That went well until we where struck by one of the most epic thunderstorms I have seen for a while. We fought the weather and finished our meal (which for me was a marinaded chicken steak with fries and a side dish of garlic bread… oh wait this isn't a food post!) like two mad people. So after defying a storm, we quickly made our way to our next screening which was a blast from the past.

The New Town Hall building and Orlando owned by the chef, Alfons Schubeck.

The "thunderous" view from Maredo.

 STORMY MONDAY
(1988, dir: Mike Figges)

As part of the film festival, one of the main events was honouring the work and career of Melanie Griffith. Aside from this film there where a few other titles being screened. Films such as Something Wild as Working Girl to name just a couple. Now, why pick a film like this to watch at a festival? Well let me put it this way. You have a cast that mainly consists of Sting, Tommy Lee Jones, Sean Bean and Melanie Griffith and it's set in Newcastle! How could we not spend the night watching a film from the 80's that stars Sting and is set in Newcastle? I won't go into much detail regarding the story as this is a fairly old film that's been reviewed time and time again by better reviewers than I. All I will say is that is a great little story about corruption, betrayal, death and jazz! You have got Sting playing as a cool, foul mouthed owner of a jazz club (yes, there is a scene with Sting playing the double bass). Sean Bean who plays as your average Joe who gets a job cleaning at Sting's club… but becomes his right hand man. Tommy Lee Jones plays as a witty, sharp Texan businessman who wants Sting's club and you have Mlelanie Griffith who plays as call girl who sleeps with people for Tommy Lee Jones but falls in love with Sean Bean. Yeah, I'm sure you can see what happens. What you have is a funny, smart drama that is worth a watch if you haven't done so already. Has that classic, late 80's English film that you all know and love. Not bad at all…. did I mention it stars Sting?

Arty shot of the lights on the screen before watching Stormy Monday.

Well, those where the films that I caught at the Munich Filmfest. Yeah, I could have gone to other days but Jeanny was away for the first few days and could you imagine me trying to navigate Germany's  rail system? I could have joined Jeanny for the Friday but let's just say my stomach decided to be a mean son of a bitch so I had to stay at home… thank goodness I have a cute cat to keep me company. Overall, I enjoyed my day there and looking through the program, I have so much inspiration for films to watch.

Please click the links below regarding the films mentioned and website for the film festival itself. Hopefully, next time I will go for more than just a day and fingers crossed I will find some more awesome festivals to go to.

Thanks,
PDx

Munich Filmfest Site
Teaser For Welcome To Pine Hill
Stormy Monday Trailer