Review based on the 90-minutes long version, le viol du vampire.
My initial thought, in the first few seconds of this, is that it looks more like a zombie movie, with people stumbling and fumbling about in a wooded swamp area, instead of a vampire movie.
It became obvious to me early, that this was not going to work as a cohesive whole, but a collection of images: some of them, incredibly beautiful and mezmerising; others, just baffling. Even the baffling images piqued my interest and held my attention.
Example: four chicks in white robes, carrying flaming torches during broad daylight is the next sight, and eventual implications that they are vampires. Later, two of the girls in white robes dueling with épées late at night, while fire burns brightly behind them is another incredible bit of black-and-white imagery. The fire is blown out to the point where it almost looks like black-and-white infrared images.
A favourite, particularly striking, scene occurs approximately 11.30 minutes in, with white-robed brunette carrying a candelabra, walking barefoot upstairs to the rooftop, now shown in high contrast black-and-white. A stunningly beautiful hallucination of an image.
Film seems to be merely an excuse to showcase bizarre visuals, wipes and camera angels, and is all the more better for it. Forget about the plot (if there ever was one) this movie is about visuals. I love this movie for its haunting imagery: the old scarecrow and crosses placed around the Château to keep these alleged vampires inside. The château itself is sprawling and immense; some of it is bathed in sunlight, while other parts of it are in dark shadows, from massive overgrowth.
I cannot decide about its music score, however, which is overpowering, but at the same time, serves to make the film more surreal.
My initial thought, in the first few seconds of this, is that it looks more like a zombie movie, with people stumbling and fumbling about in a wooded swamp area, instead of a vampire movie.
It became obvious to me early, that this was not going to work as a cohesive whole, but a collection of images: some of them, incredibly beautiful and mezmerising; others, just baffling. Even the baffling images piqued my interest and held my attention.
Example: four chicks in white robes, carrying flaming torches during broad daylight is the next sight, and eventual implications that they are vampires. Later, two of the girls in white robes dueling with épées late at night, while fire burns brightly behind them is another incredible bit of black-and-white imagery. The fire is blown out to the point where it almost looks like black-and-white infrared images.
A favourite, particularly striking, scene occurs approximately 11.30 minutes in, with white-robed brunette carrying a candelabra, walking barefoot upstairs to the rooftop, now shown in high contrast black-and-white. A stunningly beautiful hallucination of an image.
Film seems to be merely an excuse to showcase bizarre visuals, wipes and camera angels, and is all the more better for it. Forget about the plot (if there ever was one) this movie is about visuals. I love this movie for its haunting imagery: the old scarecrow and crosses placed around the Château to keep these alleged vampires inside. The château itself is sprawling and immense; some of it is bathed in sunlight, while other parts of it are in dark shadows, from massive overgrowth.
I cannot decide about its music score, however, which is overpowering, but at the same time, serves to make the film more surreal.