Vadims impressive horror film is equal to other revered classics made at the same time such as georges franjus eyes without. But for those who care about film history, know that blood and roses did it first. Oct 12, 2011 by the time he began work on blood and roses, their marriage was already crumbling. Young carmilla is jealous of her friends engagement, and her obsession leads her to the tomb of a female vampire. Blood and roses, a recreation of the same sheridan le fanu novella that inspired dreyers vampyr, is a high point of the genre. Blood and roses is a horror film directed by roger vadim. The media target distribution gmbh pal region 2 dvd of. Though sapphic bloodsuckers have been around since the mid19th century, the 60s and 70s saw sexploitation merge with horror to create a new genre.
The film involves a portraitist named frederick lansac philippe lemaire wanting to restore his annes anny duperey face to its former beauty after it was disfigured in an accident. The actresses were beautiful and the mixture of romance and vampires was unusual and hauntingly lovely. Mel ferrer, elsa martinelli, annette stroyberg, alberto bonucci, renejean chauffard, gabriella. My familiarity with vadim was far from complete, but i thought i had a. She cannot seem to enjoy her daily life any longer as all she can think. Blood and roses was based on the famous and muchfilmed 19th century vampire novella carmilla. Yes, blood and roses is an art film, albeit a horrorart film. Blood and roses 1960 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
The vampire possesses her and leads her to kill and terrorize the inhabitants. May 20, 2008 not quite magic realism, not quite fantasy, blood roses is a series of short stories that have the quality of a beautiful hallucination. That film was blood and roses, a terrific technicolor gothic blood and roses. This elegant, classy, european vampire film is not available on dvd, only cruddy vhs. Thoughts on blood and roses 1960 blood and roses 1960 posters and stills are the property of.
The end result is a perfect mix of the two where the fantastical elements are subtle yet just enough that you can interpret it either way. Europuddings rating of the film blood and roses a gorgeous masterpiece. Francesca lia block takes the hellish insecurity of being a teenager and gives those anxieties physical form. Carmilla is a beautiful young lady who lives in a dark and desolate world. Blood and roses dvd 1960 uncut version dvd synopsis and information. Oct 10, 2009 this elegant, classy, european vampire film is not available on dvd, only cruddy vhs. This very loose reimagining of carmilla and set in then contemporary times film has one serious flaw. That film was blood and roses, a terrific technicolor gothic scope concoction released by paramount in a version running a suspiciously short 74 minutes.
Blood and roses, related to the wars of the roses, by helen castor and based on 15thcentury letters blood and roses song by the smithereens. Rumors abounded immediately that various european countries had gotten an alternate cut rife with more explicit lesbianism and nudity, a. Before their split, stroyberg completed one more film with vadim, an adaptation of irish author j. Blood rose 1970 a french painter philippe lemaire makes a plastic surgeon howard vernon fix his scarred wife anny duperey with illgotten grafts. So strong was that belief that the peasants revolted in 1765 and, led by the village priest, invaded the karnstein cemetery, drove stakes through the hearts of all the inhabitants and burned every corpse. The roger vadim film blood and roses is definitely worth a look. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Blood and roses is a 1960 roger vadim film involving vampirism. I was captivated by its ethereal, romantic quality. If this lends a despondent feeling to the film, its only to the storys benefit.
I can still remember the atmosphere and gentle horror that permeate the film. Blood and roses 1960 flickers in timeflickers in time. Sheridan lefanus vampire novel, carmilla, which he filmed as blood and roses 1960. There is a certain condescension towards horror films that i detect and a feeling that the director thought im slumming but ill show those ignorant horror films fans how its done properly. I saw vadims blood and roses in germany while stationed there in the 1960 s. Even with a trailer tracked with library music from teenagers from outer space, roger vadims gorgeous and sexy prebava eurohorror is one of the coolest, most unjustly neglected vampire pix of. I particularly loved the musical score, which was outstanding. Blood and roses wont convince you of its story if you have trouble suspending disbelief. Nov 27, 2017 thoughts on blood and roses 1960 blood and roses 1960 posters and stills are the property of. The vampire possesses her and leads her to kill and terrorize the inhabitants of the estate. If all youre interested in is major revelations, move along. A woman is reincarnated in the body of carmilla, whose unrequited love for her cousin leads her to seduce his fiancee. Classic french horror film from director roger vadim, based on the vampire novella carmilla. Blood and roses is a predominantly visual exodus through some very subtle psychological territory.
Overview of blood and roses, 1961, directed by roger vadim, with mel ferrer, elsa martinelli, annette vadim, at turner classic movies. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comic con sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Blood and roses 1960 a lonely and bitter young heiress jealous of her cousins engagement to another woman becomes dangerously obsessed with legends surrounding a vampire ancestor, who supposedly murdered the young brides of the man she loved. One of her only friends is about to get married, and rather than be happy for her friend, carmilla is instead bitter and filled with extreme jealousy. On the eve of her cousins wedding, glamorous aristocrat carmilla tells a tale about the history of vampires in her family, all of whom were destroyed hundreds of years ago, except for one. Youll either accept the film on its own terms, or you wont. This color film is also noteworthy for including a scene presented in black and white and red. During the movie, the lusty carmilla first jumps a young maid, and then her beautiful cousin. It was produced for the art house crowd, not for grindhouses and driveins.
Dec 24, 2015 but for those who care about film history, know that blood and roses did it first. The couple was divorced in 1960 after the birth of their daughter, nathalie, who would herself become an actress in later years. Blood and roses is a film directed by roger vadim with mel ferrer, elsa martinelli, annette vadim, renejean chauffard, year. Nov 12, 2011 classic french horror film from director roger vadim, based on the vampire novella carmilla. This one of my favorite movies, and one of the most accomplished vampire films ever made. The french version sets out to be both a vampire film and an ambiguous psychodrama. I cant think of a classic horror movie that id like to see restored and released on dvd more than vadims blood and. Blood and roses was released in france on 14 september 1960. Mar 16, 2010 im happy that segments of it have finally been made available on cd but it would be nice to see the soundtrack for blood and roses released in its entirety along with a restored print of the film made available on dvd. Actually, it exudes a rather classy atmosphere peculiar to french horror cinema, and though the film may be lacking logic at times, it is a compelling mixture of elegant sleaze and gothic eeriness, similar to other mondo macabro releases such as mill of the stone women 1960, the diabolical dr. Vadim claimed she was having an affair with a pop singer. One of the most beautiful horror films ever, and way overdue on dvd. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from blood and roses at the discogs marketplace. It is based on the novella carmilla 1872 by irish writer sheridan le fanu, shifting the books setting in 19thcentury styria to the film s 20thcentury italy.