THE NUDE VAMPIRE
Naked ambition
released OUT NOW! 1970 | 18 | Blu-ray
Director Jean rollin Cast Olivier Martin, Maurice lemaitre, Caroline Cartier, ly letrong
It would be easy to dismiss Jean Rollin’s work as the epitome of the male gaze. His second film, The Nude Vampire, can feel queasily exploitative at times, roving hungrily over the bodies of naked or kinkily-attired young women. Yet there are just as many moments when it feels like a forgotten gothic fairytale, its castles and candelabras placed thoughtfully among fetish shots.
When a young man called Pierre comes across a beautiful runaway one evening, he tries to save her from menacing figures in animal masks. His noble intentions are thwarted, however, and the woman is taken to a cavernous townhouse where wealthy guests idolise her beauty and scientists experiment with her blood.
Proceeding with the cool, detached air of a dream, The Nude Vampire slips from the dark streets of Paris to the rooms of a country chateau. Even the violence feels like a fey occurrence. And while its stilted dialogue and strange fashions may provoke giggles, it’s always strangely beautiful. Just wait until you see Christine François break free from her shackles to descend a staircase littered with the bodies of dead men, her long red hair and diaphanous orange gown echoing the Victorian painting Flaming June – it’s hard not to shiver.
Extras Trailers. Kimberley Ballard
Filming a scene where she falls down a flight of stairs, one of the cast members managed to knock herself out!