Truffaut

 

THE BRIDE WORE BLACK-1968-A mysterious, alluring woman (Jeanne Moreau) kills several men seemingly at random. As the story progresses we learn her reasons why. Thanks to one guy's lying kid, the police arrest the wrong person but she clears her. Unusual suspense revenge tale with an interesting ending, co-written and directed by Francois Truffaut and based on a story by Cornell Woolrich (Hitchcock's REAR WINDOW was also based on one of his stories).

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Funny In France

 

 (imdb)

AS LONG AS YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH-1966-This French Anthology serves up several tales. In the first “Insomnia”, a man can't sleep so he reads a horror novel about a vampire. Little things scare him. Finally, he falls asleep but his sleeping wife has a surprise. In “The Movies”, a movie goer finds it hard to get a good seat in a theater. Then he finds himself in the middle of a bunch of crazy commercials. Next is “As Long As You Have Your Health”. A street construction upsets a man's life and those around him with their constant jack-hammering and goes on to show hectic city life with comical bits. The last is “Into The Woods No More”. A hunter tries to shoot rabbits but humans keep getting in the way while a man and woman search for a picnic spot with disastrous results. 

Director Pierre Etaix (who also stars in one episode) was also an actor who had many roles including one in Jerry Lewis' mysterious THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED (1972).

Merci de lire!

Happy Father's Day!

 

 (imdb)

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER-1928-A man named Alan (Charles Lamy) is summoned to the home of his friend Roderick Usher (Jean Debucourt), who lives in seclusion with his wife Madeline (Marguerite Gance). Rod-erick is obsessed with a portrait of his wife. When he thinks she has died he accidentally buries her alive. She breaks free of her tomb and comes back to haunt hubby. 

This adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story is very experimental in nature with many eerie and nightmarish scenes. Luis Bunuel is credited with the adaptation, a year before he and Salvador Dali made UN CHIEN ANDALOU, although it's unclear how much he contributed to the final film as he and director-producer Jean Epstein had an argument during the production and Bunuel left, leaving the director to make several changes in the story. Lead actress Gance was married to director Abel Gance (who appears as a bar patron) at the time and had appeared in his NAPOLEON the year before. This French production runs about 13 minutes. Another version was produced in the US in 1929.

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Very Cold

 

 (imdb)

COLD SKIN-2017-Interesting but ultimately disappointing Lovecraft inspired horror set on an island where a man (David Oakes) has come to be the new watchtower keeper. He meets a guy named Gruner (Ray Stevenson) who says the last keeper is dead. Strange sea creatures terrorize them. It's all downhill from there. 

This French/Spanish co-production was directed by Xaiver Gens (HITMAN (2007).

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France

 

 (imdb)

THE BLOOD ROSE-1970-While waiting on a doctor's report, famous painter Frederic Lansac (Phillippe Lemarie; SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968)) reflects on his relationship with Moira (Elizabeth Teissier). They become lovers but through a costume party Moira throws he meets Anne (Anny Duperey), and it's love at first sight. They go off to his chateau on the outskirts. Ann likes the place and wants to live there even after meeting Igor and Olaf, two little people Frederic's parents took in and allowed them to stay years before. Frederic and Anne decide to marry and plan a big medieval wedding. 

Unfortunately, a snubbed angry Moira shows up and backs Anne into a bonfire. She's set ablaze. The doctor's verdict, Anne will live but has to be confined to a wheelchair and is terribly scarred and of course bitter and mean. Frederic has become a little demented himself and can't paint but he's totally devoted to Anne. He has to hire a nurse Agnes (Michelle Perello), to take care of Anne while he's away. Frederic enlists the aid of a former doctor now turned botanist Prof. Romer (Dr. Orloff himself, Howard Vernon) who he later sort of blackmails into agreeing to cure his wife. They find a suitable donor in Agnes but Olaf and Igor accidentally kill her. Fortunately for Frederic, Agnes' sister Barbara (Olivia Robin) arrives looking for her. She becomes the new donor. After Romer is visited by a police inspector, he goes off to do the transplant. But he can't bring himself to cutting up Barbara. The rather sadistic ending includes some unintentional humor. 

French director Claude Mulot sometimes used the pseudonym Frederic Lansac on some of his films.

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It's Alive?

 

 (imdb)

THE STRANGE LIFE OF DR. FRANKENSTEIN-2018-Bizarre little documentary is not so much about the character of Dr. Frankenstein as it us about Mary Shelley's reasons and influences on writing her famous novel. Several writer-historians (and a plastic surgeon) give their opinions. Although they all don't really seem happy with it, Karloff as the monster is used a lot. Some modern-day mad scientists are also touched on like Vladimir Demikhov and his two headed dog experiments, Robert White and his monkey head transplants, Luigi Galvani's experiments with electricity and Eugenics freak Alex Carrel. This French production was directed by Jean Froment.

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Poe X 3

 

 (imdb)

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD-1968-3 tales loosely based on stories by the legendary Edgar Allen Poe by 3 different directors. 

The first is "Metzengerstein" by Roger Vadim, about a cruel countess (Jane Fonda) whose life of debauchery is changed by the death of her mysterious cousin (Peter Fonda) and a wild horse he owned. "William Wilson" by Louis Malle is about a psychotic man (Alain Delon) plagued by another man who has the same name. He plays cards with a woman (Bridgitte Bardot) and wins by cheating. To pay her debt, he whips her but the other Wilson exposes him. They have a duel; both end up dying. "Toby Dammit" by Federico Fellini is about a burnout film star (Terence Stamp) who agrees to be in an Italian movie because the producers promise to give him a Ferrari in lieu of payment. It seems to be a plot by the devil, in the guise of a sinister little girl, to get his head. 

Strange trilogy that could have been better. Despite the three directors, it's missing something. Originally, Orson Welles and/or Luis Bunel were supposed to direct a segment. When AIP released it in the US it had opening narration by Vincent Price.

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France

 

 

 

 (imdb)

A TASTE FOR WOMEN-1964-Jerome (Guy Bedos), a writer meets Violette (Sophie Daumier) by accident and falls madly in love with her. Many stupid events happen when he's around including two murders. It all leads to a secret sect that eats women. I found this black comedy from France very annoying and unfunny, but you might like it.

 It's the only feature directed by Jean Leon, assistant director to Alain Resnais on HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR and LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD.

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French Horror

 

 (letterboxd.com)

CARNIVAL OF SINNERS-1943-At a Parisian inn full of disgruntled guests, a mysterious man (Pierre Fresnay; THE GRAND ILLUSION) with an artificial hand relates the story of how he bought a cursed hand from the devil to become a famous painter. He spends the rest of the story trying to get rid of it. Previous owners include a musketeer, a thief, a juggler, a magician, a surgeon, a boxer and the chef who sold it to the painter. 

Clever but seldom seen French horror directed by Maurice Tourneur, father of future director Jacques.

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French Short

 

 (imdb)

VOYAGE TO THE SKY-1937-Early French documentary about an imaginary trip to the moon, Mars and the outer reaches of the universe with philosophical narration. Pretty cool and ahead of its time short (11 mins) by A.P. Dufour and Jean Painleve.

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Judex

 

JUDEX-1963-A rich banker Favraux (Michel Vitold) receives threatening letters. If he does not hand over half his fortune to charity before midnight he will die. They are signed by the mysterious Judex (The Judge). It turns out Favraux isn't so nice and made his money because of a scandal. He even runs down an old man who went to prison because of Favraux's shenanigans. He hires a PI to investigate and find out who's sending the letters before a party announcing the engagement of his daughter Jacqueline (Edith Scob) who has a child, Alice. 

The PI finds out the daughter isn't really happy with the engagement and Favraux wants to marry his granddaughter's governess (Francine Berge') but she has a lover. At the party at the stroke of midnight Favraux appears to die. Later his lawyer informs Jacqueline of her dad's nefarious deeds which involved blackmail. The next day she renounces her fortune and breaks her engagement (he was a gold digger anyway). 

However things are not as they seem. The mysterious Judex (American magician/actor Channing Pollock) is watching everything. Favraux is not dead, merely drugged and taken back to Judex's lair as is the old man who's life Judex saved. Judex planned on killing Favraux because his threats were not followed but because of his daughter's actions Judex allows the banker to live but be imprisoned forever. Meanwhile the governess and her lover break into the Favraux's house to steal the incriminating papers he possessed (she had been eavesdropping). They don't get the papers but try to kidnap daughter. They are thwarted by a pack of dogs belonging to Judex who gives Jacqueline a bunch of pigeons to release if she is ever in danger. The governess surmises Favraux is still alive and being held captive. 

There's several twists and Judex doesn't always get the upper hand. Though there is sound it's presented like a silent movie with title cards and frequent fade outs. This figures because this French film is based on a silent film and is dedicated to the original director Louis Feuillade. It was director by Georges Franju three years after his classic EYES WITHOUT A FACE (which also starred Scob).

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Short But To The Point

  (TCM.com)

THE ERL KING-1931-A man races on horse back through a forest with his dying son but death in the form of the lurking Erl King (elf king) pursues them. This early French sound film (based on a novel Goethe) features crude but effective sfx. It was made in France by Marie-Lousie Iribe, a former actress who formed her own film company and directed her own movies. Highly recommended.

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Francostein Monster

 

THE (EROTIC) RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN-1973-Just as Dr. Frankenstein (Dennis Price) and assistant Morpho (your director Jess Franco) have resurrected the monster, Cagliostro (Howard Vernon) and Melisa (Anna Libert), his vampire bird-girl kill them and take the monster. Before he dies Frankenstein asks Dr. Seward (Alberto Dalbes) to save the monster ("my legacy"). 

At the doc's funeral Seward meets Vera Frankenstein (Beatriz Savon) who at night steals her dad's corpse with the help of her nurse. She brings dad back to life for a few minutes and he tells her to get his monster back. She vows revenge against Cagliostro. Later Melisa has the monster kidnap a woman and in a bizarre ceremony the woman's head is severed from her body while Cagliostro and un-dead ghouls look on. When the monster kidnaps an artist's model, it meets Vera who convinces him to take her instead of the model. Held prisoner, Vera beats a henchman in a cruel game where the henchman winds up impaled. Cagliostro hypnotizes Vera so she will obey him. He wants to build a mate for the monster and start a new race. Meanwhile Steward and a police inspector investigate. 

Poor dead Dr. Frankenstein is found and brought to life once more by Steward but the doc attacks Steward until the inspector throws acid on him. Then using "magnetic rays and an incisor machine", Vera helps make the perfect mate. Melisa goes into a blood frenzy on a hapless victim. Before the monster can consummate with "his bride" Steward convinces him/it to turn against Cagliostro and his minions. He kills Melisa and tries to do in Vera but the inspector shoots him. Laughing madly Cagliostro escapes and Vera warns he'll return….

Mindless but entertaining Spanish-France horror mess from Franco who also made a "hotter" version  with more nudity (not an uncommon move for for the director). Franco (1920-2013)  made upwards of 10 movies in 1973!

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More Hammer

 

MANIAC-1963-In the French region of The Camargue a pervert named Janello (Arnold Diamond) rapes a local girl Annette (Lillane Brousse). Her father finds him before the police do and he proceeds to torture and kill the guy with a blowtorch. 4 years later an American painter Jeff Farrell (Kerwin Matthews, THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD) decides to spend some time in a small village after breaking up with his girlfriend. He rents a room from Mme Eve Beynat (Nadia Grey) who also runs a saloon with her step-daugther Annette, who Jeff is first attracted to. Later he has an affair with Eve. She tells him her husband Henri (Don Houston) is in a mental hospital and if Jeff wants her to be free they will have to help him escape from the hospital. Jeff agrees. They pick him up and drop him off at a pier. Later Jeff discovers a dead body in the trunk of their car. They deduce it is a male nurse who helped Georges get away. At night they dump the body. An inspector investigates. There's a few twists in this kind of forgotten little Hammer thriller written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Michael Carreras, the boss' son. Nice finale.

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International

I BASTARDI-(THE BASTARD)-1968-In New Mexico, Jason (Giuliano Gemma) and Adam (Klaus Kinski) are jewel thieves brothers. When the milk drinking Jason won't give up the jewels he stole Adam has him beaten up and tricks him into revealing where the stash is. It also turns out Jason's girlfriend Karen (Margret Lee) is Adam's lover. Adam has Jason's shooting hand maimed and leaves him to wander in the desert where he's taken in by ranch owner Barbara (Claudine Auger) who teaches him to write with his other hand. They become lovers but all the while Jason is plotting his revenge. After they rob an armored car Jason visits his weird alcoholic mother (Rita Hayworth). He goes for revenge but there's an earthquake. While Karen is killed, Adam survives, rescued by his baby brother who then shoots Adam to death. Jason is in turn shot (soundlessly) by his mother. 

This Italian German France co-production directed by Duccio Tessari isn't very good but any movie with Klaus Kinski playing the son of Rita Hayworth is all right with me. Joan Crawford was originally suppose to play the Hayworth role but dropped out over complaints about the script.

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Chan In Darkness

CHARLIE CHAN IN THE CITY OF DARKNESS-1939-In France during a WW2 blackout Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates the murder of a shady industrialist Petroff (Douglass Dumbrille). Chan is actually helping the chief inspector's bumbling assistant Spivak (Harold Huber) .The story involves a counterfeiter (Leo G Carroll), a couple fleeing a blackmail charge (Lynn Bari & Richard Clarke) and the dead man’s Butler (Pedro De Cordoba). An illegal munitions shipment is at the bottom of it all. This is one of the few movies where Chan is really roughed up when he's taken prisoner by the counterfeiter and his henchman (Lon Chaney Jr). The real spies are killed and the one who murdered Petroff is hailed as a hero. It ends with the police chief receiving a telegram declaring “There will be no war!”. But Chan isn't optimistic saying before  the fade out “Beware of spider who invite fly into parlor”. 

This entry had too much of the idiotic Spivak.. It was almost like a try out for his own series and made me long for Jimmy! Like a few other directors, this is Herbert Leeds only foray in Chan country but he “geared” up for it making MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND the same year. He also made a few “Cisco Kid” films and the WW2 propaganda film MANILA CALLING.

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Lupin!

ARSENE LUPIN-1932-Dueling Barrymores! Lionel is a French detective trying to catch the master jewel thief Arsene Lupin. John is the Duke of Charmerace who may actually be Lupin. There's some clever dialogue but the story is rather drawn out. Like many early talkies it suffers from being more like a filmed play. Also with Karen Morley, John Miljan, Tully Marshall and in un-credited roles Mischa Auer and Joe Sawyer.

The Lupin character was created by French author Maurice Leblanc (a contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle)  in 1905. He wrote several Lupin stories that spawned sequels by other authors, films, a TV show and even an Anime series from Japan!


Director Jack Conway had directed many silent films and the "talkie" remake of THE UNHOLY THREE with Lon Chaney. He later made high profile films like A TALE OF TWO CITIES, VIVA VILLA and DRAGON SEED. 


The same year as AL both Barrymore brothers were featured in GRAND HOTEL and with their sister Ethel in RASPUTIN AND THE PRINCESS (the only film to feature all 3 siblings). 


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Short Them

THEM-2006-Excellent suspenseful French production. A man and woman in a country home are terrorized by unknown intruders. It’s very tense and better than anything produced in the US in the 10 years. The filmmakers seem to say it was based on a true story but I don’t know for sure. See it anyway! 

The two directors (David Moreau and Xaiver Palud) later made the US version of THE EYE.

Sorry this review was so short but the year is winding down and so am I!

Happy New Year once again and thanks for reading!

From France

HIGH TENSION-2003-Two college students Marie and Alexia go to stay at Alexia’s family’s country home. At night a truck driving killer breaks in and slays the family taking Alexia hostage. Marie manages to evade the killer and sets out to get Alexia back. This is a violent and suspenseful French thriller but the POV camera work and climax are a cheat with several plot holes that made the whole thing disappointing (at least for me).

Director Alexandre Aja did the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES in the US 2 years later and made another remake PIRANHA 3-D in 2010.

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Great Eyes!

EYES WITHOUT A FACE-1960-It’s cool to see this intriguing French art film with horror trappings restored to it’s original version with English sub-titles, after only seeing it cut and dubbed on late night TV in the early ‘70’s.

A plastic surgeon tries to repair his daughter’s disfigured face (described by one character as “an open wound”). Unfortunately he must kill unsuspecting women to achieve this. The daughter (Edith Scob) usually wears a white faceless mask and doesn’t want her father to continue his “cure”. She only seems happy with the dogs her father keeps locked in the basement for experimental use. Alda Valdi (from THE THIRD MAN) plays the doctor’s assistant.

The director Georges Franju made other feature length films after this but at the time was known for a controversial short. He was known in France for co-founding the film archive Cinematheque Française.

EYES was released in the US (and on TV) under the more exploitable title THE HORROR CHAMBER OF DR. FAUSTUS which probably disappointed a lot of horror fans who saw it.

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."-George Washington

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