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Nude Vampire (The) AKA La Vampire nue AKA Naked Vampire (The) (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (4th April 2024). |
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The Film
 Jean Rollin’s second feature film, and his first in colour, The Nude Vampire (La Vampire nue) finds the master of the fantastique combining his trademark erotic-vampire themes with an homage to the mystery serials of his youth. When Pierre (Olivier Martin), the son of a wealthy industrialist, witnesses a beautiful woman (Caroline Cartier) being pursued and captured by men in bizarre masks, he decides to investigate, uncovering a sinister vampire cult... Starring Caroline Cartier (Lumière), veteran French character actors Bernard Musson (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) and Paul Bisciglia (The Demoniacs), Lettrist artist Maurice Lemaître (co-writer of Rollin’s The Iron Rose) and Rollin regulars Olivier Martin (The Rape of the Vampire) and twins Cathy and Marie-Pierre Castel (Lips of Blood), The Nude Vampire is one of Jean Rollin’s most eccentric and effective works.
Video
For my money, one of Rollin's most successful and interesting films and it adds elements of science fiction to the gothic mix he'd used in his first feature film, The Rape of the Vampire (1967). Previous editions of this film had been decent but littered - if memory serves - with minor evidence of age related dirt and damage. This new restoration looks the business, like the film was shot brand new yesterday in rich, vivid colour with primaries, mainly red, having a vivid presence. It's a smashing looking film, on its best behaviour here. From the booklet: The Nude Vampire was scanned, restored and colour corrected in 4K HDR at Renasci Films, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. A combination of MTIThe colours are shockingly strong with healthy flesh tones; if you've seen any of Rollin's colour films from the '70s you know what to expect. Greens are lush and blacks deep with fine shadow detail although there are some moments of intended crush. Contrast is punchy and supportive of detail, giving the image plenty of dynamic range. Detail is strong on all focal planes; there's plenty of rich fabrics worn by the cast and used in set dressing and one can see the fibres in close ups. As with all of these Powerhouse Films presentations, incredibly strong and top marks for the format ('A+') (obviously the 4K UHD BD version will add HDR) 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.66:1 / 84:51
Audio
French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit) (The Vampire Nue) English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 (48kHz, 16-bit) (The Nude Vampire) Subtitles: English (optional, The Vampire Nue), English HoH (The Nude Vampire) These mono tracks are about as good as the technology of the time will allow and given the low budget Rollin worked with. Dialogue is always crisp and clear as are the simple sound effects that punctuate the action. Music never interferes with coherence. It's a primitive track by today's standards but does it's job well even if it lacks great range. I only sampled the .english dub which isn't worth bothering with. Technically it's on a par with the production sound French track, which was the language spoken by the cast. Optional subtitles are excellent and, along with the hard of hearing subs, are also extremely comprehensive cover8mg 100% of the dialogue as far as I can tell (my French ain't good) ('B+').
Extras
Audio commentary "The vampire nue" with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby (2024) Lyons and Rigby are ubiquitous figures when it comes to extras on various disc formats going back twenty years or so. They obviously know, are comfortable with and play off well, with each other. This is (I think) the first Eurohorror film they have both appeared commentating on. I stand to be corrected however. In any case, their usual warm, chatty and informative commentary is a great accompaniment. Filled with facts, trivia etc. Presented in lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps). "Jean Rollin Introduces La vampire nue" 1998 introduction (5:26) Another one of those odd little segments with excerpts from two different interviews one of which has Rollin ... and sat beside him on the settee is a weird, silent guy holding a mask over his face. He covers the film with brief discussion of his thinking about the film with anne dotes from its making. The interviews are in English, the clips in French. Upscaled 1080p24 1.66:1 with lossy English and French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps) with optional English subtitles for any French language clips and onscreen captions. "Le Passage: La Vampire nue" 2024 version of a 2016 documentary (8:54) Revised version of a short documentary featurette about The Nude Vampire with the late Natalie Perry, Rollin's assistant and actress in his films, filmmaker Jean-Noël Delamarre and journalist Jean-Pierre Bouyxou. Presented in upscaled 1080p24 1.66:1 with lossy French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps) and with optional English subtitles. "Fragment of a Dialogue Between Jean Rollin & Daniel Gouyette" 1998-2003 interviews (19:23) Fragments of interviews with Rollin discussing various films of his; upscaled 1080p24 1.66:1 with lossy English and French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 112Kbps) with optional English subtitles for any French language clips and onscreen captions. "An Anarchist Vampire in Paris: Lucas Balbo on Jean Rollin and the Fédération Anarchiste" 2024 interview (5:26) Balbo's dad was a photographer and printer and Rollin came to him to print the press book for The Nude Vampire for him and it was through this connection that Balbo became aquatinted with Rollin and his work. In this short featurette he recounts the film's connections to the Fédération Anarchiste, which online sources tell me is "an anarchist federation in France, Belgium and Switzerland. It is a member of the International of Anarchist Federations since the latter's establishment in 1968." presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 112Kbps); no subtitles for the hard of hearing. "Countercultural Gothic: Virginie Sélavy on The Nude Vampire" 2024 interview (10:02) Universal horrors, the works of Georges Franju and Paul Delvaux and mystery stories are the big influences on The Nude Vampire according to Sélavy. She discusses the cast, with special mention of Maurice Lemaître who was one of the first literary and filmic figures to take an interest in Rollin and his work. Also mentioned are the presence of Rollin's brother Olivier and the first appearance of the Castel twins, Marie-Pierre and Catherine. She discusses the story with it's whiff of science fiction, the various gothic themes and Rollin being a member of Fédération Anarchiste. It's a packed little presentation and like Sélavy's other pieces on Rollin on other discs, excellent. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 112Kbps); no subtitles for the hard of hearing. Original French Theatrical Trailer (3:42) Original English Theatrical Trailer (3:43) Vintage promos presented in 1080p24 1.66:1 with lossy French and English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (48kHz, 192Kbps) and optional English subtitles on the French trailer only. Image Galleries: - The Nude Vampire Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (103 images) - The Nude Vampire Image Gallery: Behind the Scenes (58 images) - The Nude Vampire Image Gallery: Additional Photography (43 images) 205 HD images in a stacked collection of material on the film. 80-page book with a new essay by David Jenkins, an archival introduction by director Jean Rollin, archival interviews with Rollin from 1973 and 1996, a look at the work of Lettrist artist, filmmaker, and Rollin collaborator Maurice Lemaître, including his 1967 election manifesto, an overview of contemporary critical responses and full film credits All of these Powerhouse-Rollin presentations get the deluxe 80-page book treatment and this one is well up to standard. We have the new essay by Jenkins which is typically thoughtful and the usual excellent interview segments with Rollin. But, most interesting is the piece on Lemaître; a figure I was previous.y unaware of.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
One of Rollin's best, most consistent works gets the deluxe restoration and presentation treatment from Powerhouse Films in a new 4K restoration. Image and sound are as good as can be (the 4K UHD BD will top even this superb BD with the addition of HDR). Extras are excellent with a sparkling new commentary and all previous bits and pieces culled from releases going back to the late '90s. Essential for all fans of Rollin, horror, film and Eurohorror ... who *get* Rollin and who appreciate his idiosyncratic charms ('A+').
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