LA MORTE VIVANTE

LA MORTE VIVANTE

(a.k.a. THE LIVING DEAD GIRL)

A van pulls up outside an old chateau one sunny afternoon. Two men struggle to carry a large vat of chemicals down into the castle's vaults. Once they have stored the barrel in place, they make their way deeper into the vault and toward two coffins where the building's previous owner and her daughter Catherine (Francoise Blanchard, CALIGULA AND MESSALINA; REVOLT IN THE HOUSE OF USHER) rest.

The two men begin to prise the coffin lids open, hoping to loot the corpses of the priceless jewellery they are said to have been buried with.

But a minor earthquake causes the chemical barrel to topple and leak - the fumes emanating from it reaching Catherine's cadaver and re-animating it. Moments later, one of the men has had his eyes gouged out, while the other's throat has been torn apart.

The action then cuts to an American couple visiting their favourite cafe, only to find it has closed for an hour while the owners repair the damage the earthquake has caused. The couple decide to pass their time by venturing to a nearby field and taking some photographs. Barbara (Carina Barone, EROTIC TALES) spies a wistful Catherine walking barefoot through the distant undergrowth, and is immediately intrigued by her demeanour.

Catherine finds her way to her old home's main entrance and lets herself in. She hides while an estate agent shows a couple of prospective buyers around the premises. While taking cover upstairs, Catherine finds a music box that reminds her of her childhood friend Helene (Marina Pierro, BEHIND CONVENT WALLS; THE ART OF LOVE).

Back in the nearby village, Barbara shows her photograph of Catherine to the cafe owner. He recognises her, but states categorically that she died two years earlier. Barbara becomes determined to learn more about the mysterious figure she has seen.

After a bloody double murder designed to satiate Catherine's newfound lust for blood, she answers a telephone call to the chateau from Helene. Helene recognises the music box's tune as it plays over the phone and knows instinctively that Catherine is listening silently on the other end of the line. She, in turn, rushes to the castle and into the arms of her old friend.

What follows is essentially a tragic love story as Catherine struggles to come to terms with her affliction, and Helene lures victims to the chateau for her friend to feed her bloodlust on.

Co-writer/director Jean Rollin (FASCINATION; REQIUM FOR A VAMPIRE) has always been capable of dividing audiences. He has an international cult following that demands his films be taken seriously as lyrical, poetic hymns to the Gothic and the ethereal. And then there are those who decry his work as incohesive messes with nothing but fetishistic nudity to warrant their 'arty' reputations.

I just find his work, for the most part, boring. However, LA MORTE VIVANTE is definitely his most accessible film. Its story is straightforward and more evenly paced than a lot of other Rollin films. The script is tight and there's more dialogue than usual.

The performances and widescreen photography combine to consolidate a sense of mourning and solitude that imbues the film with a darkness that stays with the viewer after the end credits roll. And speaking of photography, it is often well lit and beautiful - despite the film's obvious low budget.

LA MORTE VIVANTE is also an exceptionally bloody film. While the FX work is ropy at times, it is at least of the gore-soaked, arterial-spraying variety. There are a couple of standout set-piece murder scenes that hold up against anything that Eurohorror offered us in the early 1980s. Having only seen the film once years ago, I was astonished at how much gorier the film was than I recalled.

Poignant, dark and decidedly European in flavour, LA MORTE VIVANTE is an immensely enjoyable vampire flick that eschews the trappings of the genre by focusing instead on the subtle romance that lies beneath Helene and Catherine's friendship. Surprisingly graphic and yet unexpectedly atmospheric.

Encore/Redemption Europe's collector's edition DVD is remarkable. The beautiful foldout digipack gives way to 3 discs, and a gorgeous glossy 64 page booklet resplendent with colour photographs and background notes on the film by Rollin. The notes are in English, and are comprehensive and scene-specific enough to effectively act as a commentary track on paper.

Disc 1 features the full uncensored film, in 1.77:1 anamorphic widescreen. The print is magnificent. Rollin's film looks bright, sharp and more colourful than you dare imagine. Grain is minimal and I doubt this presentation will be bettered - it's stunning.

Audio is 2.0 and is available in French and German. I opted for the original French track and although it's a tad quiet it does it's job well and was free from hisses or dropouts. A serviceable job. Removable subtitles are available in a multitude of European languages. I chose the English track, which was easy to read and free from grammatical errors.

Extras on disc 1 include a brief video introduction from Blanchard (around 25 seconds!), and the original trailer.

Disc 2 provides some decent onscreen interviews with Blanchard, Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, and composer Phillipe D'aram. The total running time is slightly over an hour. Of the interviews, Blanchard's is the most interesting - she describes her working relationship with Rollin, and other aspects of her career such as working with Jess Franco. The interviews are all in French with optional English subtitles.

Blanchard is also on hand to provide a French-language audio commentary to 27 minutes' worth of footage from LA MORTE VIVANTE. Unsurprisingly, it's all the juiciest moments that we get to see, and Blanchard provides a lot of info while retaining a light-hearted mood. English subtitles are optional.

3 minutes' worth of alternative scenes are slightly damaged but may be of interest to people who are curious to see clips from the English language version of the film.

There's also a 13 minute discussion with Rollin, who has fond memories of his cast and crew. This is in French with optional English subtitles.

Finally for disc 2 is a generous, well produced stills gallery.

Disc 3 is an audio CD containing several original pieces from D'aram's score. The CD last approximately 15 minutes.

An outstanding release of a film that is essential for anyone with an interest in classic Eurohorror. Lovely stuff.

Review by Stu Willis


 
Released by Encore Entertainment
Region All - PAL
Not Rated
Extras :
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