[LIPS OF BLOOD screens Friday October 30th at 10:10 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob Ignizio
French director Jean Rollin is best known for making
plotless erotic vampire movies that offer up great visual moments and plenty of
atmosphere, but not much in the way of story.
LIPS OF BLOOD is a rare
exception in that there is a coherent plot in here somewhere. Frederic (Jean-Loup Philippe) has little
memory of his childhood. All he can
recall is something about staying the night at a castle with a pretty red
haired girl (Annie Briand), a memory Frederic’s mother (Nathalie Perrey) has
convinced him is only a dream. But when
Frederic sees an advertisement that uses the castle as its backdrop, he embarks
on a dangerous quest to learn the truth about his past.
This being a Jean Rollin film, it should come as no surprise
that Frederic’s quest involves sexy female vampires in various states of
undress, striking imagery like a coffin used as a boat, and an underlying theme
of the youth/counter culture (represented by the vampires) being persecuted by
the ignorant forces of authority. The
thematic and visual elements still rule the day, but with a more traditional
narrative structure than most of Rollin’s films this is a more accessible movie
than works like THE NUDE VAMPIRE or REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE. As such, it makes a good entry point for
those unfamiliar with Rollin’s work, as well as being a high point in the director’s career. 3 out of 4 stars.
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