VAMPYROS
LESBOS (1970) Director: Jess Franco
Synapse Films/Repulsive Pictures
VAMPYROS
LESBOS (1970) This highly erotic
vampire film is undoubtedly one of Franco's best efforts. Now available on a
long-awaited DVD, this Spanish/German production was previously floating about
in this country as a tenth generation dupe. The film is a showcase for the talented
Soledad Miranda (here billed as "Susann Korda") who died in a car
accident in 1971. Franco was molding her into his star attraction, but tragedy
took away this beauty while she was still in her twenties.
The plot has Miranda
as Nadine Carody, a vampire countess who lures a young woman (Ewa Stroemberg)
to her isolated castle by claiming that she is to receive an inheritance. The
two become obsessed with each other and engage in some heavy lesbian petting.
Meanwhile, the girl's boyfriend enlists the help of Dr. Seward (Franco regular
Dennis Price) to regain his manhood and get his woman to stop swinging the other
way.
The film is in
German, with removable English subtitles, and the dialog is really fresh and
interesting. One scene brilliantly cuts from the girl lying down, talking to
her psychiatrist, to vampire Nadine, lying down, talking to her henchman, Morpho.
She tells him that over a hundred years ago, when she was a little girl, a pillaging
soldier raped her. She was saved by Count Dracula, who pulled the soldier off
of her, stabbed him to death, and saved the girl from the torture of this moment
by bringing her into the world of the undead. Her hatred of men had carried
on for the rest of her life, justifying her bizarre habits.
Price is still
in decent shape; this is several years before his boozing caught up with him
and transformed him into a bloated curiosity in Franco's two Frankenstein films.
There's even a female Renfield type character, an inhabitant of Price's clinic
who is fixated on Nadine and shows it in a maniacal and orgasmic fashion. Franco's
direction includes some clever (probably spontaneous) reflection image shots
amongst the pointless zooms into crawling salamanders! This, along with the
excellently sensual performance of the bewitching Miranda (I can't keep my eyes
off of her whenever she's on the screen) make it really enjoyable.
On the inlay insert,
Don May, Jr., President of Synapse, explains all the problems producing this
DVD. The transfer was eventually made from the U.K. video release, which is
actually the longer, sexier German version. The print has some wear and there
are "mysterious black slugs that appear intermittently throughout the film."
Nonetheless, Don's efforts were well worthwhile, as Jess Franco's colorful,
erotic vision is strikingly brought to life in this DVD presentation. Overall,
the picture quality is clean and sharp, and Franco's blend of stylish lighting
and off-the-wall photography can now be fully appreciated.
The DVD is letterboxed in the 1.66:1 theatrical aspect ratio. There is a neat German language trailer that over-emphasizes the "Dracula" legend, and the liner notes are penned by Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas. Thanks must go to Don May Jr. for bringing this once obscure European cult gem to American DVD collectors. I hope that he has many more like this one in the works. Look for the popular soundtrack CD that contains a notorious psychedelic jazz/rock fusion score. (George R. Reis)