The Rape of the Vampire – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1968
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Alain Yves Beaujour, Jean Rollin
Cast: Solange Pradel, Bernard Letrou, Catherine Deville, Marco Pauly, Jacqueline Sieger, Jean-Loup Philippe

Release Date: August 28th, 2023 (UK), August 29th, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"In the film's first part, four strange women living in a decrepit château – and all believing themselves to be ancient vampires – are visited by a psychoanalyst who attempts to rid them of their apparent delusion. In the second, the Queen of the Vampires presides over a diabolical clinic, unaware that the head doctor is plotting against her.." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Rape of the Vampire was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Final Frame Post, London, using original 35mm negative. The Far Countries was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Filmfinity, London, using original 35mm negative. Many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged and missing frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Rape of the Vampire comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.7 GB

Feature: 66 GB

The source used for this transfer looks exceptional. Image clarity, depth, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid, and grain remains intact; the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. This audio track is in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include artistic reconstruction of Rollin’s lost and unfinished 1962 short film, L’Itinéraire marin, by filmmakers Victor Poucalow and Raja Tawil titled L’Itinéraire souvenir (27 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a short history of L’Itinéraire marin titled De la grève (6 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a brand-new 4K restoration of Jean Rollin’s second fictional short film The Far Countries (16 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary for The Far Countries with Jean Rollin, in English, no subtitles, an image gallery for The Far Countries (49 images - stills), image galleries for The Rape of the Vampire: original production material (112 images - stills/home video art/other production materials) and behind the scenes (90 images - stills), a theatrical trailer for The Rape of the Vampire (4 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a super 8 version of The Rape of the Vampire (16 minutes 39 seconds, no sound, French intertitles with removable English subtitles), an alternative scene for The Rape of the Vampire (2 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), an interview with film scholar Virginie Sélavy titled Indelible Impressions (8 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with composer François Tusques titled Parallel Routes (11 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with writer, actor and set dresser Alain-Yves Beaujour titled The All-Rounder (17 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actress Jacqueline Sieger titled Je ne regrette rien (12 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with editor and assistant director Jean-Denis Bonan titled Jean Rollin: L’Effervescence (39 minutes 40 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Jean Rollin titled Jean Rollin on The Rape of the Vampire 4 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an updated making of documentary for The Rape of the Vampire titled Fragments of Pavement Under the Sand (31 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival introduction by Jean Rollin (2 minutes 33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Jean Rollin, in French with removable English subtitles, an audio commentary with film expert Tim lucas, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information for The Rape of the Vampire, an essay titled Visions of Freedom: Jean Rollin and The Rape of the Vampire written by Beatrice Loayza, an archival writing by Jean Rollin titled The Making of The Rape of the Vampire, an interview with Jean Rollin titled The First Features, cast &crew information for The Far Countries, an archival writing by Jean Rollin titled Remembering The Far Countries, and information about the restorations.

Summary:

Directed by Jean Rollin, a filmmaker whose career spanned five decades. His films are known for their fantasy and erotic elements. Notable films he directed are The Iron Rose, Lips of Blood, and The Night of the Hunted.

The narrative revolves around vampires in search of a cure for vampirism.

Though experimentation has always been part of the cinema of Jean Rollin, his debut feature film is easily his most unconventional. Its narrative is broken down into two distinctive halves that are loosely connected by characters. The look and feel of The Rape of the Vampire has avant-garde written all over it. And when it comes to the way vampires are depicted, once again, Jean Rollin goes against the grain.

The shot is striking black and white, and the visuals are filled with symbolic imagery. Even at this early stage of his career, Jean Rollin had a knack for picking locations, notably the iconic beach that makes an appearance in The Rape of the Vampire. This is also a location that he would return to throughout his filmography. Cemetery’s are another location that plays a role in The Rape of the Vampire and the cinema of Jean Rollin.

Despite The Rape of the Vampire being Jean Rollin’s first feature film, for most of the cast, this would be their first time onscreen. The result is a film that far exceeds the sum of its parts. That said, the narrative does have some issues, but fortunately most of them are easy to overlook because of Jean Rollin’s lyrical way of telling a story. Ultimately, The Rape of the Vampire is an intriguing start to a fascinating career that first-time viewers of the cinema of Jean Rollin might find frustrating, while it is a must-see film if you are a diehard fan of Jean Rollin.

The Rape of the Vampire makes its way to 4K UHD via a definitive release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 Written by Michael Den Boer