Fascination – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1979
Director: Jean Rollin
Writer: Jean Rollin
Cast: Franca Maï, Brigitte Lahaie, Jean-Marie Lemaire, Fanny Magier, Muriel Montossé, Sophie Noël, Evelyne Thomas, Joe de Palmer, Cyril Val, Myriam Watteau

Release Date: October 30th, 2023 (UK), October 31st, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 81 Minutes 56 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)

"When a thief holes up in a remote château, taking two beautiful chambermaids hostage, the arrival of his accomplices and the château’s aristocratic owners leads to an orgy of violence and ritualistic bloodletting." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Fascination was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Filmfinity, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove 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.”

Fascination comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.5 GB

Feature: 55.1 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 an image gallery (72 images -  stills/home video art/posters), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), two extended sex scenes: alternate sequence #1 (7 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with music from the film paying in over this sequence), alternate sequence #2 (7 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with music from the film paying in over this sequence), Eurotika!: ‘Virgins and Vampires’ an archival documentary on Jean Rollin, produced and directed by Andy Starke and Pete Tombs, featuring contributions from Rollin, actors Monica Swinn and Brigitte Lahaie, and Nigel Wingrove of Redemption Films (24 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and French with burnt-in English subtitles for French), a critical appreciation by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy titled Love Like Blood (6 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Philippe D’Aram titled The Music of Fascination (19 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an updated documentary titled Rituels on the making of Fascination by Jean Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, including interviews with key collaborators Natalie Perrey and Brigitte Lahaie (7 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces Fascination (2 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Jeremy Richey, author of Sylvia Kristel: From ‘Emmanuelle’ to Chabrol, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Blood, Desire, and Rebellion written by Vanessa Morgan, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, a reprint of The Glass of Blood, the short story by Jean Lorrain that inspired the film’s screenplay, an archival interview with Jean Rollin, an archival interview with actress Fanny Magier, and information about the restoration.

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 a thief, two mysterious women, and an abandoned castle. Needing a place to hide, the thief finds refuge in the castle. The two give him many chances to leave before their guests arrive later that evening. Will he heed their warning, or will his curiosity lead to his demise?

The thing that grabs you the more you get into Jean Rollin’s filmography is its minimalism. Where other filmmakers who faced many of the same adversities he faced due to anemic budgets would try to overcompensate, Jean Rollin always kept things simple. This brings us to Fascination, a film that is arguably the best example of Jean Rollin’s minimalism.

Fascination, like all of Jean Rollin's, is overflowing with atmosphere and striking imagery. That said, though the narrative is basic, it is just enough to move things forward. The result is a very effective film in which Jean Rollin manipulates all of his resources for maximum effect.

Though the cast is not given that much to do, performance-wise, they are all very good in their roles. The most memorable performance was by Brigitte Lahaie in the role of Eva, one of the mysterious women inside the abandoned castle. The scene where her character goes on a rampage with a scythe is one of Jean Rollin’s most iconic moments.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Fascination does not excel. It is a period drama, and the production design is solid. And when it comes to locations, Jean Rollin once again has chosen an amazing location. Another strength is Philippe D'Aram’s exceptional score, which is the best score to appear in a Jean Rollin film. Ultimately, Fascination is a perfect blend of eroticism and surrealism; it is arguably one of Jean Rollin’s best films.

Fascination 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