Lips of Blood – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1975
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Jean-Loup Philippe, Jean Rollin
Cast: Jean-Loup Philippe, Annie Belle, Natalie Perrey, Martine Grimaud, Catherine Castel, Marie-Pierre Castel, Claudine Beccarie, Mireille Dargent, Paul Bisciglia

Release Date: October 30th, 2023 (UK), October 31st, 2023 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 55 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 photograph of a decrepit seaside château evokes a childhood vision of an encounter with a mysterious girl, Frederick is compelled to investigate. Soon, he uncovers a surreal and erotic netherworld of vampirism from which he might never return." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Lips of Blood was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4K HDR at Final Frame Post, London, using the 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.”

Lips of Blood comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.1 GB

Feature: 53.3 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 (102 images -  stills/home video art/posters), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable English subtitles), a critical appreciation by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy titled Buried Dreams (9 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a newly edited archival interview titled Living Memories with director Jean Rollin who discusses Lips of Blood his most personal film, and favorite script (9 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview titled This Beach That Follows Me with Jean Rollin who reminisces about the beach in Dieppe and his many experiences filming there (24 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview titled Fantasy Life with actor Jean-Loup Philippe (15 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actor Serge Rollin titled Early Impressions (10 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actress Catherine Castel titled Sibling Rivalry (11 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actress and script supervisor Natalie Perrey titled Exceptional Poetry (10 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview titled Petite Mère with Natalie Perrey who recalls the challenges and triumphs of making Lips of Blood (10 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces Lips of Blood (2 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival scene select audio commentary with Jean Rollin (32 minutes 40 seconds, in English with removable English subtitles for French dialog from the film), an audio commentary with genre-film experts, critics and authors Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Bloody Kisses: Lips of Blood and Tainted Love written by Maitland McDonagh, archival writing by Jean Rollin titled The Making of: Lips of Blood, an archival interview with Jean Rollin titled ‘Simulated Sex Scenes… I Find Them Shocking’: Jean Rollin on the ‘X’ Film, an archival interview with actress Annie Brilland, an analysis of Suck Me, Vampire, the hardcore film Rollin made using scenes from Lips of Blood written by Jeff Billington, 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 photograph that reminds Frederic of a forgotten childhood memory about a mysterious woman in white. Unable to shake his obsession to see this woman once again, he tries to find the ruins in the photograph. Who is this woman, and what is her connection to Frederic?

Though Jean Rollin is often compared to Jess Franco because their films often delve into these two areas of horror and erotica, when it came to visuals, Jess Franco would use techniques like zooming to make up for his limited resources, whereas Jean Rollin’s visuals always had a poetic, lyrical quality to them.

Jean Rollin's vampire films are among the most erotic and atmospheric ever made. Lips of Blood’s narrative, like many of Jean Rollin’s films, is simple, and the dialogue is sparse. The narrative instantly draws you in, with each new revelation more intriguing than the last. So much gets accomplished in just 87 minutes.

The most surprising aspect of Lips of Blood is how exceptional the cast is in their respective roles, especially Annie Belle (House on the Edge of the Park) in the role of the enigmatic woman in white who haunts the protagonist. Also, Jean-Loup Philippe, who also co-wrote the screenplay, does a convincing job as the protagonist, Frederic. And twin sisters Catherine Castel and Marie-Pierre Castel, who have appeared in several Jean Rollin films, are cast once again as vampires.

Loss of innocence is a theme that Jean Rolling would return to throughout his filmography, and with Lips of Blood, he delivers what is arguably his most potent exploration of this theme. Visuals are another area where Jean Rollin’s films often excel, and Lips of Blood is filled with striking imagery, notably a beautiful and haunting coda in which the protagonist is forced to choose between the life he has always known and spending eternity with the woman in white. Another strength of Lips of Blood is the narrative’s deliberate pacing. Ultimately, Lips of Blood is an extraordinary film where everything comes together perfectly.

Lips of Blood 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