The Nude Vampire – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1970
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Jean Rollin, Serge Moati
Cast: Caroline Cartier, Olivier Rollin, Maurice Lemaître, Bernard Musson, Jean Aron, Ursule Pauly, Catherine Castel, Marie-Pierre Castel, Michel Delahaye, Pascal Fardoulis, Paul Bisciglia

Release Date: April 22nd, 2024 (UK), April 23rd, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 84 Minutes 51 Seconds (Both Versions)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Both Versions)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French (French Language Version), DTS-HD Mono English (English Language Version)
Subtitles: English (French Language Version), English SDH (English Language Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"When Pierre (Olivier Martin), the son of a wealthy industrialist, witnesses a beautiful woman (Caroline Cartier) being pursued and captured by men in bizarre masks, he decides to investigate, uncovering a sinister vampire cult..." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “The Nude Vampire  was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Renasci Films, London, using original 35mm negative film materials. A combination of MTI and Nucoda DVO image-processing tools were used to remove the many thousands of instances of dirt, eliminate scratches and other imperfections, as well as repair damaged frames. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

The Nude Vampire comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.8 GB

Feature: 54 GB

This release uses seamless branching for the two versions. 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 (DTS-HD Mono French, DTS-HD Mono English)

The French language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles.

The English-language version comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH.

Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include image galleries: original promotional and publicity material (112 images), behind the scenes (57 images) and additional photographs (41 images), French language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), English language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an appreciation by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy (10 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an interview with archivist Lucas Balbo titled An Anarchist Vampire in Paris (5 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extracts from selected interviews with Jean Rollin conducted by Gouyette between 1998 and 2003 titled Fragment d’un dialogue (19 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an updated documentary on the making of The Nude Vampire by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, including interviews with key collaborators Natalie Perrey, Jean-Noël Delamarre, and Jean-Pierre Bouyxou titled Le Passage (8 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces The Nude Vampire (5 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for French film clips), an audio commentary with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Private Party written by David Jenkins, an archival introduction by director Jean Rollin, an archival interview with Jean Rollin by Alain Schlockoff, an archival interview with Jean Rollin titled Clocks, Seagulls, Romeo and Juliet: Surrealism Rollin-Style by Andy Black, an essay titled Vote Maurice Lemaitre! written by Jeff Billington, an archival review titled Critical Response written by Pierre Baudry, 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 young man who becomes infatuated with a mysterious, beautiful woman. Who is this woman, and why are people wearing animal masks for heads watching her every move?

The English language version starts with the opening credits, while the French language version has one scene before the credits. In the English-language version, that same scene precedes the opening credits.

Jean Rollin once again makes a film about a female vampire; this time around, he shoots for the first time in color. Visually, Jean Rollin’s use of color is striking, greatly enhancing his atmospheric visuals. Though he effortlessly makes the transition from black and white to color, the way he frames his compositions remains the same.

The word that best describes the cinema of Jean Rollin is minimalism. His films sparsely use dialog, and character development is nonexistent, yet none of this matters in the grand scheme of things. And though there is a lack of words in his cinema, it is almost like you are watching a silent film. He is able to convey so much through his visuals.

The performances do a good job within the limitations of the story that unfolds. And though no performance stands out more than any other, there is a weak link: Caroline Cartier in the role of the mysterious woman with a rare blood disease. Though she has an alluring quality that is right for the character she is portraying, she lacks the charisma most of Jean Rollin’s leading ladies had.

There are many bizarre things that occur in The Nude Vampire, and one of the more surreal elements is Jean Rollin’s use of twins, something he would return to throughout his career. Twin sisters Catherine Castel and Marie-Pierre Castel make their first appearance in a Jean Rollin film. Though there is ambiguity to their characters, they have a sinister quality at the same time.

The Nude Vampire is a hypnotic tale about vampirism and morality that straddles the line between science fiction and horror. And though there are a lot of things in The Nude Vampire that foreshadow where Jean Rollin was going as a filmmaker, in some areas he is more restrained than in his later films, notably when it comes to nudity. In terms of growth, The Nuder Vampire is a massive leap forward from Jean Rollin’s The Rape of the Vampire. Ultimately, The Nude Vampire is a solid early effort from director Jean Rollin, with its many memorable images and fascinating take on immortality.

The Nude 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