Requiem for a Vampire – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1972
Director: Jean Rollin
Writers: Jean Rollin, Serge Moati
Cast: Marie-Pierre Castel, Mireille Dargent, Philippe Gasté, Dominique, Louise Dhour, Michel Delesalle, Antoine Mosin, Olivier François, Dominique Toussaint, Agnès Petit, Agnes Jacquet, Anne-Rose Kurrat, Paul Bisciglia, Jean-Noël Delamarre

Release Date: December 9th, 2024 (UK), December 10th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 86 Minutes 52 Seconds (French Language Version), 86 Minutes 45 Seconds (English Language Version)
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 Marie (Castel) and Michelle (Dargent), two enigmatic women travelling through the countryside in clown costumes, stumble across a mysterious château, they uncover a sadistic vampire sect, the leader of which offers them eternal life to continue his bloodline." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Both Versions)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, “Requiem for a Vampire was scanned, restored and color corrected in 4k HDR at Renasci Films, using the original 35mm negative. 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.”

Requiem for a Vampire comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 85.7 GB

Feature: 58.1 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 materials (90 images - stills/posters/press book/home video art) and behind the scenes (36 images - stills), French language theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), English Language  theatrical trailer (3 minutes 7 seconds, LPCM mono English, no  subtitles), Caged Virgins theatrical trailer (3 minutes 29 seconds, LPCM mono English, no  subtitles), alternate clothed sequences; #1 (21 seconds, LPCM mono), #2 (1 minute 33 seconds, LPCM mono) and #3 (1 minute 9 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with director Jean Rollin titled The Last Book, he talks about his work as an author and reads from one of his short stories (8 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an appreciation by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy titled The Poetry of Strangeness (7 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an in-depth documentary on the making of Requiem for a Vampire titled Les Frissons d’un requiem, with comments by Jean Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, featuring interviews with key Rollin associates Jean-Noël Delamarre and Natalie Perrey, and film expert Daniel Bird (39 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French and English with removable English subtitles for French), a newly edited archival interview with actor Paul Bisciglia titled A Pastoral Dalliance (3 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with actor Louise Dhour titled Queen of the Underworld (2024, 9 mins): newly edited archival interview with actress Louise Dhour (3 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), a newly edited archival interview with Jean Rollin titled In a Silent Way, he discusses Requiem for a Vampire, a personal favourite of his films (7 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled Jean Rollin Introduces Requiem for a Vampire (4 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival scene select audio commentary with Jean Rollin (21 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled The Last Vampire written by Maria J Pérez Cuervo, Virgins and Vampires text and images from the original French press book, an archival writing by Jean Rollin titled The Making of Requiem for a Vampire, an archival interview with Jean Rollin conducted by Peter Blumenstock, an English translation of Jean Rollin’s story The Last Book, an essay titled Virgins, Concubines, and Cuzzins 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.

On the run, after killing a man at a New Year’s Eve party, two young girls cross paths with a secret sect of vampires who want the girls to carry on their legacy.

Requiem for a Vampire opens with a frantic car chase/shootout in which two girls dressed like clowns narrowly escape their pursuers. This sequence is a textbook example of Jean Rollin’s ability to move the narrative forward with little or no dialog. There is an intensity to this opening setup that perfectly sets the stage for what follows. When it comes to the two girls' backstories, there is a mystery about them; Jean Rollin holds it back until the later half of the film.

Something you can always count on with Jean Rollin’s films are striking locations that are a character unto themselves. He features many of his favorite locations, like graveyards, churches, and castles, in Requiem for a Vampire. In the case of the castle, it is a magnificent location whose architectural design greatly adds to the atmosphere.

Requiem for a Vampire is more about presence than acting, and the cast all deliver in this regard, especially Marie-Pierre Castel (The Shiver of the Vampires) and Mireille Dargent (The Iron Rose) in the roles of the two girls on the run. Though their characters have killed someone, there is a naivety about them that both actresses perfectly capture. Another performance of note is an actress named Dominique who portrays an androgynous vampire named Erika.

Jean Rollin is a filmmaker who is more concerned with surrealism and symbolism than he is with narrative structure. Though there is an abstract quality to Requiem for a Vampire, its narrative is never difficult to follow. That said, when it comes to the visuals, they are overflowing with imagery that heightens the mood. Notable moments include a thrilling car chase, a De Sade-like orgy dungeon bathed in red lights, and a character playing a piano in a graveyard.

Requiem for a Vampire is a story about survival; the two girls trying to escape accountability for their actions and a sect of vampires who need virgins to continue their bloodline. Though the two girls find what appears to be sanctuary, when they try to flee the castle, all paths lead them back. That said, Requiem for a Vampire is also an exploration of the bonds we create with others and the consequences of breaking them.

Though Jean Rolling often gets compared to other filmmakers who worked in 1970s erotica, he really was a one of a kind filmmaker. His creativity always outshined any budget limitations, and many of his films were more than just mere exploitation cinema. That said, for anyone who's familiar with the cinema of Jean Rollin, it is easy to see why he held Requiem for a Vampire in such high regard. Ultimately, Requiem for a Vampire is a perfect blend of atmosphere, surrealism, and melancholy.

Requiem for a 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 MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer