Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay: Limited Red Case Edition – Mondo Macabro (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1971
Director: Bruno Gantillon
Writers: Jacques Chaumelle, Bruno Gantillon
Cast: Dominique Delpierre, Alfred Baillou, Mireille Saunin, Régine Motte, Ursule Pauly, Michèle Perello, Nathalie Chaine, Velly Beguard, Solange Pradel, Patricia Lecarpentier, Pamela Stanford

Release Date: March, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 86 Minutes 29 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $42.00

"Driving in their car through Auvergne one summer, two young girls, Anna and Françoise, find themselves in the kingdom of the mythic Morgana, Queen of the Fairies.

Ever since Merlin taught her his skills centuries ago, Morgana has gone on living by obtaining the souls of the young women who pass through her kingdom. In exchange, she gives the captives who agree to her pact of eternal youth and beauty. Those who refuse her grow old and ugly in the dungeons of her castle." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD, Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative."

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 59.5 GB

Feature: 45.6 GB

The source looks phenomenal; flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always retains an organic look.

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.4 GB

Feature: 23.5 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a stills and poster gallery titled Publicity Parade, a short film directed by Bruno Gantillon titled An Artistic Couple (13 minutes 12 seconds, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), a deleted scene (48 seconds, Dolby Digital mono, no dialog), an archival interview with Bruno Gantillon (10 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Bruno Gantillon titled Holds up the Ceiling Part 1 (26 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with Bruno Gantillon titled Holds up the Ceiling Part 2 (16 minutes 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Dominique Delpierre (45 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Bruno Gantillon.

The extras are the same on both discs.

Other extras include 4 double sided full color art cards reproducing Italian fotobusta posters, a slipcover, and a 24-page booklet with liner notes written by Pete Tombs.

Summary:

Two women stay the night in an abandoned barn after getting lost while traveling the French countryside. In the morning, one of them awakens to the discovery that the other has vanished. While looking for her missing friend, she is confronted by the dwarf-like man she saw in the pub the evening before, who says he can lead her to her friend. He takes her to a castle filled with beautiful women, where she is introduced to Morgana Le Fay, the lady of the manor, who ultimately gives her two choices: either eternal beauty or forever being enslaved in the castle's dungeon, where she will grow old and die.

Bruno Gantillon’s directorial debut, Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay, is a film that fits firmly into the fantastic cinema movement of 1970s French cinema that filmmakers like Jean Rollin, Jean-Louis Van Belle, and Claude Mulot’s The Blood Rose are part of. These films often feature a loose narrative, and they flow more like poetry than a conventional narrative. They rely heavily on atmosphere, and they are filled with visually arresting moments. When it comes to all of these elements, Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay delivers in every way.

Though the cast are given minimal work, this is not an issue since they are mere pieces moved around for maximum effect by Bruno Gantillon. It also does not hurt that the cast is mostly filled with beautiful women, many of whom participate in lesbian encounters and remove clothing. The strongest performance is Dominique Delpierre; her strong screen presence makes her the perfect choice for the role of a sorceress named Morgana Le Fay. The most memorable performance is Alfred Baillou, who portrays a dwarf named Gurth; he delivers a genuinely creepy performance where he leers and takes delight when women are tortured.

Despite its minimalism, Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay, like other 1970s French fantastic cinema, is a film that maximizes its limited resources, notably the use of a castle as its main location and moments in a forest. It is not difficult to overlook the narrative's shortcomings because of the beautiful cinematography and dreamlike atmosphere. Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay, like most 1970s French erotic horror films, leans more towards erotic fantasies than your typical visceral horror film. Ultimately, Girl Slaves of Morgana le Fay is a truly unique and enchanting film.

Mondo Macabro gives Girl Slaves of Morgana le Fay a definitive release; it has never looked or sounded better, and there are a wealth of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note: This edition is limited to 2000 copies.

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