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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
introduction to rollin: lesson 1, September 15, 2003
This review is from: The Vampire Collection (The Rape of the Vampire / The Shiver of the Vampires / Requiem for a Vampire) (DVD)
OH YEAH! it's great & redemption has made this collection available with an amazingly low cost. yes, that's 3 great films of rollin at a small price. for those of us who've wanted to study the maestro's classics or just indulge in some fantastic eurotrash, this is an absolute dream come true. infact, this was my introduction or 1st lesson in my education of jean rollin. of all three films, i'd have to say i love rape of the vampire best. as strange as this might sound, i was initially very confused when i saw this film & wouldn't have rated it so highly had i not given it a second viewing. having said that, i loved the images which are macabre & beautiful almost all at once. needless to say, that 2nd viewing really stole my attention & gave me a deeper appreciation of the film altogether. i was able to piece together the events & characters the 2nd time around & i realized what a genius jean rollin truly is. rape of the vmapire is to jean rollin as eraserhead is to david lynch. a rare landmark film that should be talked about for years & could be deemed an instant cult classic. the next film was equally enjoyable but not as confusing. shiver of the vampire is campy, macabre, and ironically funny. you'll find yourself shivering with delight at the hilarious but philosophical dialogue & shuddering with some of the images of erotic & vampiric activity. i could see this film would probably be more embraced by the mainstream than perhaps some of his earlier. not exceptionally graphic but there is a great deal of implied homoeroticism here. the next film was perhaps one of his most mainstream films (or should i say popular) of all time. released under various names through the years, requiem for a vampire is presented here in all of it's uncut glory. not my favorite of the three but it does have a surreal, child-like fairytale quality to it as many have mentioned. strangely enough, this film is by far the most sexually explicit or graphic film out of the three by far. the dungeon scene alone merits an NC-17 rating easily. had the film's dialogue been 30 lines shorter, this could have been a silent film. if you enjoy these films, thne you might go on to try living dead girl or night of the hunted which are also terrific films. although they are far more depressing than either requiem or shiver, they are indeed undisputed rollin classics. in fact, amazon.com has listed a a zombie collection which should have those titles included & will be released early october. this should save you some money & still provide the same entertaining quality you've come(or will come to expect) with redemption's wonderful catalog.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
astoundingly beautiful, September 17, 2004
This review is from: The Vampire Collection (The Rape of the Vampire / The Shiver of the Vampires / Requiem for a Vampire) (DVD)
Picked up this set expecting some typical vampire films and was blown away by the photography and ambiance. This set introduced me to the beauty and strangeness of Rollin's work. It was his later films that really captivated me: Fascination, Two Vampire Orphans, and Fiancee of Dracula. These are hard films to describe but there's something very beautiful about them. You'll either get it or you wont. The films in this set aren't as captivating to me as the three films I mentioned above but they have some amazing moments and I'm very pleased that I discovered this set of films since they introduced me to the work of this visionary director and led me to experience the glory of his later films.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Painting as Cinema, July 11, 2007
This review is from: The Vampire Collection (The Rape of the Vampire / The Shiver of the Vampires / Requiem for a Vampire) (DVD)
This collection of 3 films will be best enjoyed by those with an understanding of surrealist or symbolist painting. Otherwise if you are not familiar with the motivations behind these movements, you will find yourself bored by the lack of plot and character development, and slow pacing. Even your average 'B' movie fan will be disappointed here - despite the low budgets - there are not enough laughs here to make it a good fun night with your friends. Instead Rollin approaches these films with lofty ambitions and in the main part succeeds in creating some memorable images. The first half of Rape of the Vampire is a great and striking short film. The second half is obviously tacked on and is completely incomprehensible. Shiver of the Vampires in contrast to the black and white of ROTV has impressive use of colour and is probably the strongest of the three films. Requiem for a Vampire, is the slowest paced of the three, building up to some jaw dropping, sadistic torture scenes that evoke the legend of Countess Bathory.
If you can imagine a hammer horror with gallic/new wave/surrealist spices added in to the mix - you'll have an idea of what to expect.
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