Perhaps best known on these shores for his co-writer credit on Jean Brismée’s magnificent Eurogothic THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE (1971) and his shoddy nasty Nazi stinker FRAULEIN DEVIL (1978), the films of Patrice Rhomm have rarely—if at all—been discussed. Straddling the line between the highly individualistic films of Jean Rollin and the crass, budget-conscious works of Eurociné, Patrice Rhomm’s DRAGUSE (1976) and LE BIJOU D’AMOUR (1978) have unexpectedly arrived on Blu-ray (in superb transfers, no less!) thanks to Vinegar Syndrome’s recently revamped Peekarama line, and this fact alone should be more than enough to please even the most jaded Eurotrash enthusiasts.
David Léger (Olivier Mathot) is suffering from some serious writer’s block, as well as some very strange—and erotically charged—“satanic dreams”, all of which involve the same mysterious woman named Draguse (the lovely Monica Swinn). When David’s publisher Jérôme (director Rhomm) finally offers him a chance at paid work writing a collection of erotic novels, he is disappointed, deeming the job beneath him, but his spunky girlfriend (Martine Flety) assures him that “Only sex sells these days!”. Lacking inspiration, he decides to explore the seedier side of Paris by visiting sex shops and theatres (“The dirtier, the better!”), but he finds that most of the films and books lack erotic imagination. However, when he rents a secluded villa outside the city (“It’s like it was waiting for me.”), he is stimulated in more ways than one and begins to experience further “erotic nightmares” involving Draguse, which begin to take a toll on David as he struggles to differentiate between reality and fantasy…
Also known as LA MANOIR DE DRAGUSE (the film’s alternate onscreen title is LES PERVERSION LUBRIQUES), Rhomm’s rarely-seen oddity is, despite its lapses in logic, a thoroughly engaging film, which manages to muster up plenty of rather outlandish energy (which is helped along by Jean Fenol’s and Albert Assayag’s very pleasing score), or as one character in the film puts it, “abnormal ambiance.” The ghostly Draguse is first seen taunting David in his dreams while masturbating with a human femur bone (!), and later she performs a satanic blood ritual, but of course, all of this could merely be a figment of David’s over-zealous imagination, which culminates with a bit about a sleazy Nazi officer and his rather kinky photo shoot involving French porno regulars Claudine Beccarie and Erika Cool. More understated than is the norm for French adult films of the time, a nicely telegraphed final twist further reveals the film’s horror aspirations.
In keeping with the rather disorienting nature of DRAGUSE, the disc’s co-feature is another equally curious hybrid, once again aimed squarely at the French sex film market. True to form, the film opens with our protagonist Adrien (Jacques Manteil) getting it on with his editor and boss Gordonna (Brigitte Lahaie), who is the owner of “Confidences de l’etrange”, a magazine dedicated to the supernatural. When the lead reporter inexplicably resigns, Adrien is given the task of investigating Hugo de Baal, a recluse who“discovered the secret of the succubi”. Driving through the French countryside, he is surreptitiously greeted outside a cemetery by a scantily-clad woman (Murial Vatel) who, in a bizarre turn of events, sells him a ring that apparently belonged to the legendary Casanova! Naturally, Adrien satiates himself with a token grope session with this unusual woman before driving away.
Also known as The Devil’s Fork, this ring turns out to have an unfortunate curse, which turns anyone who even touches Adrien into an uncontrollable sex maniac. To further complicate matters, if the bearer of the ring can’t pass it on within a week, then they shall suffer dire consequences. However, this optimum opportunity becomes increasingly difficult for Adrien when he arrives at Hugo de Baal’s secluded mansion populated by numerous sex-hungry succubi…
Also known as THE GEM OF LOVE, the primary motive here IS sex, but by virtue of its overall look and tone, LE BIJOU D’AMOUR also fits perfectly among many of Jean Rollin’s or even Jess Franco’s off-kilter and surreal horror films. The rather languid, almost dreamlike pace and a very recognizable score from frequent Franco collaborator Daniel White (numerous cues from Franco’s FEMALE VAMPIRE [1973], ZOMBIE LAKE [1980] and OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES [1981] are used) keep things moving along nicely. The game cast, which also includes Joëlle le Quément and Pamela Stanford (in a typical eye-popping role!) also help compensate for the film’s obvious shortage of budget.
Vinegar Syndrome’s disc exhibits the usual high-quality transfers, which have been scanned in 4K and taken from their “original 35mm negatives”, so as to be expected, there is very little to complain about. VS even includes a disclaimer prior to the second feature about some “image stability issues”, which existed in the 4K master provided to them from the French licensor, but the casual viewer won’t really notice anything too distracting at all. In fact, both films look excellent with consistent, well-balanced tones and true colours. The DTS-HD Master Mono Audio is also clean and distortion free, which is especially pleasing given the nature of such low-budget productions and the usual dubbed performances.
Extras begin with a detailed on-camera interview with Draguse herself—Monica Swinn (39m21s)—wherein she talks about her time at the Belgian National Theatre and her “accidental” foray into cult films. Even though her career has surprised her (“I thought this would never come out!”), she also has no qualms about her choices and the rebellious attitude of the so-called “ass” films she made. Of course, she also speaks at great length about her time working with Jess Franco and the budgetary constraints of working with the French production house Eurociné. In the second interview, actor Erika Cool (11m58s) openly discusses how she got into making adult films at the time, her early days in Belgium working for the Querat brothers, and several interesting facts about many of her co-stars in the film. Finally, co-producer and writer Eric de Winter (14m10s) is also on hand and goes over the entire process of making the film, pointing out how erotica was a “must” to ensure viability. Interestingly, DRAGUSE was also the film first rated X after the legalization of pornography in France in 1976, which helped pave the way for future like-minded productions. Other extras include a trailer for LE BIJOU D’AMOUR (“The film that opens the most secret doorways of sexual hell!”) and an alternate—and much stronger—sex scene from the same film.
Enthusiastically cryptic to unfold and possessing some rather striking moments of genuine weirdness, this double feature Blu-ray from the folks at Vinegar Syndrome is a very welcome release indeed, which of course comes highly recommended! Order it direct from Vinegar Syndrome here.
No comments:
Post a Comment