FEMALE VAMPIRE

Jess Franco's Female Vampire is a very interesting film in many ways - it also has a very complex history and is easily one of Franco's best films. It started life as "La Comtesse Noir" (= "The Black Countess"), but has since been re-cut, had footage added, been retitled, etc, etc. The version which Image have decided to release on DVD was to have been the definitive release, essentially the nearest thing that exists to Franco's cut of the film. This cut had already been available in Europe from Redemption Benelux (released as "Female Vampire", like this DVD) on VHS (now deleted). However, in their infinite wisdom Image decided to tamper with the disc since they didn't feel that they could release a film containing hardcore footage. The missing footage should occur at about 24 mins in, and essentially consists of a (quite brief) section in which Romay visibly takes Ramon Ardid's penis into her mouth. This was a very mild hardcore scene, however, since Ardid's penis is not erect in the shot in question. Image went to considerable expense to cut the scene in a clever way, re-scoring the segment so that the missing footage wasn't too obvious. It's still fairly obvious, however, even to a person who hasn't ever seen the uncut version. So, what we have on DVD is yet another infuriatingly marred release, which is otherwise perfect. The film exists in three basic versions, though further alterations have been made to various releases of each cut. The first version is a straight horror film, missing most of the sexier sections. This is most well known as "Erotikill". The second version is essentially the version released by Image; a mix of horror and sex, and is usually known as "Female Vampire" (or sometimes 'The Bare Breasted Countess'). The final cut is the one which emphasises the sex side of the story, and this is most well known as "The Loves of Irina". Some years later, more hardcore footage was shot of Romay in explicit sequences, and this was added to some prints of the film (i.e. the French version entitled "Les Avaleuses" (= "The Swallowers").

The plot, as with many of Franco's films, is purely perfunctory; it serves merely as a device to show lots of bare flesh, and some hallucinatory set pieces. Romay plays Countess Irina of 'Karlstein'. She is a mute, and is a kind of sexual vampire, consuming life through the sex act, rather than the traditional bite on the neck. She is also the last of her line, and intends to keep it that way - Franco sees her vampirism as a curse, as in Jean Rollin's vampire quartet of the same period (especially 'Requiem pour un Vampire'). To be brutally honest, there isn't that much more that can be said regarding plot development. However, this isn't to say that the film does not have anything to commend it. Franco made an incredible 11 films in 1973 (the others being 'The Sinister Eyes of Dr Orloff', 'Plaisir a Trois', 'La Comtesse Perverse', 'Al otro lado del espejo', 'Les Exploits érotiques de Maciste dans l'Atlantide', 'Maciste contre la reine des Amazones', 'La Noche de los asesinos', 'Kiss Me Killer', 'Tender and Perverse Emanuelle' and 'Mais qui donc a violé Linda?'), but this was the first of his films in which Romay played a prominent part. Romay was only 17 when she met Franco, and was 18 when FEMALE VAMPIRE was made. She brings an extremely earthy sexuality to the film, and is easily the film's greatest asset. Romay wasn't a classical beauty, but she certainly had a presence when she was younger, and nowhere is it more evident than in this film, to which she brings a real feeling of melancholy weariness and desperation, as she is driven to kill her victims by an instinct over which she has no control. It has often been pointed out that Franco 'somewhat lost the plot' when Soledad Miranda died, and that his discovery of Romay rekindled his film-making, and it is certainly a fact that much of his best work featured Romay. Romay's absolute lack of inhibition, and willingness to do just about anything on film (hardcore was a relatively recent genre when this film was made, and Romay was quite daring to go as far as she does in this film) provided Franco with the perfect model for his increasingly perverse and explicit films. Franco himself puts in an obligatory appearance in the film as 'Dr. Roberts'. His acting is as bad as always, and the dubbing is truly atrocious (it could be argued that Romay's performance in this film is enhanced considerably by having the need to speak removed, hence making her look the only really competent actor in the film), but it's always nice to see him in his films, and it always makes me wonder how on Earth he persuaded Romay to shack up with him (I always wondered the same of Kitten Natividad and Russ Meyer)!!! And we mustn't forget Dr Orloff, this time played by French film critic and Franco fan Jean-Pierre Bouyxou. In one scene Franco as Dr Roberts asks Dr Orloff "Is she alive?" (referring to Romay's character), to which Orloff replies "Are you?"!!! This is typical of the dialogue in the film (and Franco's work in general), a bizarre mix of stilted delivery, philosophy and excruciatingly bad lines. However, the real star of this film is the photography. It's easy to forget that Franco was a very talented director for much of his career, and this film was made before he started to sacrifice cinematography in favour of speed (though it still contains much of his trademark zooming, and throwing the camera in and out of focus) and really does contain some gorgeous dream-like scenes. Lifetime Franco collaborator Daniel White provides what is easily one of his best scores, the relaxed jazz perfectly complimenting the dreamy, fragmented narrative. The atmosphere the film conjures up is also worthy of note - a mix of disgust, fascination, slow holidays, abandoned resorts, and doomed fate, as only Franco can.

Franco's films are famously an acquired taste, and this is as true for this film as for his others, but if you're a fan or even a recent initiate, then you will definitely find much to please you here. As an unashamed Francophile, my only complaint about this film concerns the amount of time Romay spends writhing about naked. These scenes get very trying (think of the extremely tiring scenes in Franco's video nasty BLOODY MOON when Nadja Gerganoff keeps bearing her breasts to the moon) and the film might well benefit from their removal, or at least trimming down. Of course, some people will probably be quite happy to watch this stuff, and they're welcome to it! The real tragedy is Image's very dubious decision to tamper with the film. Many may consider this nit-picking, but I think that scene was vital to the overall feel of the film. It was almost as if Franco was saying to the audience, "How far do you think I dare go?" and pushing the film into the realms of taboo (as John Waters once said of his PINK FLAMINGOS, it's not very often that you see a blowjob in a non-hardcore film) and I feel that the scene's removal disturbs the rhythm of the film considerably. Also, as a strong opponent of censorship I find it very worrying that a DVD company has chosen to censor a film itself. What if this worrying incident became a trend, with companies removing any footage they fear might risk the wrath of religious groups, or whoever Image thought would be offended. Also, I find it increasingly hard not to think of Image as Anchor Bay's poor cousin, what with their lame ZEDER DVD, their heavily cut MS.45 DVD, and now this deliberately edited release. What I cannot understand is the thinking behind the decision - did Image think that the sort of people who would be buying this DVD would be offended by the inclusion of a mild hardcore scene? Of course not, so this means that Image's concerns lay not with their market but with (presumably) the moral majority. I find this a distressing thought, and I hope that Image will endeavour to rise above their fears in future.

The film is a haunting meditation on fate and features many of Franco's favourite themes (though no surgery is involved!), mixed into a pleasing whole. Romay is excellent, and Franco's cameo is amusing. When watching the film try to bear in mind that this was only one of 11 films that Franco completed in one year, and you'll probably appreciate it a lot more. Finally, I have to mention the lovely shots of Romay walking through the misty forest, clothed only in her black cape, which are some of the best Franco has ever shot, and also the climactic scene, which is extraordinary.

DVD Specification
Original year of release - 1973
Approximate running time - 100m 29s (packaging states "101 mins approx.")
Aspect ratio - Widescreen (2.35:1)
System - NTSC (colour)
Rating - NR (USA)
Sound - Dolby Digital Mono (1.0)
DVD release - Image Entertainment
Region Coding - Region 0 (code free)

DVD Extras
Original theatrical trailer (French language)
Extra scenes from the "Erotikill" cut of the film
Liner notes by Tim Lucas

DVD Ratings (out of 5)
Picture - 4
A lovely full scope transfer, and anamorphically enhanced too! Image have really come up with the goods for this release, producing a fantastic transfer, with lots of clarity and a nicely framed image. There is some grain, but this is hardly surprising and some scenes have lines on the print, but again this is to be expected in a release of an old, low budget film like this. Really, we couldn't have expected more for a limited market film like this, and even Anchor Bay wouldn't have done a better job.
Sound - 3
DD mono as one would expect. Sounds nice and clear, and Daniel White's score sounds great in places. No hissing, and perfectly adequate.
Extras - 2
Well, at least Image have decided to put some extras on this disc. The trailer is pretty poor, being French language and short. Tim Lucas' liner notes are as excellent and informative as we've come to expect (it's a shame Lucas isn't more heavily involved in Image's releases; maybe he could have dissuaded them from cutting the film?), though he does say that the film has never been available letterboxed before (this isn't the case) and doesn't mention the cut scene. The trump card on the disc though, is the inclusion of some alternate scenes from the straight horror version of the film. These are presented letterboxed (for the first time ever) and are very interesting to see. They add up to about 8 minutes in all. It's a shame that Image couldn't have included some sort of feature comparing the scenes from each of the three different versions of the film or something, but this is probably too much to expect.
Overall Rating - 4
An excellent release of one of Franco's best films, frustratingly spoilt by Image's decision to cut the film. A lovely transfer, and some interesting extras help make up for this, but it's impossible not to feel that the DVD remains a missed opportunity to present a definitive release of the film, with lots of alternate takes from the many different cuts. Recommended to Franco enthusiasts, but Franco novices should probably start with some of his more accessible work, as this will probably bore them. Sadly, the Redemption Benelux tape must still be regarded as the definitive release, at least for the time being.

AKA
The Bare Breasted Countess
The Black Countess
La Comtesse aux Seins Nus
La Comtesse Noire
Erotikill
Les Avaleuses
Insatiable Lust (France: X-rated version)
The Last Thrill
The Loves of Irina (racier version)

Alternative versions
The following list of titles is a definitive chronicle of the cuts and different content in the various versions of the film around the world. It was compiled by the great Brad Stevens (writer of the 'Choice Cuts' column in 'The Dark Side' magazine) and is taken from Marc 'Redemption' Morris' fantastic Jess Franco section of his 'Mondo Erotico' web site. See http://www.vidmarc.demon.co.uk/mondo-erotico/f_index2.html for Marc's 'Female Vampire' section, in which he also gives the cover art for the various versions listed below...

Female Vampire (Redemption, Benelux, PAL, 97m 19s, 2.35:1)
The definitive version, though the letterboxing is a little too tight top and bottom.

Female Vampire (Redemption, UK, 91m 53s, PAL, 2.35:1)
Identical to the above, but with extensive (over 6 mins!) BBFC cuts, eliminating the shots of Ramon Ardid's penis in Lina Romay's mouth, shots of Romay masturbating over Anna's corpse, the entire second half of the S&M sequence, and Dr Orloff placing his hand between a female corpse's legs.

The Loves of Irina (Private Screenings, US, 93m 47s, NTSC, 4:3)
Identical to the Redemption version, but with three cuts to the S&M scene, deleting the opening section (inexplicably), a zoom back from Lina Romay as Monica Swinn says "take her clothes off", and the final part of the scene, involving the beating and murder of Swinn (the scene now ends as Swinn is knocked to the floor).

Entfesselte Begierde (Action, Germany, 88m 46s, PAL, 1.70:1)
Identical to the Redemption version, except that the entire S&M scene is cut (though Monica Swinn and Alice Arno are still prominently credited). The credits are in English, with the exception of the title. Please Note: There is also a hardcore version available in Germany with this title.

La Comtesse aux Seins Nus (TVideo, France/Belgium, 95m 12s, French Language, SECAM, 1.85:1)
Identical to the Redemption tape, but with the following cuts: as in LOVES OF IRINA, the zoom back from Romay in the S&M scene has been cut; the final minute of Romay's fatal lovemaking with Jack Taylor has been cut; after Romay's suicidal bloodbath, a shot of a landscape as a voice cries 'Irina' has been cut; and the final shot of Romay has been shortened (there is also no end title). The opening credits are in French.

The Bare Breasted Countess (Big Partner, Finland, 68m 43s, English Language, PAL, 1.80:1 (actually a slightly squeezed full-screen transfer masked at 1.80:1))
A completely different, more traditional horror film version. This differs from the Redemption version in the following ways:
3m 51s to 5m 50s - Romay's attack on her first victim makes use of alternate takes in which she bites the man's neck rather than sucking his penis.
14m 49s to 15m 5s - The scene in which the servant watches a naked Romay on a bed is replaced with this unique shot of the servant sitting by the bed as a clothed Romay tosses in her sleep.
29m 43s to 31m 18s - The entire Romay/Anna sex scene has been cut and replaced with these alternate takes in which Romay enters Anna's room and bites her neck.
The entire scene in which Romay masturbates on the bed has been cut.
As in LOVES OF IRINA and LA COMTESSE AUX SEINS NUS, the zoom back from Romay in the S&M scene has been cut, as have the shots of Arno whipping Swinn.
45m 51s to 46m 26s - The end of the S&M scene has been cut and replaced with these alternate takes in which Romay bites Swinn's neck.
53m 15s to 53m 39s - The shot of Orloff feeling between a female corpse's legs has been cut and replaced with this alternate take in which Orloff feels the woman's throat. Curiously, Orloff has a line of dialogue in this section, and he delivers it in French! Could this print have been composited from several sources?
The start of Romay's lovemaking with Jack Taylor has been cut.
58m 31s to 59m 36s - The orgasmic death of Jack Taylor has been cut and replaced with these alternate takes in which Romay bites him on the neck.

Erotikiller (Antoniana, Italy, 67m 10s, Italian Language, PAL, 1.80:1 (with a slight squeeze))
Identical to the above, but with several more cuts: nude shots of Romay as Ardid enters her room; the whipping of Romay; and parts of Romay's bloodbath. Even some of the sections that are unique to the above print have been slightly shortened here (the comment Orloff makes in French in the previous version has simply been cut out). However, a few things snipped from the Finnish tape are included here, notably parts (not all) of the whipping of Monica Swinn and the start of Taylor and Romay's lovemaking. The title is in English, the credits in French, and the dialogue in Italian!