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Two Orphan Vampires AKA Les Deux Orphelines Vampires (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (2nd May 2023). |
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The Film
 Originally released in 1997, Two Orphan Vampires (Les Deux orphelines vampires) finds Jean Rollin, the master of the fantastique, returning to the vampire genre with which he had made his name. By day, blind orphans Henriette and Louise seem to be the picture of innocence. But when darkness falls, their sight returns, and they wander the streets of Paris, encountering the city’s strange nocturnal denizens, and leaving a trail of corpses in their quest for fresh blood. Featuring startling performances from novice leads Alexandre Pic and Isabelle Teboul, alongside Tina Aumont (Modesty Blaise) and Rollin regulars Nathalie Perrey (The Shiver of the Vampires) and Brigitte Lahaie (Fascination), Two Orphan Vampires is a beautiful and melancholy summation of Rollin’s unique and arresting style.
Video
Two Orphan Vampires was scanned, restored and colour corrected in 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) at Filmfinity, London, using original Super 16mm A/B negative film materials. Phoenix image-processing tools were used to remove 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.One of Rollin's most personal films and one that more than any of his earlier productions probably reflects his themes and approach better than any other; he had 100% control so the excesses seen in the likes of Requiem for a Vampire (1973) or The Demoniacs (1975) are nowhere to be seen. Shot on a very low budget in 16mm this is a very grainy production, however, it looks fabulous with a beautiful sheen of filmic grain from first frame till last all handled with aplomb by Fidelity in Motion's superb encode in what must've been a tough assignment. Colours are rich and deep favouring a warm palette although flesh tones are quite pale as they have always been. At times the screen is bathed in blue as this is the world the vampires see and on those occasions detail can suffer but it's stringer here than it has ever been having seen this film on DVD and the US BD ('A') . 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.66:1 / 107:11
Audio
French LPCM 1.0 (48kHz) English LPCM 1.0 (48kHz) Subtitles: English, English HoH IMDB lists this as a Dolby Stereo production but there's no consultant listed which is usual when a film is made in the format. The Kino US BD has a 2.0 track and when played that through ProLogic II there was some bleed into the surround channels but no proper surround activity, so an anomaly. In any case, the Powerhouse Films release is in 1.0 so a moot point here. Both soundtracks sound the same so my comments apply to both. Obviously, this is a French language film shot with live sound so the French track is really the only proper option. Very strong, very robust and clear of distortion even when the volume is cranked up. The volume level is very loud much more so that most other discs I've viewed or tested. Dialogue is clear and free of distortion and the score never interferes with clarity. I heard no sibilant issues or hiss so as strong a modern-era mono track as I've ever heard. Excellent subtitles are provided for the French track and equally fine hard of hearing subs for the English ('A+').
Extras
Audio commentary with David Flint and Adrian J. Smith (2023) Flint & Smith (sounds like a detective due!) are a great team who obviously know each other and get along well. They kick off by stating that this film is far less compromised by the commercial demands of producers who forced him o include more nudity (and I speculate possibly sadism?) than had been the case in the 1970s-80s. We get a lot about Rollin which is always interesting and they approach the film as a melancholy, dark fairy tale. They both like the score which I was happy to hear because, I love it as well. It's great yaktrak filled with tons of trivia. A MUST! Presented in lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. "Memories of a Blue World: The Making of Two Orphan Vampires" 2012 documentary (42:30) Daniel Gouyette's vintage documentary covers the making of Two Orphan Vampires (1995) and features interviews with actor Bernard Charnacé, composer Philippe D'Aram, assistant director Jean-Noël Delamarre, actress Nathalie Karsenty, actress Isabelle Teboul and actress-still photographer-production assistant Véronique Djaouti Travers. Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1 with lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In French with optional English subtitles. "Infinite Dreams: Jean Rollin on Cinema, Surrealism and Two Orphan Vampires" 2023 featurette using 2002 interviews (35:04) Career-spanning interview with Rollin and he's his usual affable, twinkly self. I always find it most interesting when he discusses his influences such as surrealist paintings (Paul Delvaux), poetry (Jacques Prévert, André Breton), films (Luis Buñuel, Georges Franju) and writing (Ado Kyrou). I was most interested to hear that Rollin very nearly worked with both Buñuel and Franju but it never happened. He also talks of his love of what he refers to as fantastique as a kind of genre cinema that he wanted to make as well as favourite films like Peter Ibbetson (1935) and White Zombie (1932). He also touches on his beloved beach at Dieppe amongst many other subjects and points of interest such as his attitudes towards vampires, how he cast Two Orphan Vampires, why he uses two female leads in his films, humour in his films, his health whilst making Two Orphan Vampires (1995) and Dracula's Fiancée (2000) - his final films - and the importance of locations and specific places and how he adapted the film from his series of novels (it's essentially a palimpsest of the first two books). Presented in 1080i60 1.78:1 with interview segments upscaled 1.33:1 and film clips in their normal aspect ratios. Sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In French with optional English subtitles. "Bonded by Blood: Alexandra Pic on Two Orphan Vampires" 2023 featurette using 2002 interviews (13:30) Pic talks bout how she got the part (an advert in Pariscope magazine in 1994, see also the Rollin interview above) and bout her experiences shooting what was her first film. Another piece recorded only seven years after the film was made this is a vintage interview presented in 1080i60 1.78:1 with interview segments upscaled 1.33:1 and film clips in their normal aspect ratios. Sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In French with optional English subtitles. "Eyesight to the Blind: Isabelle Teboul on Two Orphan Vampires" 2023 featurette using 2002 interviews (11:01) Essentially the same as the Pic interview above, she talks about how she got the role and her time on the shoot. Teboul got the role through and agent and not the advert in Pariscope and after Pic had already been hired. It was also her first part in a film. Presented in 1080i60 1.78:1 with interview segments upscaled 1.33:1 and film clips in their normal aspect ratios. Sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In French with optional English subtitles. "The Smoking Vampires" 2002 featurette (4:00) Short look at the Père Lachaise Cemetery locations for Two Orphan Vampires (1995) seven years on with both Alexandra Pic and Isabelle Teboul. Both are as full of humour and charm as they were in the above interviews. Presented in 1080i60 1.78:1 with interview segments upscaled 1.33:1 and film clips in their normal aspect ratios. Sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In French with optional English subtitles. "Livres de Sang" 2002 tour of Jean Rollin's apartment (7:26) The title translates as Books of Blood and is Rollin talking about various books. Presented in 1080i60 1.78:1 with interview segments upscaled 1.33:1 and film clips in their normal aspect ratios. Sound is lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. In English and French with optional English subtitles for the French bits. Theatrical Trailer (2:02) Vintage promo in 1080p24 1.66:1 with LPCM 1.0 sound. Image Galleries: - Two Orphan Vampires Image Gallery: Production and Publicity (43 images) - Two Orphan Vampires Image Gallery: New York Location Photography (82 images) Extensive HD galleries with a total of 125 images. 80-page book with a new essay by Patricia MacCormack, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, an archival production report by Peter Blumenstock, an archival interview with Brigitte Lahaie, an extract from Rollin’s source novel and full film credits An excellent, chunky little tome to accompany the film. Worth the price of the set by itself as is usual for Powerhouse Films releases.
Packaging
Not send for review so unknown at the time of writing.
Overall
As with Powerhouse Films' sister release of The Shiver of the Vampire (1970) we get top notch image and sound with a stonking set of extras that can't be beat. For me, this is Rollin's best, most personal and most successful film free of the shackles of exploitation demands levelled on him by producers and distributors; he had 100% control possibly for the first time. It's a perfect, beautifully filmic presentation sheathed in wonderful 16mm grain and texture. One of THE discs of the year (along with Shiver) and although I'm sure the 4K UHD BD iteration will beat this with increased detail and HDR it wasn't sent for review. Fingers crossed with get the complete Redemption-Jean Rollin catalogue from Powerhouse Films ('A+').
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