If you are unfamiliar with the cinema of Jean Rollin, he made erotic, gothic, atmospheric films. If nudity is not your cup of tea, don't watch his films. You won't get it. Jean Rollin was making films in the 1970's, when film makers where pushing the limits of what they could put on screen. Whether it was nudity, sex or violence. And Jean Rollin used all of them to great effect with his french gothic style to make some of the most unforgettable imagery you will ever see. In Jean Rollin's fantastic 1971 film Requiem For A Vampire, this is most true.(This is the Third film in a sort of Trilogy. 1: The Rape Of The Vampires (1968) 2: The Shiver Of The Vampires (1970) and 3: Requiem For A Vampire (1971))
The Film starts out with the two main characters (Marie-Pierre Castel and Mireille Dargent) dressed as clowns in car chase shooting at the chaser.
They escape and make it to an eerie castle where they are bitten by bats and meet a Vampire woman.
They are taken to a dark graveyard with a dungeon in the center, drenched in red light where the "Caged Virgin's" are held ("Caged Virgins" was the US title when this film was released in the United States.)
There they meet the last true living vampire, he sends them to find male victims and drink their blood so that they may be initiated as vampires.
They each find a man, Mireille Dargent's character lures her pray to the top of the castle, where she kills him. While Marie-Pierre Castel's charactor find a man, but she finds that she likes him. She loses her virginity and hides him in the castle. She lies and says she found no one.
When they are taken to be initiated, the Vampire knows her virginity has been taken, though it had been there just the day before. Marie-Pierre Castel's character does not tell where he is.
This Leeds to the infamous whipping scene. Mireille Dargent's character is forced under the consequences to whip Marie-Pierre Castel. She hangs by her wrists in a dark dungeon naked, and whipped. Do to censorship at the time, they shot the scene two ways. One with Castel nude and one with her wearing a bra and panties. The one on this release is the original nude scene.
That's as far as I'm going to go plot wise.
A trend I see among many reviews of Jean Rollin's films on here are people saying "not a family movie." I suggest you look a little into a movie before you throw it up on the TV for grandma and the kids to see. The trailer for most of Jean Rollin's films are on YouTube. Though I must say as a word of warning, these movies are basically rated x. No one under 17 admitted.
That in mind, The cinema of Jean Rollin is exquisite, unique and beautiful to look at. And Requiem For A Vampire is, in my mind, one of his best.
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