Cuadecuc-Vampir/Umbracle — Cuadecuc-Vampir/Umbracle( Blu Ray)
Now here is a real curio from the fine folks at Severin- two Spanish experimental films from the 1970’s both featuring horror icon Christopher Lee. With this region-free Blu-ray release taking in new scans of the films, a featurette, and an inlay booklet.
Both films here were directed by Girona, Catalonia-born Pere Portabella. Between the late 1960s and 2015, he helmed twenty-eight films- both shorts, and features- all seemingly in the experimental/ Avant guard side of things His output moves from Nocturno 29 (1969) which is listed as a blend of mystery, horror & drama. Onto Play Back (1970) which regards a rehearsal, though to The Silence Before Bach (2007) which blends and blurs historical reconstruction, 'dramatic' scenes and documentary sequences.
The first film here is 1971’s Cuadecuc, Vampir- which filmed during the making of Jess Franco’s Count Dracula (1970). The black and white film is best described as an experimental film meets and a behind-the-scenes doc, which is largely dialogue-less- with use of repetitive & warped sound craft, and as well as some music.
The film runs at one hour and ten minutes mark, and really to find any sense/ shape here you’ll need to have seen Franco’s Count Dracula- as it features many of the film’s scenes & structural layout. These are either captured from another angle or have been flittered through effects- be they contrast adjusted, warped, or inversed. These make up around 80% of the film's runtime.
The remaining 20% or so of the film is made up of footage of effects set-up (a fair bit of fake spiderweb creation), behind-the-scenes footage, and outtakes- be they playful, or more thoughtful. The most interesting of this final category is clowning around with fake fangs, and Lee reading from the end of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
On the whole, it's an interesting enough re-take/ look at film creation- with at times the effects & sound textures applied to the original Franco film being largely quite effective- moving between being angularly lulling, quite intense, and playful. At moments the picture is so degraded/ contrast heavy- we just get shifting black & white blobs, or patterns- though these only happen occasionally.
If I was to compare Cuadecuc, Vampir to anything, I’d say it’s the visual equivalent of a droned-out or noise-up remix album. It’s certainly an interesting concept, and without a doubt, the most experimental Mr Lee was ever involved with.
Umbracle is from the year 1972- it’s a decidedly episodic feature-length film, which sits between somewhere absurdist and surrealistic cinema. It moves between dialogue-less wonderings around a large museum with Mr Lee as low-key droning sonics flow. Academics talking about Spain's censorship laws. A big chunk of a war film- regarding a priest unfazed by bombings. There are bickering clowns- who later start playing the violin, the guitar, and the saxophone. We have ladies trying on shoes in a shoe shop. Silenced conversion with the sound of urgent door knockings on top. Mr Lee buying cigars, standing on the side of the street while an urgent phone ring goes on top.
Later on, we find Mr Lee up on a brightly lit stage- first singing expressive German & French songs, then discussing Edger Allen Poe’s The Raven- before reading the poem. More wonderings around the museum, and a few other things.
The film comes in at the one hour and twenty-seven-minute mark. I’d say it’s an ok one-watch, though I may return to elements of the film again- like the mixing of lulling disquiet & mystery in the museum scenes, and Mr Lee singing- which I’ve always had a soft spot for.
Personally, I’d say Umbracle is the most rewarding of the two films- but Cuadecuc, Vampir certainly has its worth in it look at a filmed film from an experimental angle.
On the extra side of the disc, we have A Cinema Of Vampires: Pere Portabella, Jess Franco And The School Of Barcelona (35.40) this finds Spanish Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbi giving an overview of Portabella, talking about the two films to hand, and whether there are any connects between Portabella & Franco- it’s in Spanish with English subtitles. We also get a trailer for each film.
The set is finished off with a fourteen-page inlay booklet- Text By Pere Portabella And Film Critics Jonathan Rosenbaum And Federico Karstulovich.
It goes without saying, that this will not be a release for everyone- firstly you’ll have to have a least some interest in experimental film, secondly, I’d say you’ll need to have seen Jess Franco’s Count Dracula- which has recently had a deluxe four-disc release on Severin…here’s our review of said film/ set. Nevertheless, is nice to see Severin stepping into releasing the more experimental side of filmmaking, and it’ll be interesting to see if they release anything else in this bracket- as of course there are more than a few genre/horror films that a very much on this side of things.