Fascination — Fascination( UHD & Blu Ray)
Fascination was the 30th film from French director Jean Rollin- it appeared in the late 1970s after he had helmed a spate of hardcore films. It saw the director returning to his erotic & vampiric-tinged horror origins- for one of his more classy, ornate, and haunting films- which stands as one of the cornerstones of the erotic/European horror genre. Here from Powerhouse Films is the next in their series of reissues of the director’s work. It comes as either a UHD or Blu-Ray disc- taking in a wonderfully bold and bright 4k scan, a new commentary track, and a few other new/ archive extras.
Fascination was released in the year 1979- with Rollin both writing & directing the picture. It is a period set piece- filmed in and around a beautiful water set Château in north-central France and its surrounding autumnal countryside.
The film is based in the year 1905, and we open with one of the film's iconic/ memorable scenes- as we see two ladies dressed in finery sipping & smearing blood on their lips while standing on a gore-soaked off-white floor of an abattoir.
As we move on, we meet the film's male lead Marc (Jean-Marie Lemaire) who has longish blond hair and is dressed in a very dapper red & black striped jacket. He’s standing in a barn with the members of an outlaw gang- they have recently committed a robbery, with Marc clutching onto a bag full of gold corns. They voice their concerns he might cheat them- at this point he snaps, taking one of the gang's female members as a hostage, and runs out into the French countryside.
Fairly soon, after dumping his hostage, he comes across a grand Château- with its only entry point being a stone bridge over a body of water. He rushes into the building- finding Eva- played by blond Euro cult star Brigitte Lahai, and Elisabeth (Franca Maï). They claim they are servants preparing the house for their mistress, and initially seem fearful of Marc.
As the film unfolds, we find out the pair aren’t quite as innocent as they first seem- and they are trying to keep Marc at the house until midnight when they say 'death' is coming to the house. The film is a mix of slow-burn unease & hovering dread, elegantly shot erotic encounters, and mystery- with fleeting darts of violence & gore.
Along its length the film features more than a few iconic & haunting scenes/ shots- for example, there’s Lahai naked in a black cape & carrying a scythe scene, or the bloody nighttime feeding on the bridge. The film is scored with a gloomily simmering blend of synth and choral music- which wonderfully enhances the feeling of pervading dread & eerie mystery.
Acting wise Jean-Marie Lemaire is okay as the cunning/ seemingly fearful thief. Lahai is effective as the seductive to deadly Eva. But I think the highlight here is Maï, who has quite an interesting/ unexpected character arc.
Fascination is not only one of Rollin’s greatest films, but also a key/ important euro horror film. Yes, it’s fairly lulling & slow in its unfold- but it’s knee-deep in atmosphere & mood- with a feeling of foreboding mystery and dread heavy in the film's cinematic air.
Moving onto this new release, and my word the 4k scan really is a thing of beauty. I’d previously seen the DVD release of the film from twenty or so years back, and this is a real step up. With wonderful clarity to the picture itself, with bold colours and generally wonderful depth. All of which makes the film even more atmospherically impactful.
On the new extras side on the disc, we have a commentary track from author Jeremy Richey- who runs a Rollin blog, and wrote the book Sylvia Kristel: From ‘Emmanuelle’. He begins by discussing how it’s most fitting that the film opens with the shot of a painting- as this like many of his films it is indebted to the art world. He talks about how the film's pacing almost makes it feel like it is in slow motion. He comments on the film's score by Philippe D'Aram- which he says brings to mind Popol Vuh soundtracks for Herzog, in particular Nosferatu. He talks about The Glass Of Blood- an 1895 short story by French author Jean Lorrain, which the film is inspired by. He talks about the series of hardcore films Rollin, and how these help to fund films like Fascination. He discusses key members of the films crew in particular Assistant Director Natalie Perrey. He gives brief bios of actors as they appear, but goes more in-depth with Ms Lahai. Later on, he talks about how one of the film backers pulled out at the last minute- meaning the film didn’t get the theatrical distribution it deserved- leaving Rollin Penniless, going back to making hardcore again. How it took more than a decade to find its audience through badly pirated VHS copies. He touches on the Château location's rather troubled past, and how it can be now rented as a wedding venue for twenty grand. All in all, it’s a well-researched & informative track – which I can most certainly see myself revisiting again. Otherwise, there’s Love Like Blood (7.00) an appreciation of the film by author and film historian Virginie Sélavy
On the archive extras side, we get a good selection of extras- some of these getting updates. We get an introduction to the film from Rollin (2.21). The Music of ‘Fascination’ (19.42): an interview with composer Philippe D’Aram. Two alternative sequences: with extended sex scenes. Eurotika!: ‘Virgins and Vampires’ (25.00): a 1999 documentary on Rollin, produced and directed by Andy Starke and Pete Tombs, featuring contributions from Rollin, actors Monica Swinn and Brigitte Lahaie, and Nigel Wingrove of Redemption Film. Rituels (7.42) documentary on the making of Fascination by Rollin’s personal assistant, Daniel Gouyette, including interviews with key collaborators Natalie Perrey and Brigitte Lahaie. The original theatrical trailer. Image gallery: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes
The finished release is topped off with an eighty-page book with a new essay by Vanessa Morgan, an archival introduction by Jean Rollin, a reprint of the short story by Jean Lorrain that inspired the film’s screenplay, a previously untranslated archival interview with Rollin, an archival interview with actor Fanny Magier, and full film credits.
It certainly is wonderful to see Fasciation getting this classy new presentation from Powerhouse- as not only is it one of Rollin’s masterworks- but it’s also a key/ important film in Euro/ erotic horror genre. With the beautiful new scan, and a great selection of new/ archive extras. The release- over both its UHD & Blu Ray version- is ltd to 10,000 numbered copies worldwide- so don’t hang around, as I can’t see these staying about for too long!.