Spirits of the Dead (Histoires Extraordinaires)

This French/Italian co-production is a portmanteau movie with three short films based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, an American author best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre.  An outstanding European director directs each one.

In Tim Lucas notes that accompany the 2011 release of the film on Blu-ray he opines that Histoires Extraordinaires (1968) ‘reinvented the cinema’s approach to Poe, and ultimately, the boundaries of the horror genre itself. Vincent Price was nowhere in sight; instead the films creators used the opportunity to reach back to an older, European tradition of using Poe as the basis of delirious, experimental, confessional cinema’[1]. He also argues that the three should be seen as a whole and not as individual films, and I would concur that the three films are certainly better enjoyed as a whole.

Roger Vadim’s (And God Created Woman 1956) Metzengerstein is the mesmerising first segment not set in any particular time span and stars his wife of the time Jane Fonda in a part that reinforces the fact that she was a strikingly beautiful and desirable actress.  In this wonderfully costumed drama Jane plays a character that Poe had cast as a 18 year old male in his original story but in Vadim’s screenplay she is a young women, the Countesse Frederique von Metzengerstain who has inherited the family estate and lives a life of promiscuity and debauchery, a sort of existence that Caligula would have been proud of. Her ancestors have always been rivals with another part of family called the Berlifitzings and who still it impossible to even talk with each other. One day while out in the forest hunting Frederique’s leg gets caught in a bear trap and fortunately her cousin Baron Wilhelm Berlifitzing is also out riding and frees her. The Countesse craves an incestuous relationship with the good-looking young Baron, who is played by Jane’s brother Peter, which does add an edge to the screen portrayal, but he rejects her. Frederique decides to extract revenge on the man that had the audacity to turn down her advances. Her actions lead to a death, a reincarnation and a mystifying incident with a black horse and a damaged tapestry. Partly spoken partly narrated the movie is lushly photographed by Claude Renoir especially the opening scene where we see the Countesse and her entourage riding on the cliffs above Kerouzere Castle in Brittany and I’ve already mentioned the fabulous futuristic costumes designed by Jacques Fonteray.  Is your fate predetermined?

 The Countesse Frederique von Metzengerstain

The penultimate segment is an intriguing piece of work directed by the French director Louis Malle (Lift to the Scaffold 1958) and is set in 19th century France and told in flashback. Atheist William Wilson, played by French heartthrob Alain Delon, enters a church and forces his way into the confessional demanding that the priest take his confession. The Malle co-scripted film tells the story of a cold-hearted sadist who claims he is being pursued by a doppelgänger who goes by the same name, William Wilson! One of his flashbacks involves a card game with a beautiful cigar smoking woman Giuseppina, a man in Poe's original story, but there's no mistaking Brigitte Bardot even with black hair. After an all night card session she eventually looses to Wilson who ends up whipping her after the other Wilson has appeared and accused him of cheating at cards. The ultimate nightmare is indeed a nightmare about a nightmare?

The cigar smoking Giuseppina.

William Wilson!

Like William Wilson in the previous segment Toby Dammit is a gambling man but unlike Wilson his bet is always with the devil with whom he wagers his head! Inspired by Mario Bava's devil in Kill Baby Kill (1966) the apparition takes the form of a young girl with white blond hair wearing a simple white dress holding a luminous ball that she bounces towards him in slow motion. This final segment was originally to be directed by Orson Wells who pulled out at the last minute to direct an uncompleted project in Yugoslavia. Instead Federico Fellini was asked to direct in his place. Fellini decided on a Poe story called Never Bet the Devil Your Head, set it in a contemporary setting, which as Tim Lucas points out was transformed into 'a bizarre, acid tinged, three ringed circus - the closest the cinema has come to bring Peter Blake's amazing Sgt Peppers album cover to life'[2] And who better to play a bizarre acid tinged character than Terence Stamp. Dammit is a famous actor who is loosing his career to the ravages of alcohol and drugs but is still convinced of his own celebrity status and agrees to travel to Rome to appear in a film where his fee is to be a brand new Ferrari. A guest of honor at a film award evening he drinks too much and has visions of a young girl holding a large luminous ball that ultimately leads to him completely loosing his head. He blew his mind out in a car[3].  

 

Toby Dammit.

Although all three work very well, Fellini’s segment is the most surreal of the three films and probably the best known. Similarities between the three are purely coincidental but what we get is a great example of sixties European film making from some of the eras best directors and best known actors and actresses. The original film made its theatrical debut in Paris in 1968 but did not do remarkably well in the box office. American International Pictures bought the distribution rights for the US, changed its name to Spirits of the Dead and released it in July 1969,it was the first horror movie released in America to carry an ‘R’ rating. This collectively splendid piece of cinematic film history will not immediately appeal to every one but if, like me, you are prepared to give it a go you will be justifiably rewarded in this world if not the next!

Never bet the devil your head!

                                                                              

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[1] Tim Lucas Blu-ray Booklet 2011.

[2] Tim Lucas Blu-ray Booklet 2011.

[3] A Day in the Life 1967. Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Modesty Blaise.

Based on a popular newspaper comic strip by Peter O'Donnell, one which debuted in the London Evening Standard in May 1963, Modesty Blaise is part of a sub genre called a 'spy spoof'' These were made because of the popularity of the early James Bond films but rather than be made as serious spy adventures like the Bond or the Harry Palmer films they were made as a parody, but few of them actually succeeded as a comedy thriller, i.e. they weren’t especially funny and they certainly weren’t thrilling, although I think that Losey’s film could be the exception that proves that rule.

 

The psychopath Mrs Fothergill!

The plot, for what's its worth, has to do with a female agent and her cockney side kick Willie Garvin who get involved with the British secret service, a conspiracy involving diamonds, a bunch of Arabs, some oil, an arch villain called Gabriel and a psychopath called Mrs. Fothergill.

 

The decedent villain Gabriel.

It's a film you can't really judge by ordinary standards.  Directed by the great Joseph Losey in 1966, it has since become a cult camp classic. Technically accomplished, with some great colourful production design from Richard MacDonald, its completely insane but it certainly captures the spirit of the times and features some great acting talent who between them brilliantly demonstrate the art of 1960's camp. Italian actress Monica Vitti (Red Desert 1964) plays the female James Bond transcending any problems with the English language with her beauty. Terence Stamp, who slotted this movie between The Collector (1965) and Poor Cow (1967), plays the bed hopping Willie whose cockney accent does him any favours. A grey wigged Dirk Bogarde, who seems to relish the part, plays the decedent villain Gabriel. But the best part goes to another Italian actress Rossella Falk who plays Gabriel's right hand woman Mrs. Fothergill who alleviates her boredom by torturing and killing people.

 

The Female Agent and her cockney side kick.

The soundtrack was composed by Johnny Dankworth with a time warp of a theme song called Modesty by the British pop duo of Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook who went by the name of David and Jonathan. (Just another little quirk of the 1960's).  Filmed on location in Amsterdam, London and at the Shepparton Studios its certainly worth another look and the DVD I have has a superbly crisp and bright feel which denies the films age. 

Modesty Blaise.

Song for Marion.

When I wrote my blog about The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) I ranted my displeasure that the film industry in Britain seem to take pleasure in pigeon holing a section of the public in what I see as their quest to demean people of a certain age whom they imagine cannot enjoy a movie that’s challenging and/or graphic in its contents. We’ve recently had Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet (2012) described as a comedy and happy to show a fantasised Care Home with out a hint of reality. European and even American filmmakers can make films without patronising adult audience. Take for instance Michael Haneke’s award winning Amour (2012) or Yaron Silberman’s A Late Quartet (2012) not the best film I have ever seen but one that does not treat its audience as a bunch of maroons.

Arthur and Marion share a joyous moment.

Director Paul Andrew Williams has a good pedigree for films with bite, including London to Brighton (2006), a social realistic crime drama about child prostitution and runaway youth, and Cherry Tree Lane (2010) where a prosperous middle aged couple receive unexpected visitors to see their son about a wee matter of grassing up one of his friends and take out their frustrations on the parents while waiting for his return. Now we get him trying his hand at what’s can only be described as promoting a movie aimed at an undemanding audiences of a certain age, people who are believed not to require a great deal for the price of a cinema ticket. Song for Marion (2012) would have been a far better film if it had concentrated on the three way drama between a retired couple, the grumpy misanthrope Arthur (Terence Stamp), his wife Marion (Vanessa Redgrave), who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and they’re grown up son James (Christopher Eccleston), who has a daughter but apparently no wife. Instead Williams concentrates on a cranky implausible choir called the OAPz, led by a young condescending music teacher (Gemma Arterton), that the wheelchair bound Marion is a member of. 

 

James with his daughter.

This movie demonstrates how bad the British film industry can be at times.  

Its safe, unimaginatively gutless and completely predictable, trying far to hard to bring a mawkish tear to your eye. An embarrassing sugar rush that wastes the acting talents of those involved.

The Collector.

Money can’t buy you class, but it can buy you a grand country house half a mile from your nearest neighbour and one with a vaulted gothic cellar, large enough to refurbish as a self contained bed sit to serve as a prison. Freddie Cleg has few friends; his work colleagues at the Bank mock him constantly because of his hobby of collecting and mounting butterflies. One day Freddie discovers that he has won £71000 on the football pools, a substantial amount of money in the 60’s, certainly enough to carry out his most prized fantasy. Our lepidopterist has been stalking Miranda Grey since her days at the local grammar school in Reading were they both lived.  He has now followed her to London were she is at college studying art. Finally at Mount Vernon in Hampstead London he chloroforms Miranda, loading her unconscious body into the back of his Thames van. He drives her to the renovated basement and allows himself to hope that this upper-class art student will fall in love with him.  

Terence Stamp as Freddie Cleg.

The lovely Samantha Egger as Miranda Grey.

The Collector (1965) is a carefully observed study of obsession that turns into a battle of wills between a lonely office worker and a highborn, well-spoken educated young women.  Freddie’s love for Miranda is built on respect for her as a person and not on any kind of physical lust, where as Miranda’s see’s him as a vulgar suburban ignoramus, someone, who in her mind, lacks her appreciation of fine arts and books. Offering her body to Freddie in exchange for her freedom she falls from her ‘pedestal’ in the mind of her mentally disturbed captor. 

Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by the British author John Fowles it was directed by the American based, French born William Wyler famous for such epic films as the 1958’s sprawling western The Big Country and the sand and sandals tale Ben-Hur (1959), seen showing at a local cinema in the film. Terence Stamp, a fine actor, who brilliantly conveys both the dangerous obsessiveness and the boyish naivety of Freddie Cleg, collaborated with some of the sixties most revered filmmakers including Joseph Losey, John Schlesinger, Ken Loach and Pier Paolo Pasolini, he was also offered the title role of Alfie (1966) before Michael Caine made the role his own. Samantha Egger, whose good looks no doubt come from the Dutch side of her family, portrays the well-bred Miranda, a role for which she deservedly won three Best Actress Awards.  Both actors give rivetingly convincing performances in a film that exposes class tensions even in the most dire of circumstances.

The gothic cellar complete with captive.