On January 24th, five Rollin films will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD. These releases will include:
The Nude Vampire, Shiver of the Vampires, The Iron Rose, Lips of Blood and Fascination.
Jean Rollin was a romantic poet with an obsessive fantastical vision. He explored the beauty and strength found in dreams. There is immense fragility and a slow pulsing intensity at the heart of the films he made. Images and scenery reoccur throughout his body of work, like fragmented dreams. This collage style was often self-referential yet was done in a way that remains endearing and melancholic. In Rollin's films, the viewer is captivated by repeating landscapes, filled with subtle variations. The waves endlessly crash on the beaches depicted. It is a mythic world filled with statues, castles and graves. There is such a great deal of mystery in Rollin's films. Atmosphere saturates the screen though for a lifelong horror director, Rollin ultimately had a gentle nature and touch. His form of cinema is so alien to the current world we find ourselves in. At the height of his powers, Rollin made thoroughly personal and unique films.
Here are some magnificent stills from the upcoming Rollin releases:
Finally, here is a tremendous interview with Kino Lorber's Bret Wood. It was posted on Jeremy Richey's highly recommended site, Fascination: The Jean Rollin Experience. In the interview Wood discusses working on transferring the films from Jean Rollin's personal original negatives, supplemental features, further Rollin titles after the first batch are released and beyond. Enjoy!:
http://requiemforjeanrollin.blogspot.com/2012/01/fascination-q-with-kino-lorbers-bret.html
