Daughters of Darkness [Blu-ray]

Overview

Le Rouge aux Levres is a stylish, fascinating, very erotic vampire film based on Sheridan le Fanu's Camilla, the classic tale of a lesbian vampire. A young married couple, Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Daniele Ouimet), honeymoon at a deserted oceanside resort where they meet Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her companion Ilona (Andrea Rau). Valerie has discovered that Stefan is a brutal sexual sadist and is drawn to the Countess because of her warmth and sensuality. Ilona attempts to seduce Stefan but is accidentally killed, and the Countess takes her revenge on his wife. Director Harry Kumel directs with stunning visual style and maintains the erotic intensity and tension between the characters with skill, getting a particularly good performance from the magnificent Delphine Seyrig, who resembles in both mood and looks the young Marlene Dietrich. Erotic, unusual and extremely violent, Le Rouge aux Levres, also released as Daughters of Darkness is one of the finest vampire films ever produced, making up with style and class what it might have lacked in budget.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/22/2022
UPC:	0827058707992
Original Release:	1971
Source:	Blue Underground
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Sales rank:	17,607

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Delphine Seyrig	Countess Elizabeth Bathory
Daniele Ouimet	Valerie
John Karlen	Stefan
Andrea Rau	Ilona Harczy
Paul Esser	Porter
Georges Jamin	The Man
Joris Collet	Butler
Fons Rademakers	Mother
François de Roubaix	Composer

Technical Credits

Pierre Drouot

Jean Ferry

Harry Kümel

J.J. Amiel

Paul Collet	Producer
Alain C. Guilleaume	Producer
Harry Kumel	Director
Henry Lange	Producer
Pierre Drouot	Screenwriter
Jean Ferry	Screenwriter
Harry Kümel	Screenwriter
J.J. Amiel	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The sexual dimension of vampire lore gets a full workout in this contemporary love quadrangle. Delphine Seyrig lends not only a touch of elegance to the proceedings but also the only serious acting chops among the four leads. She plays the Countess Elisabeth Bathory, a character based on a real Hungarian madwoman of the 17th century who believed she would stay forever young by bathing in the blood of her victims. There are no bloodbaths here; in fact, there is less biting and bloodletting than groping and caressing. The setting is not a creepy castle but an empty off-season hotel in Ostend, Belgium, where a young honeymooning couple (John Karlen and Daniele Ouimet) are stalked by the Countess and her "secretary" (Andrea Rau). Complicating the sexual geometry, in which the secretary is to seduce the groom as a distraction while the Countess moves in on the bride, is a dirty little secret that the husband is keeping from his wife. Director Harry Kümel doesn't rush the pace, which allows the viewer to enjoy the creepy atmosphere but also notice the unconvincing performances by Karlen and Ouimet, with Rau acceptable in the least demanding part. The director's cut is available on DVD, running 100 minutes.

All Movie Guide - Tom Wiener