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nTitle: Fascination (1979)
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nDirector: Jean Rollin
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nCast: Franca Mai,nBrigitte Lahaie, Jean Marie Lemaire, Fanny Magier
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nReview:
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nI’m quickly learning that watching a Jean Rollin picture isna special kind of experience. He madenmany films, of course not all of them are good, but the ones that are specialnare sultry, sensual, artful experiences. These are films in which people talknin whispers and the wind blows in the middle of the night; of empty chateaus’nwith lonely lovers expecting death to come visit them in the middle of thennight. Oh Rollin, where the hell have you been all my life? I love thesenfreaking movies!
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nIn Fascination we first meet Mark, a thief who has justnstolen a bounty of golden coins. He decides to ditch the thieves that helpednhim pull of the heist and runs off with the gold. While on the run he comesnupon an apparently empty castle where he decides to hide until the night comes,nso he can later escape under the cover of the night. Problem is this chateau isnnot empty, he soon realizes that it is inhabited by two women: Eva andnElisabeth. To him they are easy prey, lonely women in an empty castle, Marknseems to think things are looking up for him, that this night might turn upnbetter then expected; but are these women as innocent as they seem? Is therensomething more to these women than meets the eye?
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nIt’s easy to say that Rollin’s films are exploitative and trashy,nbut I honestlyI don’t see them that way. Yeah they got nudity in them, and innFascination’s case there’s lots of it, but it’s not done in bad taste in mynopinion. This is a very sensual film, and while the film does have amplennudity, the female form is displayed in a very beautiful way, never in andisrespectful or demeaning matter. The last time I saw a truly sensual andnbeautiful love scene between two lesbian characters was in David Lynch’snMulholland Drive (2001). In that film Naomi Watts and Laura Harring really gondown on each other. That was a steamy scene that was very erotic, yet there wasnemotion and beauty to it, in my opinion it didn’t feel exploitative. There’s ansimilar scene on Fascination where the two female vampire lovers go at eachnother that is a heavy contender for hottest lesbian sex scene on film and again, it’sna beautiful scene and I’m not just saying that because I’m a guy, well maybe anlittle, but you know what I mean, it’s not trashy or cheap, you feel there’sngenuine affection between these two characters.
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nAesthetically speaking, the shots Rollin chose, thencompositions he made with the camera, and the localizations where Rollin chosento shoot this film all add up to a really beautiful looking film. I love itnwhen a horror film is artful and beautiful, it kind of elevates the horror film,nit turns it more than just a film that’s trying to be shocking or scary, thisnin my opinion is what Rollin does with his films. Take for instance thenbeautiful chateau he chose to shoot Fascination in…just otherworldly in a way.nIt is surrounded by a moat, and there’s a mist all around it, dead trees…but it’snall naturally that way, it’s not a set which is something I love about Rollin’snfilms, he never really used sets much, probably due to budget limitations, but itnall works in the films favor in the end. The castle has this bridge which Rollin usesnextensively all throughout the film, it looks great, it becomes a pivotal partnof the film. I mean, European filmmakers end up making their films in such beautifulnlocations that you can’t find anywhere else, in that way, they are fortunate. Butnthen there’s the small visual touches Rollin gives the film, like having thenvampire girls walking around in these dresses that undulate when the wind hitsnthem; or shooting in the middle of a dreary, cold day. So with Fascination youncan expect a film that deals with horror elements, but portrayed in a beautiful,nseductive and atmospheric way.
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nIn terms of the story, well, it’s simple in nature, but itnhas this aura of suspense to it. We are intrigued all throughout. Rollin reallynturned this one into an exercise in suspense. We want to know what’s going tonhappen, what is this ominous event that is going to take place? I think this isnprobably why the film is called Fascination. Of course it could also havensomething to do with the fascination the vampires in the film feel for blood. This film isn’t as gory as The Living Dead Girl (1982) was and the ending doesn’t pack as much of a wallop as The Living Dead Girls ending does, but it still manages to augmentnthe vampires fascination and lust for blood. It feels to me that what Rollin did with The Living Dead Girl was take the ideas he played with in Fascination and took them a bit further, The Living Dead Girl feels a bit more realized in a sense, edgier, bloodier. But don’t worry my friends, blood and the color red are alwaysnpresent in one form or another. The vampire angle is kind of subtle, but in thenend it’s unmistakably a vampire film and a damn good one. I’m beginning to getnfascinated by Rollin’s artful horror films, they mix fright with sensuality,nplus, they are drenched with atmosphere, I’m really looking forward to exploringnmore of his oeuvre!
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nRating: 4 out of 5
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