After recently viewing Blanche (1971),I opened my box set of works by Walerian Borowczyk,and checked what other titles were waiting to be played. Remembering Kim Newman highlighting the anthology in his review of the set for Empire magazine,I got set to find out how immoral these tales are.
View on the film:
Smoothly re-inserting a fifth story/film which had been cut over doubts the ratings boards would be happy with it, Arrow present a fantastic transfer, with the clean soundtrack and a print retaining just the right amount of film grain, being supported by detailed extras on the production.
Encouraged by producer Anatole Dauman to make the film, thanks to Dauman believing that the relaxation of film censorship in France would help it to be a hit at the box office, (which it was) production designer/editor/writer/directing auteur Walerian Borowczyk grinds his most sensual work up to this point, with a continuation of thrusting forward with his grotesque, horror-flavoured surrealist stylisation.
Going back to his roots as a animator, Borowczyk keeps the dialogue to a bare minimum,instead weaving a peculiar atmosphere,crashing the waves of The Tide (the lead role of which he offered to Isabelle Adjani,who turned it down over the "Stigma" of Adult films) in a cheeky tribute to From Here To Eternity (1953),spreading to the castle of Elisabeth Bathory (played by Pablo's daughter,Paloma Picasso) (with no establishing location shots,a recurring motif in his credits)in unsettling scenes of Bathory's victims in the pit of the castle taking showers, framed narrowly by Borowczyk to give the impression of them being in a concentration camp.
Whilst not featuring a wraparound story, each panel is framed by Borowczyk's distinctive editing style continuing to be expanded upon in a fragmented surrealist fashion, which plunges towards The Beast tale with splintered shots capturing the disorientating state the explicit assault The Beast leaves the inflicted woman in.
Following from Blanche in having women be the focus of each tale, Borowczyk displays his unique interest in provoking, rather than erotisation, as Borowczyk nails a continuation of manipulating religious iconography, and for the final, a delicious disregard for a holier than thou façade snapped in two behind the pages of a immoral tale.
View on the film:
Smoothly re-inserting a fifth story/film which had been cut over doubts the ratings boards would be happy with it, Arrow present a fantastic transfer, with the clean soundtrack and a print retaining just the right amount of film grain, being supported by detailed extras on the production.
Encouraged by producer Anatole Dauman to make the film, thanks to Dauman believing that the relaxation of film censorship in France would help it to be a hit at the box office, (which it was) production designer/editor/writer/directing auteur Walerian Borowczyk grinds his most sensual work up to this point, with a continuation of thrusting forward with his grotesque, horror-flavoured surrealist stylisation.
Going back to his roots as a animator, Borowczyk keeps the dialogue to a bare minimum,instead weaving a peculiar atmosphere,crashing the waves of The Tide (the lead role of which he offered to Isabelle Adjani,who turned it down over the "Stigma" of Adult films) in a cheeky tribute to From Here To Eternity (1953),spreading to the castle of Elisabeth Bathory (played by Pablo's daughter,Paloma Picasso) (with no establishing location shots,a recurring motif in his credits)in unsettling scenes of Bathory's victims in the pit of the castle taking showers, framed narrowly by Borowczyk to give the impression of them being in a concentration camp.
Whilst not featuring a wraparound story, each panel is framed by Borowczyk's distinctive editing style continuing to be expanded upon in a fragmented surrealist fashion, which plunges towards The Beast tale with splintered shots capturing the disorientating state the explicit assault The Beast leaves the inflicted woman in.
Following from Blanche in having women be the focus of each tale, Borowczyk displays his unique interest in provoking, rather than erotisation, as Borowczyk nails a continuation of manipulating religious iconography, and for the final, a delicious disregard for a holier than thou façade snapped in two behind the pages of a immoral tale.