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6
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8 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Spain's
Paul Naschy — born Jacinto Molina in Madrid —
is his country's greatest horror film star, best
known for his physically demanding portrayals
of the cursed Waldemar Daninsky in a series of
movies spanning decades. (See EC's review of Werewolf
Shadow, aka Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Woman,
for a prime example.) Although his most prolific
years were the 1960s and '70s, Naschy continues
to work both in front of and behind the camera
to this very day. In fact, thanks to DVD, the
21st Century has seen a major resurgence in his
popularity with genre fans all across the globe.
Naschy's latest film, Rojo
Sangre (Blood Red), was not only
scripted by him but features one of most compelling
performances.
Elderly actor Pablo Thevenet (Naschy) is
over the hill and out of fashion — the new breed
of hip, young filmmakers won't cast him in even
the smallest of parts. His lengthy resume of critically
acclaimed movie and stage roles means nothing
to them. Embittered and impoverished, Pablo goes
to audition after audition only to come away humiliated,
his anger at the smarmy directors and their tabloid-fodder
starlets festering into hatred and disgust. But
just when he's down to his last few euros a strange
— and very lucrative — job opportunity comes his
way... The mysterious Mr. Reficul (Miguel Del
Arco) wants to hire Pablo to act as a 'living
statue' at the doors of his exclusive nightclub,
dressed in elaborate costumes depicting famous
murderers from history. (Jack the Ripper, Ivan
the Terrible and Gille de Rais among them.) At
first Pablo balks at the offer when he learns
that Reficul's establishment, Pandora, is a sex
club for kinky sophistos. But the money is just
too good to pass up. He's fronted 10,000 euros
just for signing the contract. Oddly, Reficul
also gifts the old man with a sword-cane and a
set of astonishingly sharp Japanese knives, which
the smooth and clever business tycoon assures
him he'll appreciate.
Pablo, of course, has just sold his soul
to Satan. ("Reficul" spelled backwards is...)
In exchange he's given a simple job that pays
extraordinarily well, the company of a beautiful,
exotic call girl known as Tick-Tock (for her habit
of timing clients with a stopwatch), and that
unusual cutlery. It takes a little while for Pablo
to figure out exactly what he's gotten himself
into; in the meantime he takes one more shot at
auditioning for a movie role. Insulted by the
snarky young director, Pablo flies into a rage
and murders him along with the man's bimbo actress
girlfriend. This cathartic act of violence sends
the elderly thespian on a bloody killing spree,
slaying those he holds responsible for his slide
into artistic obscurity. For the murders to come
Pablo dresses in the costumes of the various figures
he plays outside the doors of the Pandora Club.
His employer not only knows of his crimes but
heartily approves, assuring him that he'll never
be caught. It is only after he accepts an offer
from some of Reficul's creepy associates — to
direct a real snuff film — that Pablo comes
to regret his Faustian bargain. (A terrible tragedy
from his past, not revealed until mid-film, prevents
the old man from going completely over to the
Dark Side.) He learns that a contract with the
Devil is very hard to get out of...
It's a bit ironic that, given the semi-autobiographical
nature of Naschy's script, Rojo
Sangre was entrusted to a "young,
hip" director who on the surface would seem
the very type the veteran actor uses his screenplay
to rail against — this was the first feature film
for 28-year old helmer Christian Molina (no relation
to Naschy). The film's look is hyper-stylized
in the modern MTV manner, making liberal use of
digital effects and unconventional editing; every
transition from one major scene to the next is
achieved using one or the other techniques (or
a combination of both). Visually Rojo
Sangre is technically impressive and often
cleverly arresting. But, for all the considerable
visual panache on display, the film never loses
focus on its central character and the biting
black humor of the dialog. Naschy is simply terrific
as Pablo, no doubt channeling some measure of
personal anger over the downturn his career took
in the '80s as changes in cinema and his own advancing
years put him on the sidelines. It's a testament
to his performance that we feel genuine sympathy
and understanding, even empathy, for a bitter
old man who's driven to murderous rage by his
own personal failings as much as anything done
to him by others. As the Mephistophelian Mr. Reficul,
tempting Pablo down the path of self-destruction,
Miguel Del Arco is also quite good and fun to
watch — he's Satan as smarmy Eurotrash entrepreneur.
Fans of Naschy, then, are in for a treat
with Rojo Sangre.
Now in his 70s, he shows that he can still carry
a film as the lead, that his reputation as a genuine
horror movie icon is not only secure but well
deserved. That the film in question was produced
with a relatively high budget (over $5 Million
U.S.) is a welcome sign that Spanish genre cinema
is not only not dead, but may well thrive.
That it's so visually interesting and technically
adept certainly marks director Molina as a talent
to watch in the future. The film has its share
of flaws to be sure; at times almost too clever
and showy for its own good, it falls apart in
the third act and lurches to an bewildering, unsatisfying
conclusion. (A CG-rendered tour through Hell is
totally unnecessary.) Alas, these stumbles drag
the flick down a couple of notches... Esto
es desafortunado. Naschy, however, makes it
well worth a view. It's his Theater
Of Blood — only with a Faustian twist.
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Rojo
Sangre
is one of the first releases under Media Blasters'
"Fangoria International" banner. (Yep,
MB has launched yet another sub-label.) A/V
quality is top-notch, with a beautiful-looking 2.35:1
print — which is not 16x9 enhanced, it must
be noted — and a solid stereo Spanish language mix.
The well-written English subtitles are easy to read
and can be turned off if desired. Menu screens are
available in both English and Spanish.
Two behind-the scenes featurettes are offered,
each brief but informative. The first (14 minutes)
is a general overview of the production, including
an on-set chat with Paul Naschy; the second piece
(11 min.) focuses on Christian Molina in his role
as director. You also get an image gallery, the
original Spanish trailer and trailers for other
Media Blasters (Shriek Show/Fangoria International)
titles.
4/10/05 |
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