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7
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7 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
A
grieving widow (Soledad Miranda) sets out to take revenge on
the people who drove her husband (Fred Williams) to suicide...
Constructed as a vehicle for the ethereal screen presence of
Soledad Miranda, Jess Franco's remake of his 1965 gem The
Diabolical Dr. Z is one of the cult auteur's most entertaining
works.
Miranda, in one of her last roles before
her tragic death in 1971, dominates the proceedings with a heartfelt
and intense performance. She plays her "black widow" role with
enough pathos that the audience is always, somehow, on her side
— even if her character deteriorates rapidly as the film unfolds.
A striking beauty, Miranda was also a talented actress capable
of playing virginal innocents and sultry seductresses with equal
ease. While her work as the willingly corrupted Eugenie
de Sade (1970) remains her finest work, her performance
here is not far behind. If Vampyros
Lesbos (1970) remains her "signature" role, and Franco's
biggest cult hit, it is to be regretted that her more substantive
work in She
Killed in Ecstasy
has been overshadowed as a result. Whereas Mabel Carr, as the
vengeful daughter of Diabolical Dr. Z,
came across as cold and haughty, Miranda is consistently passionate
and sympathetic. Her obvious photogenic qualities are also used
to excellent effect, as her character seduces her enemies and
leads them to their doom.
The supporting cast is also very good, notably
Howard Vernon, Paul Müller, Ewa Stroemberg and Franco himself,
as the four doctors doomed to 'die in ecstasy.' This isn't exactly
one of the stronger roles Vernon essayed for the director, but
he is allowed a memorably quirky moment — praying before encouraging
Miranda, whom he believes to be a prostitute, to degrade him
sexually — and manages to hold his own against the stunning
starlet. Franco, who usually casts himself in eccentric bit
parts, also makes a good impression in a sizable supporting
role; his 'encounter' with Miranda is definitely one of the
film's highlights.
A stronger, more emotionally substantial
film than Vampyros Lesbos, She
Killed in Ecstasy
works best during the midsection, which focuses on Miranda's
revenge. The setup and finale are not terribly convincing, however,
thus docking the film a few points. Nevertheless, on the whole,
the film is a pleasingly stylistic experience. Manuel Merino's
cubist cinematography includes more bizarre compositions (scenes
viewed through champagne glasses, etc.) than one would expect,
while Franco again makes excellent use of the acid-jazz/rock
music of Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab, already immortalized
in Vampyros Lesbos. The soundtrack
is very effectively augmented by an achingly beautiful composition
by Bruno Nicolai (Eugenie de Sade),
which adds emotional resonance to some key scenes.
Flawed but tremendously effective, She
Killed in Ecstasy
shows Jess Franco near the top of his form. It is also essential
viewing for Soledad Miranda fetishists.
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Image's
new edition of She
Killed in Ecstasy
is a tremendous improvement on Synapse's previous release (now
OOP).
Taken from a vastly superior print, the transfer
offers bolder colors, a punchier soundtrack and far less print
damage than had dogged the Synapse disc. The one drawback is that
it is three minutes shorter. A comparison reveals that while some
minor trims and trills are missing around reel change points,
it would seem the bulk of the difference can be accounted for
if it was taken from a PAL source. Some minor differences do show
up, however, notably during the sequence depicting the fate of
Franco's character. This scene is not cut, but offers a variant
take that may or may not be closer to the director's original
intention.
Regardless, considering the vastly superior
image quality, there is little question that Image's release is
far superior to that of Synapse. Properly framed at 1.66:1, the
image has also been enhanced for widescreen TVs. The English subtitles
are removable. Extras include trailers for the film and Vampyros
Lesbos, as well as a still gallery. 11/16/04 |
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