COUNTESS DRACULA
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
(Double Feature)
I
have to give the folks at MGM credit for finally bringing Hammer classic THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS to DVD and throwing in COUNTESS DRACULA as a
bonus- then pricing the disc at a bargain basement $14.98. Since I tend to
think of COUNTESS DRACULA as a bonus feature, it should be pretty
obvious that I consider it as the lesser of the two evils offered on the
DVD, and not quite up to the classic status of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS.
Of course, Hammer fans will find COUNTESS DRACULA to be a fairly
enjoyable little horror offering, notable for the presence of the lovely
Ingrid Pitt (well, at least part of the time anyway).
Loosely
adapted from the exploits of Sixteenth Century Hungarian Countess
Elizabeth Báthory, COUNTESS DRACULA tells the story of Countess
Elisabeth Nodosheen (Pitt), an elderly widowed noblewoman who discovers
that bathing in the blood of young virgins restores her youth and beauty.
In pursuit of a handsome young officer she wants to bed, the countess
begins slaughtering the local peasantry. While the premise is promising,
the actual film is too slow moving for its own good, plus COUNTESS
DRACULA falls short in one’s expectations for blood and female
nudity. The cast of COUNTESS DRACULA also includes Nigel Green,
Sandor Elès, Maurice Denham, Patience Collier, Peter Jeffrey and
Lesley-Anne Down.
MGM
Home Entertainment has made COUNTESS DRACULA in a 1.66:1 wide
screen presentation that has NOT been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. While the 1.66:1 transfer looks respectable enough on a 4:3
display, digitally expanding the image to fill a 16:9 display softens the
picture and introduces artifacts. Still, viewing the film on large screen
16:9 display, one will find that the picture provides decent sharpness and
definition. Colors aren’t wholly consistent, but usually offer good
saturation and no signs of bleeding- except for the occasional virgin.
Blacks seem accurate and the whites are clean. The film element used for
the transfer displays a mild grain structure and some blemishes, but is in
pretty good shape. Digital compression artifacts remain out of sight. The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is free from distortion and excessive
hiss, as well are producing clean crisp dialogue. Subtitles are provided
in English, French and Spanish.
Now
we get to the real meat of this DVD… THE VAMPIRE LOVERS is the
first chapter of Hammer’s "Lesbian Vampire Trilogy" adapted
from Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. In THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
Ingrid Pitt portrays Marcilla, a mysterious young woman who becomes a
houseguest in the home of General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing), when her
mother is called away on an emergency. Soon after Marcilla’s arrival,
the General’s niece Laura (Pippa Steele) is taken ill with a strange
malady, which slowly drains her life away. Upon Laura’s death, Marcilla
suddenly vanishes and then reappears in the guise of Mircalla, who starts
the cycle all over again by becoming a houseguest in the home of Roger
Morton (George Cole) and his lovely daughter Emma (Madeline Smith). THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS is a highly enjoyable Hammer offering that has become a
minor genre classic because it really delivers the goods in terms of
blood, gore, lesbian eroticism and female nudity. The cast also features
Kate O'Mara, Ferdy Mayne, Douglas Wilmer, Dawn Addams, Jon Finch and John
Forbes-Robertson.
THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS comes in a truly marvelous looking 1.85:1 wide screen
presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. The
image on the DVD appears nicely sharp and rather well detailed, with only
an occasional shot that looks mildly soft. Colors are well saturated,
completely solid and without evidence of chroma noise or smearing. Blacks
appear inky and the whites are completely stable. Contrast is very good
and the picture produces a nice level of shadow detail for a movie that is
more than three decades old. The film elements used for the transfer are
in great shape, displaying only an occasional blemish or flaw. There is a
bit of noticeable film grain here and there, but nothing excessive.
Digital compression artifacts are always well concealed. THE VAMPIRE
LOVERS has a pretty solid Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack that is
free from audio anomalies and background hiss. Dialogue is always cleanly
rendered and completely understandable. English, French and Spanish
subtitles have been included with the feature.
Both
films are on opposite sides of the disc and have basic interactive menus,
which provide one with access to the standard scene selection and set up
features, as well as some supplements. Each feature contains a running
audio commentary track. Ingrid Pitt, director Roy Ward Baker and
screenwriter Tudor Gates are featured on THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
commentary, while Ingrid Pitt, director Peter Sasdy and screenwriter
Jeremy Paul turn up to talk about COUNTESS DRACULA. Both tracks
have their interesting points, which will hold the interest of Hammer
fans. Also included are theatrical trailers for THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
and COUNTESS DRACULA, plus Ingrid Pitt is back reading excerpts
from Carmilla.
THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS is a minor Hammer horror classic that has been given a
fine DVD release by the folks at MGM. The film looks better than I
expected, plus the DVD offers the bonus of COUNTESS DRACULA and
audio commentaries for both films. Considering the bargain price, Hammer
fans will want to add the DVD to their must have list.
I
have to give the folks at MGM credit for finally bringing Hammer classic THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS to DVD and throwing in COUNTESS DRACULA as a
bonus- then pricing the disc at a bargain basement $14.98. Since I tend to
think of COUNTESS DRACULA as a bonus feature, it should be pretty
obvious that I consider it as the lesser of the two evils offered on the
DVD, and not quite up to the classic status of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS.
Of course, Hammer fans will find COUNTESS DRACULA to be a fairly
enjoyable little horror offering, notable for the presence of the lovely
Ingrid Pitt (well, at least part of the time anyway).
Loosely
adapted from the exploits of Sixteenth Century Hungarian Countess
Elizabeth Báthory, COUNTESS DRACULA tells the story of Countess
Elisabeth Nodosheen (Pitt), an elderly widowed noblewoman who discovers
that bathing in the blood of young virgins restores her youth and beauty.
In pursuit of a handsome young officer she wants to bed, the countess
begins slaughtering the local peasantry. While the premise is promising,
the actual film is too slow moving for its own good, plus COUNTESS
DRACULA falls short in one’s expectations for blood and female
nudity. The cast of COUNTESS DRACULA also includes Nigel Green,
Sandor Elès, Maurice Denham, Patience Collier, Peter Jeffrey and
Lesley-Anne Down.
MGM
Home Entertainment has made COUNTESS DRACULA in a 1.66:1 wide
screen presentation that has NOT been enhanced for playback on 16:9
displays. While the 1.66:1 transfer looks respectable enough on a 4:3
display, digitally expanding the image to fill a 16:9 display softens the
picture and introduces artifacts. Still, viewing the film on large screen
16:9 display, one will find that the picture provides decent sharpness and
definition. Colors aren’t wholly consistent, but usually offer good
saturation and no signs of bleeding- except for the occasional virgin.
Blacks seem accurate and the whites are clean. The film element used for
the transfer displays a mild grain structure and some blemishes, but is in
pretty good shape. Digital compression artifacts remain out of sight. The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is free from distortion and excessive
hiss, as well are producing clean crisp dialogue. Subtitles are provided
in English, French and Spanish.
Now
we get to the real meat of this DVD… THE VAMPIRE LOVERS is the
first chapter of Hammer’s "Lesbian Vampire Trilogy" adapted
from Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. In THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
Ingrid Pitt portrays Marcilla, a mysterious young woman who becomes a
houseguest in the home of General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing), when her
mother is called away on an emergency. Soon after Marcilla’s arrival,
the General’s niece Laura (Pippa Steele) is taken ill with a strange
malady, which slowly drains her life away. Upon Laura’s death, Marcilla
suddenly vanishes and then reappears in the guise of Mircalla, who starts
the cycle all over again by becoming a houseguest in the home of Roger
Morton (George Cole) and his lovely daughter Emma (Madeline Smith). THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS is a highly enjoyable Hammer offering that has become a
minor genre classic because it really delivers the goods in terms of
blood, gore, lesbian eroticism and female nudity. The cast also features
Kate O'Mara, Ferdy Mayne, Douglas Wilmer, Dawn Addams, Jon Finch and John
Forbes-Robertson.
THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS comes in a truly marvelous looking 1.85:1 wide screen
presentation that has been enhanced for playback on 16:9 displays. The
image on the DVD appears nicely sharp and rather well detailed, with only
an occasional shot that looks mildly soft. Colors are well saturated,
completely solid and without evidence of chroma noise or smearing. Blacks
appear inky and the whites are completely stable. Contrast is very good
and the picture produces a nice level of shadow detail for a movie that is
more than three decades old. The film elements used for the transfer are
in great shape, displaying only an occasional blemish or flaw. There is a
bit of noticeable film grain here and there, but nothing excessive.
Digital compression artifacts are always well concealed. THE VAMPIRE
LOVERS has a pretty solid Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack that is
free from audio anomalies and background hiss. Dialogue is always cleanly
rendered and completely understandable. English, French and Spanish
subtitles have been included with the feature.
Both
films are on opposite sides of the disc and have basic interactive menus,
which provide one with access to the standard scene selection and set up
features, as well as some supplements. Each feature contains a running
audio commentary track. Ingrid Pitt, director Roy Ward Baker and
screenwriter Tudor Gates are featured on THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
commentary, while Ingrid Pitt, director Peter Sasdy and screenwriter
Jeremy Paul turn up to talk about COUNTESS DRACULA. Both tracks
have their interesting points, which will hold the interest of Hammer
fans. Also included are theatrical trailers for THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
and COUNTESS DRACULA, plus Ingrid Pitt is back reading excerpts
from Carmilla.
THE
VAMPIRE LOVERS is a minor Hammer horror classic that has been given a
fine DVD release by the folks at MGM. The film looks better than I
expected, plus the DVD offers the bonus of COUNTESS DRACULA and
audio commentaries for both films. Considering the bargain price, Hammer
fans will want to add the DVD to their must have list.
