DVD Collectors Online

Christina, princesse de l'érotisme, a review by Danae Cassandra

Year of Release:  1971
Directed By:  Jess Franco
Starring:  Christina von Blanc, Britt Nichols, Rosa Palomar, Anne Libert, Howard Vernon, Jess Franco, Paul Muller
Rated:  Not Rated

Overview:My Thoughts:
This is a beautiful, bizarre film and I'm not completely sure what to make of it.  It has beautiful cinematography, a haunting score, great use of outdoor locations, a suitably creepy atmosphere and a gorgeous, and often nude, female lead.  On the other hand the plot is sketchy and more than a bit surreal.  Is it a haunted house, are they vampires, is Death really calling for her, or is she simply deliriously imagining the whole thing?  I think the director intended us to question what was going on and if I'm right he succeeded.  I'd definitely be willing to watch it again, perhaps I'd get more out it.

Given some of the titles he's reviewed, I think this might be right up Jimmy's alley.  Could be wrong though.

Bechdel Test:  Pass

Overall:  3/5


(From Danae's 2012 Horror on October 10th, 2012)

Die Augen der Mumie Ma, a review by Danae Cassandra

Die Augen der Mumie Ma (The Eyes of the Mummy)
Year of Release: 1918
Directed By: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Emil Jannings, Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke
Genre: Horror Thriller, Melodrama

Overview:
Albert Wendland, a young painter studying in Egypt, overhears Prince Hohenfels' plans to visit the mysterious tomb of Queen Ma.  Albert is intrigued when he hears a local legend: anyone who enters the crypt meets with disaster.  Ignoring the warning, Wendland journeys to the forbidden burial chamber and finds not a mummy but a beautiful woman, Mara, who is held prisoner by the evil Radu.  Albert rescues Mara and takes her to his European home where they are soon married.  Provided with beautiful clothes, she becomes acquainted with the ways of polite society.  Meanwhile, Radu has sworn revenge upon Mara.  The tragic curse of the mummy hangs over her head!

The Eyes of the Mummy was produced by prolific German UFA studio and boasts a who's who of movie legends.  The film was directed by a young Ernst Lubitsch, who would gain worldwide acclaim for films such as The Love Parade and Heaven Can Wait.  Emil Jannings, star of such classics as The Last Laugh and The Blue Angel, stars as Radu.  Polish femme fatale Pola Negri stars as the doomed Mara.  Negri made many films in Germany with Lubitsch before immigrating to Hollywood where her love affairs garnered more attention than her acting.

My Thoughts
This wasn't really a horror movie, despite being listed as one and having Mummy in the title.  It's really a melodrama/thriller.  Looking at it from that perspective, it's not a bad movie.  Emil Jannings is suitably sinister and threatening. Pola Negri does a commendable job as Ma, the beautiful girl who lives in fear of him, and Harry Liedtke is at least believable as her devoted husband.  While not up to the quality of his later works, Lubitsch's direction here is beginning to show his talent.  

Yes, this is a silent film, and the viewer should expect it to be one.  The acting is over-the-top by modern standards, the makeup heavy, the plot extremely simple.  Take the film as what it is, consider the year it was made in, and it's not that bad a movie, though.  

My only complaint is with my DVD copy of the film.  I'm accustomed to poor video quality, so the fact that this isn't remastered in any way didn't really bother me - yes, there were scratches and dings in the video, but they didn't take away any enjoyment for me.  What was noticeable is that the music soundtrack wasn't synced properly, so that the music would change either just before or just after the scene did, instead of properly with the change of scene.  I'm sure this is because of the cheapness of the Alpha Video release I have.

Bechdel Test: Pass
(for silent films, I will count any interaction between two women that isn't obviously about a man - here between Ma and her tutor)

Overall: 2.5/5

(From Danae's 2013 Horror Marathon on October 9th, 2013)

The Flash Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Guest Stars:
Michael Nader as Nicholas Pike
Richard Belzer as Joe Kline
Vito D'Ambrosio as Bellows
Mike Genovese as Lt. Warren Garfield
Biff Manard as Murphy
Robert O'Reilly as Victor Kelso

My Thoughts:
This has always been one of my favorite episodes. I like the storyline. I liked Julio knowing Barry is The Flash (in the future). I always hoped it would turn that way for the series... but the show didn't last long enough to see that happen (if I remember right). And I also liked having a bit of an update on the pilot episode.

My Rating:

(From The Flash Marathon on April 25th, 2010)