In a way this movie is in the vein of an earlier film 'Dracula's Daughter (1936)' with what maybe the first hint at vampire's lesbianism and bi-sexuality captured on film. But the story of 'Blood and Roses' is loosely based on the novella Carmilla (1872).It's about a woman, Carmilla, that has revealed her family's past concerning vampirism. There is a costume party with large fireworks in the family's cemetery which opens up the vampire into a new world that is different from the old world she is used to. The spirit of the vampire over takes Carmilla or has Camilla been overtaken by the stories of her family's past? Interesting film, it's not as good as I was anticipating but it's certainly not a bad watch. It starts out great, hits a lull about midway then picks back up for an interesting ending.7.5/10

I took a chance on buying the 2014 German language "Filmclub Edition" release of "Blood and Roses", which is titled "Und Vor Lust Zu Sterben", and I am delighted with it. I only watched the French audio version that comes with the English subtitles, as that is the only version that I could understand, but it's a lovely, crisp, WIDESCREEN print of the movie, and therefore a million miles away from the full screen VHS version that i have had to live with up until now.The story is slight: Leopoldo Karnstein is celebrating his impending wedding to the beautiful Georgia, and everybody is happy except for cousin Carmilla, who is secretly jealous. As various festivities are enjoyed by the family, Carmilla sneaks off out of spite, and ends up exploring an ancient family tomb and finding the disturbed resting place of a famous ancestor who was rumoured to have been a vampire. What happens to her in that tomb is only hinted at, but she emerges changed from a lighthearted girl to a moody and troubled enigma. The rest of the film charts how Carmilla subtly begins to pull apart the happiness of the engaged couple, with tragic resultsThe plot of the film is not the main attraction here, it's the way the film is shot. It's almost like a watching a poem come to life on screen. There is a lot of stillness in the film, some scenes linger on very slow moving visuals for long periods of time, but it all comes together, if you have the patience to just enjoy what you are looking at. A lot of mileage is gained from the many scenes in which Carmilla drifts silently around the scenery in an extravagant white ballgown. Annette Vadim looks stunning in the main role of Carmilla, and even shots of her doing nothing at all still look superb. Her acting skills are up to the job, and she shows a surprising amount of different emotions in the role, whereas, if shots of her are just viewed in still images or short clips, the impression you get of her is that she is quite wooden, but when seen in the film as a whole, I think she is actually very good. Elsa Martinelli is also very good in the role of the innocent Georgia, and scenes of the two women together can look amazing, especially in a subtle but heavily erotic scene set in a greenhouse during a storm. Not much happens here, but the scene is electrifying all the same. As I said earlier, the film is actually pretty short on events but you'll still enjoy it due to the lush scenery, lighting and the visual beauty of the two lead actresses. The music also plays a vital role, with many scenes underscored by a delicate and melancholy classical soundtrack, which reminded me of the score to "Lisa and The Devil", which used music to a similar effect. The whole movie has a very European film to it, unmistakable as a product of 1960s France/Italy, and impossible to reproduce today.The only niggle with this release is some poor quality hiss and scratchiness of the French audio, but I forgive this for the stunning picture quality. I avoided buying this release for quite a while as I was hoping that an English audio version would eventually come out, because I prefer to soak up the visual atmosphere of a film like "Blood and Roses" without having to constantly read text, but I like this version now that I have watched it. The cast speak their dialogue in French (you can tell because the spoken audio synchs correctly to their mouths), so the dialogue looks authentic, and I happy to enjoy this with English subtitles.All in all, a superb movie.

Young Carmilla (Annette Vadim) is jealous of her friend's engagement, and her obsession leads her to the tomb of a female vampire.Critical reviews of this film seem overall negative. Mike Mayo says the "story makes less than complete sense", calls Vadim a "Bardot wannabe" who is "not nearly as frightening as" intended. He calls the performances as a whole "anemic". I think this is overly harsh. The story made sense to me, and Vadim has no control over who she resembles (I think she comes across as both talented an beautiful). Was the film supposed to be frightening? The acting is not terribly strong, but I have seen much worse.Ivan Butler is also not a fan, but seems more sympathetic. He calls the film "somewhat pretentious" and criticizes the dubbing. He does say that the movie has "some effective and beautiful moments", though. I did not find the dubbing that intrusive, though I am in general agreement that subtitles would be better (but it seems like not everyone was speaking the same language).Which film is better, this one or Dreyer's "Vampyr"? Both are based off the same story, but tell it in their own way, so it is hard to compare. While the Dreyer version is a true classic and should be the better film by default, I do not think this version can be written off completely. It is unique, more accessible and shares some style aspects with the Hammer films, which may appeal to people who are not interested in old German cinema.Who makes a better male lead, Mel Ferrer or Christopher Lee? The story is that Lee was supposed to be Leopold but he turned it down and it went to Ferrer (a friend of his). While Lee would have gotten the film more star power (and added to the Hammer style), I think Ferrer does a fine job (no "anemic" acting here) and should not be ruled out. He might not have the name recognition of Lee or Cushing or Price, but Ferrer is a fantastic horror actor just the same.

An art house horror movie. Probably missed by horror fans, the film depicts a vampiress as romantic. The music by Jean Prodromidès and the cinematography by Claude Renoir certainly add to the romantic feeling throughout. A Harlequin horror film? Even the long shots in this film have a grace seldom seen. It often looks as if one is viewing and Impressionistic painting.Carmilla (Annette Vadim) visits an abbey where the vampiress is buried and we see an immediate change in her mood. Was she possessed? It isn't clear.Don't look for blood and guts or lesbian scenes. Everything happens off screen, even in the original version. But, it was a beautiful love story.