VICTOR ISRAEL (1929-2009)

Frightening the tourists in Raul Artigot's THE WITCHES MOUNTAIN (1972)


Even though he only appeared in one Jess Franco film [DOWNTOWN HEAT-1990] I can't think of a more appropriate place to post this. Thanks to Nzoog for reporting the passing of this favorite Spanish character actor last week. Victor Israel was as prolific an actor as Franco is a director. He had a distinctive appearance with his slight frame, craggy face and ever-so-strange head which was balding on top but had electrified hair shooting out of the sides! His look alone was enough to produce a sense of unease. He could also be very funny. He should have been cast as some kind of creature in the LORD OF THE RINGS films and seemed to be a character who could have sprung out of the pages of Poe, Lovecraft or Stephen King.

Readers of this blog will remember him for his horror [the zombie priest in HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD] and Eurowestern [THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY] roles. He was an actor's actor who immediately commanded attention as soon as he appeared onscreen. A great, invaluable supporting player. Appearing in over 150 films [according to the IMDB-see filmography below] from TIERRA BRUTAL in 1961 to his final film appearance in 2007, he played all types of roles in film and television. A busy career.

Two of my favorite Victor Israel roles: the cemetery man in Miguel Madrid's GRAVEYARD OF HORROR (1971) and the bewildered innkeeper in the 1972 Raul Artigot occult thriller THE WITCHES MOUNTAIN.

What is your favorite Victor Israel role?



[From the IMDB]:
El Monte de las brujas (1972) -- A young couple traveling through the Pyrenees stays overnight at an ancient Spanish castle, only to discover that it is the headquarters for a coven of witches.
"I Spy" (1965): Season 2: Episode 24 -- Robinson and Scott scour Madrid to retrace events that led to the murder of Kelly's date (Zohra Lampert), a Soviet ballerina. Guest starring: Zohra Lampert, Lawrence Dane, Alan Oppenheimer, Lou Krugman, Shep Sanders
Horror Express (1972) -- An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link...
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Overview
Date of Birth:
13 June 1929, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain more
Mini Biography:
Victor Israel is one of the most prolific and ubiquitous, yet anonymous... more
STARmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Alternate Names:
Víctor D'Israel | Victor Israel
IMDb Resume:
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Filmography
Jump to filmography as: Actor, Self, Archive Footage
Actor:

* 2000s
* 1990s
* 1980s
* 1970s
* 1960s

1. Sitges-Nagasaki (2007) .... Doctor
2. Goya's Ghosts (2006) .... Money Monk
... aka Los fantasmas de Goya (Spain: dubbed version)
3. Mola ser malo (2005)
4. "Paco y Veva" (2 episodes, 2004)
... aka "Paco y Veva (Somos jóvenes)" (Spain)
- ¿Nos conocemos? (2004) TV episode
- Duelo de cucharas en Cupido Palace (2004) TV episode
5. "Hospital Central" .... Agustín (1 episode, 2003)
- Cambio de planes (2003) TV episode .... Agustín
6. Cásate conmigo, Maribel (2002) .... Don Manuel
7. Vivancos 3 (2002) .... Borracho
... aka Dirty Vivancos III (International: English title)
... aka Vivancos III (Si gusta haremos las dos primeras) (Spain)
8. Mi casa es tu casa (2002) .... Jordi
9. El cielo abierto (2001) .... Abuelo Jazmina
... aka Ten Days Without Love (International: English title)

10. "La memòria dels Cargols" (1 episode, 1999)
- Lo Lleó de Santa Gueraula (1999) TV episode
11. Quince (1998) .... Quitamal
12. Tiempos mejores (1994) .... Taxista
13. Ciudad Baja (Downtown Heat) (1994) .... Vagabond
... aka La punta de las víboras (Spain: TV title)
14. Un plaer indescriptible (1992)
... aka Un placer indescriptible (Spain: Castilian title)
15. L'home de neó (1991) .... El profesor
... aka El hombre de neón (Spain: Castilian title)
... aka The Neon Man (International: English title)
16. Un submarí a les estovalles (1991) .... Travesti
... aka Un submarino bajo el mantel (Spain)
17. "Le gorille" .... Le majordome (1 episode, 1990)
... aka "Il gorilla" (Italy)
- Le Gorille dans le pot-au-noir (1990) TV episode .... Le majordome

18. Bueno y tierno como un ángel (1989)
19. El anticristo 2 (Magic London) (1989) .... Comisario
20. "Crònica negra" (1 episode, 1988)
- Mala llet (1988) TV episode
21. "13 x 13" (1 episode, 1987)
- La dama blanca (1987) TV episode
22. Adela (1987)
23. La veritat oculta (1987)
... aka La verdad oculta (Spain: Castilian title)
24. Una nit a Casa Blanca (1987)
... aka Una noche en Casablanca (Spain: Castilian title)
25. Los nuevos curanderos (1986)
... aka Els nous curanderos (Spain: Catalan title)
26. Más allá de la muerte (1986)
27. Escapada final (1985)
... aka Scapegoat (International: English title)
28. Acosada (1985)
... aka Acosada (Spain)
... aka Harassed (International: English title)
29. Al este del oeste (1984) .... Tumbas
30. Serpiente de mar (1984)
... aka Hydra
... aka Hydra-Monster of the Deep (International: English title)
... aka The Sea Serpent (USA)
31. Moment crític (1984)
32. Un genio en apuros (1983)
... aka Un geni amb l'aigua al coll (Spain: Catalan title)
33. Juana la loca... de vez en cuando (1983)
34. Morbus (o bon profit) (1983)
... aka Morbus (Spain: Castilian title: short title)
35. Asalto al Banco Central (1983)
36. El invernadero (1983)
37. El ser (1982) .... Gravedigger
38. Cristóbal Colón, de oficio... descubridor (1982)
39. La rebelión de los pájaros (1982)
... aka La revolta dels ocells (Spain: Catalan title)
40. Queen Lear (1982) .... Hobo
41. Rocky Carambola (1981) (as Victor Israel) .... Gangster jefe
... aka La criada se enamora (Mexico: subtitle)
... aka Le agarró la mano el chango (Mexico)
42. ¡Viva la Pepa! (1981)
... aka Mel i mató (Spain: Catalan title)
43. La cripta (1981)
... aka El misterio de la cripta embrujada (Mexico)
... aka The Crypt
44. Neumonía erótica y pasota (1981) .... Pepe
45. Virus (1980/I) .... Zombie priest
... aka Apocalipsis caníbal (Spain)
... aka Hell of the Living Dead (International: English title)
... aka Inferno dei morti viventi (Italy)
... aka Night of the Zombies (USA)
... aka Zombi 5: Ultimate Nightmare (Italy)
... aka Zombie Creeping Flesh (UK)
... aka Zombie Inferno
46. Denver (1980)
47. Viciosas al desnudo (1980)

48. Jaguar Lives! (1979) .... Sicilian party guest
... aka El felino (Spain)
49. "Doctor Caparrós, medicina general" (5 episodes)
- El mal de queixal s'encomana (????) TV episode
- Ja som aquí (????) TV episode
- Matemàtiques i futbol (????) TV episode
- Qui serà el nou alcalde (????) TV episode
- Visites d'urgència (????) TV episode
50. Cinco tenedores (1979)
... aka Five Forks
51. La profezia (1978) .... Giovanni
... aka L'osceno desiderio (Italy: alternative title)
... aka Le pene nel ventre (Italy)
... aka Obscene Desire (USA)
... aka Poseída (Spain)
52. Trampa sexual (1978)
53. Espectro (Más allá del fin del mundo) (1978) (as Víctor D'Israel) .... Tabernero
... aka Espectro (Spain)
54. Un hombre llamado Flor de Otoño (1978)
... aka A Man Called Autumn Flower (USA)
55. Dinero maldito (1978) .... Morgan
... aka I miei peggiori amici (Italy)
... aka Il braccio violento della mala (Italy)
... aka Killer's Gold (USA)
56. Me siento extraña (1977)
57. El jovencito Drácula (1977)
58. El pobrecito Draculín (1977) .... Vladimir
59. "Es muß nicht immer Kaviar sein" (1 episode)
- Ich heiße Mabel (????) TV episode
60. Las locuras de Jane (1977)
61. Cuentos de las sábanas blancas (1977) .... Calixto - mesonero
... aka Tales of the White Sheets (International: English title: literal title)
62. "La saga de los Rius" (5 episodes, 1976-1977)
... aka "La saga dels Rius" (Spain: Catalan title)
- Episode #1.9 (1977) TV episode
- Episode #1.6 (1976) TV episode
- Episode #1.5 (1976) TV episode
- Episode #1.2 (1976) TV episode
- Episode #1.1 (1976) TV episode
63. El secreto inconfesable de un chico bien (1976)
64. Las ratas no duermen de noche (1976) .... Karl
... aka Crimson (USA: video title)
... aka Crimson, the Color of Blood (International: English title)
... aka L'homme à la tête coupée (France)
... aka Le viol et l'enfer des X (France)
65. Manuela (1976)
66. Bons baisers de Hong Kong (1975) .... Victor
... aka From Hong Kong with Love (International: English title)
67. "El quinto jinete" .... Topo (1 episode, 1975)
- El ladrón de cadáveres (1975) TV episode .... Topo
68. Pim, pam, pum... ¡fuego! (1975) .... Sr. Dimas
... aka Pim, Pam, Pum... Fire! (International: English title)
... aka Ready, Aim, Fire! (International: English title)
69. Clara es el precio (1975)
70. Il bianco, il giallo, il nero (1975) .... Man In Prison
... aka El blanco, el amarillo y el negro (Spain)
... aka Le blanc, le jaune et le noir (France)
... aka Samurai (Canada: English title: video title)
... aka Shoot First... Ask Questions Later (USA)
... aka The White, the Yellow, and the Black (USA)
71. "Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi" .... Basch Kiatib (2 episodes, 1975)
- Die Brüder Aladschy (1975) TV episode .... Basch Kiatib
- Die Entlarvung des Mübarek (1975) TV episode .... Basch Kiatib
72. La maldición de la bestia (1975)
... aka Hall of the Mountain King (USA: cut version)
... aka Horror of the Werewolf
... aka Night of the Howling Beast (USA)
... aka The Werewolf and the Yeti (Europe: English title: video title)
73. La perversa caricia de Satán (1975) .... Baron de Clanchart
... aka Le baiser du diable (France)
... aka The Devil's Kiss (UK)
... aka The Wicked Caresses of Satan (USA)
74. Zorrita Martínez (1975)
75. What Changed Charley Farthing? (1974) .... Christmas
... aka El tramposo (Spain)
... aka The Bananas Boat (USA)
... aka The Swindler (Philippines: English title)
76. El último proceso en París (1974)
77. La chica del Molino Rojo (1973)
... aka The Chorus Girls (USA: video title)
... aka The Girl from the Red Cabaret (USA)
78. Ricco (1973) .... Checana, the nightclub owner
... aka Ajuste de cuentas (Spain)
... aka Cauldron of Death
... aka Gangland (USA: video title)
... aka Mean Machine
... aka Ricco (USA)
... aka Ricco the Mean Machine (USA: DVD title)
... aka The Dirty Mob
... aka Un tipo con una faccia strana ti cerca per ucciderti (Italy)
79. Anche gli angeli mangiano fagioli (1973) .... Giudà
... aka Even Angels Eat Beans (Canada: English title)
... aka Les anges mangent aussi des fayots (France)
... aka También los ángeles comen judías (Spain)
80. La isla misteriosa (1973) .... Pirate
... aka Captain Nemo (Spain: DVD box title)
... aka Jules Verne's Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo
... aka Jules Verne's Mysterious Island of Dr. Nemo
... aka L'île mystérieuse (France)
... aka L'isola misteriosa e il capitano Nemo (Italy)
... aka The Mysterious Island (USA)
... aka The Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo
81. La polizia incrimina la legge assolve (1973) .... Scorfano
... aka High Crime
... aka La policía detiene, la ley juzga (Spain)
... aka The Marseilles Connection (UK: video title)
82. Che c'entriamo noi con la rivoluzione? (1972)
... aka ¡Qué nos importa la revolución! (Spain)
... aka What Am I Doing in the Middle of the Revolution (USA)
83. Trop jolies pour être honnêtes (1972) .... Le psychiatre
... aka Demasiado bonitas para ser honestas (Spain)
... aka Perché mammà ti manda solo? (Italy)
... aka Quatre souris pour un hold-up (France)
... aka Seduction Squad (USA: video title)
... aka The Powder Puff Gang (USA: alternative title)
... aka Too Pretty to Be Honest
84. Horror Express (1972) .... Luggage Worker
... aka Pánico en el Transiberiano (Spain)
... aka Panic in the Trans-Siberian Train (International: English title)
85. Treasure Island (1972) .... Morgan
... aka Die Schatzinsel (West Germany)
... aka L'île au trésor (France)
... aka L'isola del tesoro (Italy)
... aka La isla del tesoro (Spain)
86. Un verano para matar (1972)
... aka Meurtres au soleil (France)
... aka Ricatto alla mala (Italy)
... aka Summertime Killer (USA)
87. El Monte de las brujas (1972) .... Inn-Keeper
... aka The Witches' Mountain
88. Kill! (1971) .... Baron
... aka Kill! (West Germany)
... aka Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! (USA)
... aka Kill: matar (Spain)
... aka Police Magnum (France)
89. ¡Viva la muerte... tua! (1971) .... Manuel Mendoza
... aka ¡Viva la muerte... tuya! (Spain)
... aka Don't Turn the Other Cheek (USA)
... aka Long Live Your Death
... aka Viva la muerte... tua! (Italy)
... aka Zwei Galgenvögel geben Zunder (West Germany)
... aka Zwei tolle Companeros (West Germany)
... aka Zwei wilde Companeros (West Germany)
90. Necrophagus (1971) .... Mr. Fowles
... aka El descuartizador de Binbrook
... aka Graveyard of Horror
... aka Necromaniac (video title)
... aka The Butcher of Binbrook (USA)
91. Catlow (1971) (as Victor Israel) .... Pesquiera
92. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) (uncredited) .... Cowardly coachman
... aka Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue (USA: complete title)
93. Aunque la hormona se vista de seda... (1971) .... Sebastián
94. Una chica casi decente (1971)
95. The Light at the Edge of the World (1971) .... Das Mortes
... aka La luz del fin del mundo (Spain)
96. El bosque del lobo (1971) .... Lameiro
... aka The Ancines Woods (International: English title)
97. Las melancolicas (1971)
... aka Exorcism's Daughter (USA)
... aka House of Insane Women
... aka Women of Doom
98. The Arizona Kid (1971)
... aka I fratelli di Arizona (Italy)
99. Uomo avvisato mezzo ammazzato... Parola di Spirito Santo (1971) .... Priest
... aka Blazing Guns
... aka El halcón de Sierra Madre (Spain)
... aka Forewarned, Half-Killed... the Word of the Holy Ghost
... aka His Name Was Holy Ghost (USA)
... aka They Call Him Holy Ghost
... aka Y le llamaban El Halcón (Spain)
100. Vamos a matar, compañeros (1970) (uncredited) .... Rosenbloom henchman with brown suit
... aka Companeros (USA)
... aka Laßt uns töten, Companeros (West Germany)
... aka Los compañeros (Spain)
... aka Zwei Compañeros (West Germany)
101. Persecución hasta Valencia (1970)
... aka Il sapore della vendetta (Italy)
... aka The Narco Men
102. Cabezas cortadas (1970) .... Doctor
... aka Cabeças Cortadas (Brazil)
... aka Cutting Heads (International: English title)
103. ¡Vivan los novios! (1970)
... aka Long Live the Bride and Groom (International: English title)

104. El abogado, el alcalde y el notario (1969)
... aka L'advocat, l'alcalde i el notari (Spain: Catalan title)
105. El ángel (1969)
106. ¡Viva América! (1969)
... aka Cry Chicago (USA: TV title)
... aka La vera storia di Frank Mannata (Italy)
... aka Mafia Mob
107. Vivi o, preferibilmente, morti (1969) (uncredited) .... Mayoralty candidate henchman with glasses, standing right beside him
... aka Alive or Preferably Dead
... aka Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid (USA)
... aka Sundance and the Kid
... aka Vivos o preferiblemente muertos (Spain)
108. Las crueles (1969) .... El portero
... aka The Exquisite Cadaver (USA: new title)
109. ¿Por qué te engaña tu marido? (1969)
... aka Why Does Your Husband Deceive You?
110. La residencia (1969) .... Brechard
... aka The Boarding School (International: English title)
... aka The Finishing School (USA)
... aka The House That Screamed (USA)
111. Comanche blanco (1968) (as Victor Israel) .... Carter
... aka Hour of Vengeance
... aka Rio Hondo (USA)
... aka White Comanche
112. Long-Play (1968) .... Hombre que ignora su existencia
113. ...e per tetto un cielo di stelle (1968) .... Innkeeper
... aka A Sky Full of Stars for a Roof (USA)
... aka And for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars
114. Una pistola per cento bare (1968) .... Barrett, Madman
... aka A Gun for One Hundred Graves
... aka El sabor del odio (Spain)
... aka Pistol for a Hundred Coffins (USA)
115. No somos de piedra (1968)
... aka We're Not Made of Stone
116. Un diablo bajo la almohada (1968)
... aka A Devil Under the Pillow
... aka Calda e... infedele (Italy)
... aka Le diable sous l'oreiller (France)
117. Killer, adios (1968) .... Dickson
... aka Killer Goodbye (USA)
... aka Winchester Justice (USA)
... aka Winchester One of One Thousand
... aka Winchester, uno entre mil (Spain)
118. O.K. Yevtushenko (1968) .... Trilby
... aka Somebody's Stolen Our Russian Spy
119. Operación Mata Hari (1968) .... Militar alemán bizco
... aka Operation Mata Hari (International: English title)
120. I tre che sconvolsero il West - vado, vedo e sparo (1968) .... Chef
... aka I Came, I Saw, I Shot
... aka Llego, veo, disparo (Spain)
... aka One Dollar Too Many (International: English title: TV title)
121. Bandidos (1967) .... Conductor#2 (the littler one)
... aka Crepa tu... che vivo io (Italy)
... aka You Die... But I Live
122. Después del gran robo (1967)
123. "I Spy" .... Taxi Driver #3 (1 episode, 1967)
- Blackout (1967) TV episode .... Taxi Driver #3
124. Sette donne per i MacGregor (1967) .... Trevor
... aka 7 Women for the MacGregors (USA)
... aka Siete mujeres para los Mac Gregor (Spain)
... aka Up the MacGregors (UK)
125. Mónica Stop (1967)
126. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966) (uncredited) .... Sergeant at Confederate Fort
... aka The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (UK) (USA)
... aka El bo, el lleig i el dolent (Spain: Catalan title)
... aka El bueno, el feo y el malo (Spain)
... aka The Good, the Ugly, the Bad (USA: literal English title)
... aka The Magnificent Rogues (UK)
... aka Zwei glorreiche Halunken (West Germany)
127. El aventurero de Guaynas (1966)
... aka Gringo, getta il fucile! (Italy)
... aka The Adventurer of Iguana (International: English title)
... aka The Tough One (USA)
128. Il grande colpo di Surcouf (1966)
... aka La vengeance du Surcouf (France: alternative title)
... aka Le retour de Surcouf (France: alternative title)
... aka Tonnerre sur l'océan (France: alternative title)
... aka Tonnerre sur l'océan indien (France)
... aka Tormenta sobre el Pacífico (Spain)
129. Hallucination Generation (1966)
... aka Hallucination
130. The Texican (1966) .... Wilkins the Station Master
... aka Texas Kid (Spain)
131. Yankee (1966) .... Sceriffo
... aka El yankee (Spain)
... aka L'americano (Italy)
... aka Yankee l'americano (Italy)
132. Surcouf, l'eroe dei sette mari (1966)
... aka El tigre de los siete mares (Spain)
... aka Los hermanos Surcouf (Spain)
... aka Surcouf, le tigre des sept mers (France)
... aka The Fighting Corsair (UK)
... aka The Sea Pirate (USA)
133. El Greco (1966) (uncredited) .... Mental patient
... aka El Greco (USA)
134. Espi... ando (1966)
135. Dinamite Jim (1966)
... aka Dinamita Jim (Spain)
... aka Dinamite Jim (Italy)
... aka Dynamite Jim (USA)
136. Sugar Colt (1966) .... Gravedigger
137. Huida en la frontera (1966) .... Andreas
138. Doctor Zhivago (1965) (uncredited)
139. Train d'enfer (1965)
... aka Danger dimensione morte (Italy)
... aka Operation Double Cross (USA: TV title)
... aka Trampa bajo el sol (Spain)
140. Muere una mujer (1965) .... Un policia
141. Die Hölle von Manitoba (1965) (uncredited) .... Clerk
... aka A Place Called Glory (USA)
... aka Glory City
... aka Place Called Glory City (USA)
... aka Un lugar llamado 'Glory'
142. Los cuatreros (1965)
... aka Shoot to Kill (USA)
... aka Texas Jim (USA)
143. La otra orilla (1965)
144. La llamada (1965)
... aka The Sweet Sound of Death (USA: dubbed version)
145. Circus World (1964) (uncredited)
... aka El fabulós món del circ (Spain: Catalan title)
... aka El fabuloso mundo del circo (Spain)
... aka Henry Hathaway's The Magnificent Showman (UK: complete title)
... aka Samuel Bronston's Circus World
... aka The Magnificent Showman (UK)
146. El salario del crimen (1964) .... Delincuente interrogado
147. Totò d'Arabia (1964)
... aka Totò of Arabia
... aka Toto de Arabia (Spain)
148. Playa de Formentor (1964)
... aka Beach of Formentor (International: English title)
149. La bella Lola (1962)
... aka Quel nostro impossibile amore (Italy)
... aka Une dame aux camélias (France)
150. Tierra de todos (1962)
151. Tierra brutal (1961)
... aka The Savage Guns (USA)

EL FRANCONOMICON GOES ENGLISH

THE FRANCONOMICON

Frank Jess, fragments of an impossible filmografía

THE RED CASTLE

with a commentary

AKA: THE MYSTERY OF THE RED CASTLE

INT: Frank Jesus, Yelena Samarina, Kali Hansa, Alberto Dalbés, Luis Barboo…

PHOTO: Javier Perez Zofio SCRIPT and DIREC: Frank Jess 1973. Spain. Manacoa Films. Color. _

Frank Jess like Radeck, according to the script "making the position of yogui and the signal of Power R", next to its machine of mental control in a scene of the film.

 
 
 
AN ESSENTIAL JESS FRANCO BLOG
 
WHICH YOU CAN NOW READ IN ENGLISH!
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

---

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JESS FRANCO AND HIS FILMS AT 09 FANTASTIC FEST

Coming soon!


[I wish I could be there! RM]



Fantastic Fest and Ain't It Cool News Present Jess Franco and Lina Romay Live In Person.

Join one of our favorite directors for a rare screening series and Lifetime Achievement Award presentation.

September 28-30, Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar Austin TX

For almost 50 years Spanish filmmaker Jess Franco has been making his own kind of cinematic poetry, steeped with themes of sex, violence, jazz, and subversive black humor. He has made around 200 feature films, though no one can say exactly how many. Once an obscure but busy man, he has become a well-known and respected figure over the past ten or so years as DVD audiences have joined earlier admirers like Fritz Lang and Orson Welles in acclaiming Franco's talent and vitality. Last year he was awarded Spain's highest film honor, the Goya Award and the Cinematheque Francaise devoted a season to his work.

Fantastic Fest is deeply honored to present its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Jess Franco. We will screen a selection of three of Franco's finest works. We will also be graced with the presence of his muse and inseparable collaborator Lina Romay. This will be Jess Franco's first ever North American film festival appearance.

This series is made possible by Ain't It Cool News.

Schedule of screenings

Monday, 9/28 7:15 pm VENUS IN FURS with Award Presentation
Dir. Jess Franco, 1969, 35MM, 86 min.

A young jazz musician finds the body of a beautiful woman he saw at a party the previous night washed up on the beach near Istanbul. He thinks back to the mysterious circumstances of the party and the strange people there. Later, in Rio he sees the woman again, and falls in love with her. A kaleidoscope of psychedelic and sexual imagery follows. Based on a plot idea by jazz great Chet Baker. Starring Maria Rohm, Klaus Kinski, James Darren, Barbara McNair, Dennis Price and Margaret Lee.

This screening is free for Fantastic Fest badgeholders. A limited number of tickets will be sold to the general public. Click here for tickets.

Tuesday, 9/29 7pm SUCCUBUS
Dir. Jess Franco, 1968, 35MM, 91 min.

SUCCUBUS is like the shiny side of the REPULSION coin, as we see into the half-dream/half-real life of a vivacious sexpot (Janine Reynaud) whose nightclub act depicts sexualized torture on stage. As we follow her through Lisbon and Berlin, through encounters with lesbians, sadists and little people, we begin to see signs that she is carrying her work home with her. Surreal, at times pretentious, but always compelling and new, even Fritz Lang liked this movie - he called it "a beautiful piece of cinema." We are indebted to another well-known admirer of this film for the loan of the print: Quentin Tarantino. Featuring Jack Taylor and Howard Vernon.

This screening is free for Fantastic Fest badgeholders. A limited number of tickets will be sold to the general public. Click here for tickets.

Wednesday, 9/30 6:45pm THE BARE BREASTED COUNTESS
Dir. Jess Franco, 1973, 35MM, 82 min.

Jess Franco directs his muse Lina Romay in this surreal story of a beautiful female vampire who consumes the sexual effluvia of her victims. This is one of the best Franco films of his most hyper-prolific period. Romay burns up the screen and Franco is at his most austere and poetic. Unforgettable music by frequent collaborator Daniel White helps to create a timeless atmosphere for the bloody, sexy pas de deux between Romay and her metaphysical paramour Jack Taylor. Also features Franco himself in a major role.

This screening is free for Fantastic Fest badgeholders. A limited number of tickets will be sold to the general public. Click here for tickets.

Additionally, there will be a special pre-festival screening of Franco's classic EUGENIE, THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION on Wednesday September 23 at Midnight at the Ritz (320 E. 6th St.). This warm-up screening is part of the long-running Weird Wednesday series, Admission is free for Fantastic Fest badgeholders and $1 for the general public. Mr. Franco will not attend this screening. For full details about this screening click here.

All screenings except EUGENIE, which takes place at the Alamo Ritz, 320 E. 6th Street, will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar, 1120 South Lamar Blvd. in Austin TX. Fantastic Fest badgeholders will receive first priority of admission. Any additional seats will be made available to the public.

Coming soon on CD: Peter Thomas soundtracks!

I thought I would share this information with the board readers. Peter Thomas is certainly a personal favorite among European composers of film music.



Friends and media partners,

Allscore - in cooperation with Soundtrack Corner - proudly presents a world premiere:

Two sex education-movie soundtracks by Peter Thomas ("Space Patrol", "Jerry Cotton"):

"The Perfect Marriage" and "Every Night of the Week".

One discovered only now, 40 years after its recording, the other one previously released only in part on one of the rarest soundtrack LPs ever.

Please find more information, cover art, soundsamples and the press handout here:

http://www.allscore.de/sites/ASM_029.htm

German release date: October 16, 2009
First copies will be available end of September 2009!
Promotion will happen in November/December 2009!

All the best,

Dietmar Bosch



All Score Media
Fuchseckstr. 7
D-70188 Stuttgart
Germany

Tel.: (0)711-6405929
Fax: (0)711-6405930

www.allscore.de

*** Upcoming:
Oct. 2009: PETER THOMAS SOUND ORCHESTER -
Van de Velde: Die vollkommene Ehe (the perfect marriage)...(OST) (CD ASM 029)

Nov. 2009: LES QUITRICHE - Sibérie (4 track-7" ASM 030)
(full length album in spring 2010)

*** Out:
Gerhard Heinz * The Mufuti Twins * Rework * Sam Spence * Franco De Gemini * The Kilaueas * Subotnik * Miss Claudia & Pornorama * DEFA-Märchenfilme * Ennio Morricone * Croon-a-Roma * Der Felsen * Kosmos * DEFA-Indianerfilme * Berry Lipman * Dexter * Peter Thomas * Martin Böttcher * Edgar Wallace * Franz Grothe * Star Maidens * and many more

AL OTRO LADO DEL ESPEJO: Versions

Title card for the Italian hardcore version. For completists only...



This image appears at the end of all three versions discussed below...


Terrific poster for the less than terrific French version...


AL OTRO LADO DEL ESPEJO (1973) is one of my two or three favorite Jess Franco films. But only in the version with that title. In other words, the Spanish language version, which Jess himself told me was his preferred cut. I have a dub of the Spanish FQ video, in Spanish language only and in less than idea video quality.

I have two other versions on video, the French softcore, which contains added footage featuring Lina Romay and others which is not in the Spanish version. And then there is the Italian hardcore. That's my least favorite version due to the fact the hardcore inserts were not shot by the original director and pretty much ruin the film. In any case, at some point a comparison would be in order. But I would rather do a shot-by-shot breakdown of the Spanish version with notes on variants. It's an ambitious project and I may start it here.

I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who is aware of, or who has seen, an English language (dubbed or subtitled) variant. I'm not sure if this was ever released in English either theatrically or on video. I tend to doubt it, but Franco films have a way of turning up in surprising incarnations. Even a fan subbed version might be helpful at this point.

William Berger/Eurowesterns/Jess Franco

As the black clad outlaw in SARTANA IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH (1970)...




William Berger (1928-1993) gave an outstanding performance as the alcoholic writer Dean Baker in one of Jess Franco's best films, JUEGO SUCIO EN CASABLANCA...



William Berger in 1970

The late Austrian born actor William Berger became something of a Spaghetti Western regular starting in the mid-1960s with Mario Maffei's RINGO'S BIG NIGHT (thanks to Squonkmatic for a look at the excellent Franco Cleef reconstruction). One of the last he appeared in before his notorious 1970 drug bust (which landed him in an Italian jail for a year) was Roberto Mauri's SARTANA IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH.

My review of that film is now up on the EUROWESTERNS FORUM at www.cinemadrome.yuku.com. Also of interest are Nzoog's recently added reviews of two ultra-obscure Spanish westerns directed by Jose Maria Zabalza, the man who gave the world the outlandish Z grade Paul Naschy werewolf epic, FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1970). Since the Zabalza westerns never had any theatrical/video/DVD release in North America or outside of Spain, these should be of special interest to Euro western/rare Euro genre movie collectors.

William Berger, of course, was eventually released from jail after the intervention of his friend, the late director Marco Ferreri. He resumed his career in Spaghetti Cinema and eventually walked into the waiting arms of Jess Franco and would eventually appear in such JF titles as THE CAPTAIN IS 15 YEARS OLD (1972), THE EYES OF DR ORLOFF (1973), GOLDEN TEMPLE AMAZONS (1985) and JUEGO SUCIO EN CASABLACA (1984), among others. We'll be reviewing all of those titles here in the future. Berger was certainly a reliable actor who could play both villains or sympathetic protagonists.

EROTIKILL/LA COMTESSE NOIRE: Evolutionary Considerations

The bloody lips of the Black Countess...




Some further thoughts on EROTIKILL and LA COMTESSE NOIRE. I'm bringing this over from CINEMADROME: THE WORLD OF JESS FRANCO FORUM. I like to revisit this film, in any variation, often, and it remains a personal favorite. I remember not liking it very much when I first saw it as THE LOVES OF IRINA on the PRIVATE SCREENINGS VHS. I found it slow, pretentious and not at all erotic. I just wasn't ready to make the effort to attempt to appreciate what the filmmaker was doing. I was annoyed by the out of focus cinematography and just wanted it to be over. My opinion of it has evolved over the years.


In 1973 Jess Franco made an extremely low budget, very personal, poetic vampire film on the island of Madeira with the working title LA COMTESSE NOIRE. This Eurocine funded enterprise featured Lina Romay as the lonely female vampire Irina Von Karlstein and would be probably the first French hardcore vampire film, at least as later released with hc inserts as LES AVALEUSES to French porno venues. This version was reportedly approx. 82 m. (according to OBSESSION: THE FILMS OF JESS FRANCO). In fact, it is well-known that there are numerous versions of this film from the hardcore to EROTIKILL, which we will briefly consider here.

EROTIKILL is the approx. 72 m US video version, which has a 1985 Eurocine copyright on it. It was one of two versions released on US video in the 1980s, the other is THE LOVES OF IRINA [PRIVATE SCREENINGS label]. The latter video is the way I first experienced the film sometime in the late 1980s. I wasn't prepared and pretty much disliked the film. It did have a flash of hardcore in the hotel room seduction-attack scene between Lina Romay and Ramon Ardid. That hc moment was "wiped" from the much later IMAGE DVD version, FEMALE VAMPIRE. That 2000 DVD ran 101 m. and was the first anamorphic presentation of the film on US home video, outside of grey market dubs like VSOM's wretched THE BARE BREASTED COUNTESS, running approx 110m and minutes and containing all the hardcore and alternative bloodsucking footage!

Three is also a 2001 German DVD from X RATED KULT DVD titled EROTIILL [LADY DRACULA 2], at least on the box. this is also the hardcore version, but runs to 105 m PAL, Code 2. The actual onscreen title is LUSTERNDE VAMPIRE UN SPERMARAUSCH. I'll be reviewing that on a separate thread.

Force Video's EROTIKILL was one of a six "Wicked Women" features released on VHS by the company and omits all of the hardcore material. It also has alternate scenes showing the Countess Irina sucking blood from the necks of her victims rather than lapping their sexual fluids as she does in Franco's original concept and all the harder versions. This is the "conventional" vampire version with each attack concluding with a close-up of the victim's blood on Irina's lips. This also omits the shot of Irina kneeling in front of first victim Roger Germanes during the assault in the forest aviary. She instead is showing leaning over him, biting him on the neck. In fact, all of the sexual scenes are missing or abbreviated. The scene with the hotel masseur simply cuts from them embracing to her majordomo (Luis Barboo) carrying out the body.

This version does contain nudity, including the vaginal zoom during Irina's walk through the misty forest during the opening credits. But other shots of Irina lingering in her hotel room are "covered" by here long, black cape. The original (non hc) version runs 85 m according to Alain Petit's MANACOA FILES, that would be the LA COMTESSE NOIRE title version, but there has never been a video release with that onscreen title of which I am aware.

In some ways EROTIKILL focuses more of our attention on the existential qualities of the film and its mood of doomed Romanticism and emotional longing, but the lingering sexual interludes do have merit in that they emphasize the elusive nature of pleasure and bloodsucking has always had a sexual element going all the way back to Murnau's NOSFERATU.


Cut are the final seconds of the opening credits but not the moment where Irina walks right into the camera lens, one of my favorite Franco technical transgressions which underscores the self-reflexive, oneiric nature of the project. It might have been a "mistake" (maybe not) but I'm glad they left it in. This version also has an added line by Dr. Orloff (Jean-Pierre Bouyxou) delivered to Franco's Dr. Roberts during Monika Swinn's autopsy as he touches her neck (not her vagina as in other versions), it sounds like a different dubber than the rest of track and I've never heard this line in any other version. It may have been added by the video company or Eurocine. The main disadvantage of this presentation is that it crops Franco's 2.35:1 compositions to 1.33:1 after the opening credits, making at least 50% of the original image unavailable.

I have at least 6 different versions of this on various video formats with language tracks ranging from English to German to French.

Other known titles include EROTIKILLER (Italian video); UN CALDO CORPO DI FEMMINA; LA COMTESSE AUX SIENS NUS; ENTESSELTE BEGIERDE: VERENTAHRIMA MORSIAN, SICARIUS, THE LAST THRILL.

I still want to go to Madeira...