2013: The Year of Jess Franco--THE GOYA COLLECTION

Here's a partial round-up of Ascot-Elite's highly recommended Blu-ray/DVD releases of the past year. All restored from vault materials, the restorations were supervised by the original cinematographer on most of these films, Peter Baumgartner.

	Doriana Grey DVD (Goya Collection) (PAL Region 2) The rich but lonely Doriana Grey lives in an old castle together with her servant Ziros. An American reporter visits her to write an article which might also help Doriana uncover a mysterious secret buried in her past. The secret turns out to be a twin sister who is hidden in a psychiatric hospital, run by the mysterious Dr. Orloff Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 2
	Doriana Grey (Goya Collection) (Blu-Ray All Region) The rich but lonely Doriana Grey lives in an old castle together with her servant Ziros. An American reporter visits her to write an article which might also help Doriana uncover a mysterious secret buried in her past. The secret turns out to be a twin sister who is hidden in a psychiatric hospital, run by the mysterious Dr. Orloff Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 3
	Voodoo Passion (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (Blu-Ray All Region) A woman travels to Haiti to live with her husband only to find nightmares, murders, voodoo and lesbian housekeepers. Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 5
	Voodoo Passion DVD (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (PAL All Region) A woman travels to Haiti to live with her husband only to find nightmares, murders, voodoo and lesbian housekeepers. Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: Out of stock
	Ilsa Wicked Warden (Greta the Mad Butcher) (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (Blu-Ray All Region) Dyanne Thorne is back as the sadistic ruler of a South American prison for deranged women. But when a young journalist goes undercover to find her missing sister, she learns that survival means submission to the perverse appetites of the guards, the convicts and the wicked warden herself. Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 4
	Ilsa Wicked Warden DVD (Greta the Mad Butcher) (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (PAL All Region) Dyanne Thorne is back as the sadistic ruler of a South American prison for deranged women. But when a young journalist goes undercover to find her missing sister, she learns that survival means submission to the perverse appetites of the guards, the convicts and the wicked warden herself Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 5
	Women in Cellblock 9 (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (Blu-Ray All Region) A group of female freedom-fighters led by Karine Levere is caught by the warden of a women's prison, located some-where in the South American jungle.None of them will reveal the secrets of their organisation or the names of their collaborators in the cities, so they are handed over to Dr. Costa who, after four years inactivity in Europe, is delighted to be able to practice his torture techniques once more. Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 1
	Women in Cellblock 9 DVD (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (PAL All Region) A group of female freedom-fighters led by Karine Levere is caught by the warden of a women's prison, located some-where in the South American jungle.None of them will reveal the secrets of their organisation or the names of their collaborators in the cities, so they are handed over to Dr. Costa who, after four years inactivity in Europe, is delighted to be able to practice his torture techniques once more. Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 6
	Downtown (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (Blu-Ray All Region) A mysterious woman appears at seedy but hard-boiled detective Al Pereira'a agency in Puerto Rico. She wants him to take some compromising pictures of her unfaithful husband, a notorious nightclub owner. Pereira hesitantly accepts the job. It is soon discovered that the husband has been killed and the police believe Pereira to be the killer. Starring Lina Romay, Paul Muller, Jess Franco and Beni Cardoso. Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 5
	Downtown DVD (Goya Collection / Jess Franco) (PAL All Region A mysterious woman appears at seedy but hard-boiled detective Al Pereira'a agency in Puerto Rico. She wants him to take some compromising pictures of her unfaithful husband, a notorious nightclub owner. Pereira hesitantly accepts the job. It is soon discovered that the husband has been killed and the police believe Pereira to be the killer. Starring Lina Romay, Paul Muller, Jess Franco and Beni Cardoso. Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 1
	Wicked Women (Goya Collection) (Blu-Ray All Region) Spending her holidays on the Swiss/Italian border, Margareta (Lina Romay) meets charming Sandra Mauro (Monica Swinn) and her husband. She agrees to stay in their house for the rest of her vacation, unaware that they are going to use her for smuggling diamonds over the border. Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 20
	Wicked Women DVD (Goya Collection) (PAL All Region) Spending her holidays on the Swiss/Italian border, Margareta (Lina Romay) meets charming Sandra Mauro (Monica Swinn) and her husband. She agrees to stay in their house for the rest of her vacation, unaware that they are going to use her for smuggling diamonds over the border Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 4
	Sexy Sisters (Goya Collection) (Blu-Ray All Region) Milly suffers from a deep sexual trauma resulting from being raped as a child by a muscular gigolo after she had surprised him and her sister in bed. Is Milly incurable, or is that her sister left out of their father's will and Molly will be the sole inheritor of his immense fortune on her 21st birthday? Edna and her accomplice Dr. Barrios have hatched a plot to have Milly declared insane Price: $24.99 Order: Quantity Available: 16
	Sexy Sisters DVD (Goya Collection) (PAL All Region) Countess Edna Luise Von Stein keeps her disturbed sister Milly prisoner.Confined to her bed. Milly suffers from a deep sexual trauma resulting from being raped as a child by a muscular gigolo after she had surprised him and her sister in bed. Is Milly incurable, or is that her sister left out of their father's will and Molly will be the sole inheritor of his immense fortune on her 21st birthday?Edna and her accomplice Dr. Barrios have hatched a plot to have Milly declared insane. Price: $19.99 Order: Quantity Available: 3

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2013: THE YEAR OF JESS FRANCO

Jess Franco died in Malaga Spain on April 2, 2013. Long live Jess Franco! I like to think he is now with his so-called muse, his longtime companion, sometime editor, assistant director and leading lady, Lina Romay who preceded him the year before. The fact that he actually managed to complete a new feature, AL PEREIRA VS THE ALLIGATOR LADIES, featuring his longtime leading man, friend and production manager, Antonio Mayans, while he was grieving and preparing to leave this life, is nothing short of inspiring. It's now out on Blu-ray. One of the most satisfying things in my own life was having a web series which I wrote, RETURN OF THE BLOODSUCKING NAZI ZOMBIES, included on the Blu-ray and DVD discs. I finally, indirectly, got to collaborate, in a way,  with a favorite filmmaker.

A follow-up,  REVENGE OF THE ALLIGATOR LADIES, is in the works, which will use footage which Franco shot and new footage directed by Antonio Mayans. A work-in-progress was screened earlier this year at SITGES and a review by Nzoog can be found on CINEMADROME: THE WORLD OF JESS FRANCO FORUM www.cinemadrome.yuku.com 

A book, see above, which I have not read, and a series of Blu-rays and DVDs of a number of Jess Franco's most important films have also been released this past year, with more, much more to come. My own personal Jess Franco DVD count is well over 100!  His very first horror film, GRITOS EN LA NOCHE (1961), a ground breaking international hit which made his name in America, made it to Blu-ray, leaving us with his first and last significant works now on that medium.

My personal favorite Jess Franco 2013 presentations were Redemption/Kino's A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD, with two alternate versions of this key title available along with an engaging commentary by Tim Lucas and Severin's THE HOT NIGHTS OF LINDA 3-Disc set. The latter actually had the French hardcore version with new English subtitles. It looked transferred from an old VHS but that was fine with me. You also got the English dubbed version, with alternate scenes replacing the hardcore material and somewhat closer to a "director's cut." A last interview with Jess Franco and a very moving interview conducted with both Jess and Lina Romay, recorded in 2006, were also included. This presentation helped me to reevaluate this rather obscure feature, shot in a year where the director worked on another dozen or so projects. I now find it a kind of Sirkian melodrama, Eurotrash style, essaying the downfall of a highly dysfunctional Franconian family, bracketed within a warning daydream. Perhaps a presentiment "dreamed" by Alice Arno, who is at her very best here.

Another 1973 Alice Arno-Jess Franco project, a De Sade adaptation, PLAISIR AU TROIS aka HOW TO SEDUCE A VIRGIN was released, in a reportedly impeccable transfer, by the estimable MONDO MACABRO DVD company. I haven't had the chance to see it but it seems well worth the trip.


HOW TO SEDUCE A VIRGIN aka PLAISIR A TROIS: from Mondo
 Macabro.

I'm also hoping to finally catch some of the Ascot-Elite Blu-ray releases, including DORIANA GRAY, DOWNTOWN, among others.

Wicked Women - Das Haus der mannstollen Frauen Blu-ray

Frauen ohne Unschuld / Women Without Innocence / Goya Collection Ascot Elite Home Entertainment | 1977 | 79 min | Rated FSK-18 | Dec 03, 2013

Large: Front

With the essential AL OTRO LADO DEL ESPEJO/THE OBSCENE MIRROR, THE DEMONS, THE EROTIC RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN, TENDER AND PERVERSE EMANULLE, and more in the Blu-ray/DVD pipeline, 2014 is shaping up to be another Year of Jess Franco.

Is Josiane Gibert also "P. Belair" etc. ?

[COMING SOON: 2013--THE YEAR OF JESS FRANCO]

Here's an interesting thread [copied from EL FRANCONOMICON on FACEBOOK] with some new information on the Jess Franco actress (DRACULA CONTRA FRANKENSTEIN;  Los amantes de la isla del diablo}and dubber (EUGENIE DE SADE; NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT) Josiane Gibert. She did memorable voicings of Soledad Miranda in EUGENIE DE SADE and Diana Lorys in NIGHTMARES COME AT NIGHT. I've also see her name in on some French language dubbing credits on certain French dubbed films from other European countries.  But below is some additional information/speculation on this French-Canadian actress/editor. If she indeed is the P. Belair credited as editor on A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD and FEMALE VAMPIRE (1973), it opens all kinds of fascinating possibilities and questions. Does anyone know for sure? Credits on any Jess Franco film are always suspect and highly unreliable. I'm also interested in hearing about any other dubbings she may have done that aren't mentioned on her IMDB page. Please place any additional information in the comments section below.

Thanks to Terence Ng for this information and starting this interesting thread.

Terence Ng

Josiane Gibert is a French-Canadian actress from Montreal who dubbed various actresses in Franco's films, did some voice-acting for the French dubs of certain anime/cartoons, and even did some editing.

Here are some of the roles I suspect she dubbed:
Nightmares Come at Night - Diana Lorys and Colette Giacobine (French)
Eugenie de Sade - Soledad Miranda (French)...See more

Unlike · · Share · Stop Notifications · 12 December at 09:05

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• You, Ismael Fernández, Francesco Cesari, Phillip Scot and 3 others like this.
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  Francesco Cesari In Dracula prisonier de Frankenstein her character just sings and cries, and she sings in French also in the Spanish version! So, we can listen her even if the French version isn't available. I love her acting in Los amantes de la isla del diablo. She is the true protagonist of this film.

  12 December at 09:26 · Like · 2
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  Terence Ng Wow, that actually makes me want to watch 'Devil's Island'. What I love about Josiane is the fact that she actually puts effort into her performances. Gibert's dubbing of Eugenie would have to be my favourite!

  12 December at 09:37 · Like · 1
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  Francesco Cesari Yes, she is very expressive, both as dubber and as actress.

  12 December at 09:40 · Like · 1
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  Ismael Fernández In DRACULA CONTRA FRANKENSTEIN, she gets to say an interjection in French. This was retained in the Spanish version.

  12 December at 16:57 · Like · 1
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  Ismael Fernández To my mind, one of the best-looking Jess Franco actresses alongside Prous, Josephine Chaplin and Alice Arno.

  12 December at 17:02 · Like
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  Robert Monell A very capable and expressive voice actress who has voiced a number of interesting films.

  12 December at 17:05 · Like · 1
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  Ismael Fernández Did she dub any films outside Franco? I mean, did she dub any Francophone version of American films?

  12 December at 17:07 · Like
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  Robert Monell I also have seen a Eurospy film in which she appears, THE MILLION DOLLAR COUNTDOWN. The IMDB identifies her as the mysterious P. Belair, the editor of A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD> I'm not sure if this is correct though. I've also seen her name in the dubbing credits of some French language versions of Italian giallo films.

  12 December at 17:10 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández Voice actors who acted in Franco films: Howard Vernon (dubbed either Laurel or Hardy in a Francophone version of one of their films; I presume that, with his Swiiss accent, his usefulness in French dubbing was limited); Gibert, of course; Mabel Escaño (who actually teaches dubbing nowadays); Carlos Ysbert (the Spanish voice of Homer Simpson, dubbed by Franco himself in ¿CUÁNTO COBRA UN ESPÍA?; Jesús Puente (seen dubbed by somebody else in COUNT DRACULA but the Spanish voice of Tichy in LA MUERTE SILBA UN BLUES); José Martínez Blanco (voice of Eddie Constantine in Franco's films, seen as Dennis Price's assistant in VAMPYROS LESBOS); Manuel Guitián (the servant in DR. ORLOFF'S ROBOT, the voice of Erskine Sanford in the Arcofón version of CITIZEN KANE; Mayans (apparently dubbed a role in a Brazilian soap opera).

  12 December at 17:16 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández If Gibert has done giallos, and not merely Franco films, then she must be a card-carrying dubber.

  12 December at 17:17 · Like
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  Robert Monell These were French dubbings for French distribution. I think one is LIZ ET HELEN, aka DOUBLE FACE.

  12 December at 17:19 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández Yeah, this probably means she was not merely an actress who could dub (like Carmen Carrión, who dubbed Ajita Wilson in MACUMBA SEXUAL) but a mainstream dubber who paid quotas to the dubbers association. Who knows, Gibert may have duibbed major Hollywood actresses into French.

  12 December at 17:22 · Like
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  Robert Monell French dubbers are always credited on French releases according to union rules. I can't remember how many French dubber films and which ones

  12 December at 17:24 · Like · 1
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  Terence Ng Here are some of the anime she has dubbed.
  http://www.animenewsnetwork.com.au/encyclop.../people.php...
  

  
  

  Josiane GIBERT - Anime News Network

  www.animenewsnetwork.com

  12 December at 17:27 · Like · 1
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  Robert Monell P. Belair is also credited as editor on other Franco Eurocine films. I think on FEMALE VAMPIRE.

  12 December at 17:27 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández The Euriciné dubs are usually very good.I think oif FEMALE VAMPIRE and EXORCISM. It's a pity the French dubbing of THE DEVIL'S KISS is so poor (the voice of Nieto!); here the Balcázar studio did a better job.

  12 December at 17:29 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández If Gibert did anime then definitely she's a regular dubber.

  12 December at 17:30 · Like · 1
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  Terence Ng P. Belair is part of her name if I'm not mistaken. She has had a producer credit in a 2007 horror film called "Lady Blood" as 'Josiane P. Belair'. I think she may have a Facebook account under the name 'Josiane Belair-Gibert'. It says that she's from Montreal as expected though I could still be wrong.

  12 December at 17:32 · Unlike · 2
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  Robert Monell So does this mean she is the P. Belair on other JF flms. It would be interesting if she was the one who made that famous decision to leave in the shot of Lina bumping into the camera lens at the opening of FEMALE VAMPIRE.

  12 December at 17:37 · Like
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  Robert Monell And she would also have probably been responsible for leaving in the carnival janitor looking at the camera in VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD, a moment Tim Lucas focuses on in his commentary on the Blu-ray.

  12 December at 17:39 · Like
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  Terence Ng Not to mention Herminia's blinking corpse! Still pretty good editing though. The montage of footage that plays just after Christina's implied rape is very effective. We can't be 100% sure it's really her but if it is, someone ought to interview her about the editing and dubbing of Franco's films.

  12 December at 17:42 · Like
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  Terence Ng There are differences in techniques between the French dubbers and the English dubbers so it's pretty strange and pleasantly surprising to hear Josiane in the English dub of Exorcism.

  12 December at 17:49 · Edited · Like
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  Robert Monell She might have dubbed Romay in the French version of EXORCISM and SEXORCISM. I'm not sure about the English version, though. I'll have to revisit it. And Franco credits are always suspect since they were often created for other reasons besides crediting the person who actually did the work.

  12 December at 17:46 · Like · 1
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  Terence Ng If you hear Lina Romay in the English dub, she speaks with this odd French accent but what tipped me off was Josiane's signature scream when Lina is being tortured by Jess.

  12 December at 17:48 · Like
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  Robert Monell Thank you, Terence, for this new info. I' going to copy this thread over onto my Jess Franco blog.

  12 December at 17:49 · Like · 1
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  Robert Monell I"ve heard her speak French in EUGENIE and NIGHTMARES so I'm more familiar with her voice in that language.

  12 December at 17:50 · Like
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  Robert Monell I'm wondering if that's her voice singing the naughty French song in DRACULA CONTRA FRANKENSTEIN?

  12 December at 17:51 · Like
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  Terence Ng In regards to Nightmares, she definitely dubbed Lorys but I suspect she dubbed Giacobine as well albeit with a harsher tone.

  12 December at 17:56 · Unlike · 1
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  Robert Monell Yes, you may correct. It does sound like her voice, albeit in a different tone.

  12 December at 17:57 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández The fact that Lina has Gibert's scream in the English version does not necessarily mean that it's her voice throughout. Sometimes in dubbing, especially if there are time or budget constrictions, they retain inarticulate voices, such as screams, etc.

  12 December at 18:17 · Like
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  Robert Monell Daniel at Eurocine would know for sure, also maybe Alain Petit or Lucas Balbo..

  12 December at 18:19 · Like
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  Terence Ng That's a good point, Ismael. I am fairly sure it's her because when she talks, the English voice has a similar pitch and sultriness and it feels like more than a coincidence that the accent is French. Plus, when she kisses Pierre Taylou in the office and goes 'ooh' at his suggestion of a Black Mass, it sort of sounds like the playful sounds Gibert makes in Eugenie de Sade.

  12 December at 18:25 · Like · 1
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  Terence Ng Of course, the Eurocine experts would have a definite answer.

  12 December at 18:26 · Edited · Like
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  Ismael Fernández EXORCISMES, of course, became EL SÁDICO DE NOTRE DAME in Spain, in a very good (if technically variable) version by Magna, featuring Franco's own voice and the late Rafael Arcos (before he became destitute and unable to buy himself some dentures) doing his best to speak new, un-dubbable dialogue for Daniel White's character (the new dialog is too long for White's mouth movements). Great voice work though from the late Maria Massip as the voice of Nina the nightclub girl. And from Jess himself. It's kinda eerie hearing Julio Núñez dubbing Yul Sanders's character (he also did the bearded wino in the Spanish version of ABSURD) as, unfortunately, he was to become like that himself in real life.

  12 December at 18:29 · Like · 1
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  Ismael Fernández EXORCISMES, in contrast, was premiered in Spain with a completely different, and terrible, voice cast at the turn of this century.

  12 December at 18:30 · Like
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  Ismael Fernández Oh, and Franco himself did the lead French voice in EXORCISMES. This may be the first time he was ever heard in a film since his self-dubbed perf in EL EXTRAÑO VIAJE.

  12 December at 18:32 · Like · 1