Sunday 12 August 2012

VAMPYROS LESBOS aka LESBIAN VAMPIRES (1971)

Jess Franco's thirty-seventh film was VAMPYROS LESBOS aka LESBIAN VAMPIRES. It was written by Jaime Chavarri, Anne Settimo and Jess Franco, based on the novel by Bram Stoker, produced by Artur Brauner, music by Manfred Hubler, Sigi Schwab and Jess Franco, filmed in Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain in Eatmancolour, released by Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), it runs for 91 mins in Argentina and 89 mins elsewhere. It has made €55,096 in Spain as of 1st August 2002. It starred Susan Korda (aka Soledad Miranda) as Condessa Oskudar, Ewa Stromberg as Linda Westinghouse, Dennis Price as Dr. Alwin Seward, Heidrun Kussin as Agra, Jose Martinez Blanco as Morpho, Andres Monales as Omar, Paul Muller as Dr. Steiner, Michael Berling as Dr. Seward's Assistant and Jess Franco as Memmet.


This was the second of the four films that were released after her death.

The film opens with a woman doing an exotic dance, wearing a black nightie, holding a candelabra, while being watched by a naked woman.






It turns out that the dance is taking place in a night club. A couple who are watching it seem to very intrested in what they are viewing.



When it has finished the man says to the woman that she seems to be very excited.

That night they are sleeping in bed. The woman begins to hear her name, Linda, being called by the woman who was dancing at the night club. She then has a dream about a Chinese kite, Budapest, her boarding a boat, the woman standing in a garden, a house, a recliner seen through a fishing net, the woman clothed in a red see-through dress, blood dripping down a window, a moth caught in a net, a scorpian walking across a stone flagged floor and Linda going down on the woman.

The next day, Linda is lying on a couch talking about her dream, saying how it arouses her and brings her to orgasm, then last night, she and her boyfriend Omar went to a night club and saw the woman there. The psychologist recomends that she take a lover, a better lover.

Linda returns to the Istanbul Hilton Hotel, where Omar is waiting for her. He asks her if she has seen Dr. Steiner, she replies that she has, but he had nothing important to say.

A few days latter Linda is back at work, her secretary informs her that the manager wants her to expand the business in Turkey and would like her to visit the Countess Carody in Anatolia about an inheritance.

She makes her way by boat to Anatolia. There she goes to charter a boat to the Kadidados Islands, but she has already missed the boat, but finds that Countess Carody has booked her into the Plaj Hotel.



The bellboy Memmet (its Jess Franco!), is told to show her to her room. He tells her that he picked the room himself, cleaned it for her and if she needs anything to contact him.

That night Linda is having a dream, which she wakes from with a start. She leaves her room, walks down the stairs. Opening a door, Memmet grabs her arm. (A genuine scary moment, it is so quiet doing the scene, that when he grabs her arm, you jump). He tells her not to go to the island, because madness and death awaits her there, but before he can tell her anymore the manager calls for him. Before he leaves, he tells her to meet him in the wine-cellar later.

Later on she goes to the wine-cellar, to find Memmet next to a bleeding woman, tied to a chair. Shocked she leaves.

The next day, Linda is on a boat heading for the Kadidados Islands by boat, she arrives on the island and makes her way to a house. She is observed by a man wearing glasses. She notices a moth on a window and a scorpian scutterling across the ground. She arrives at the house, seeing a door open, she enters the house, asking if there is anyone home. She then sees blood dripping down a window. This proves too much for her and she flees from the house, only to be stopped by a womans voice saying hello. She turns round and sees a woman sitting on a recliner.


It is Countess Carody!

She invites her for a swim, which Linda accepts, but as they make there way across the beach, Linda mentions that she does not have a swimsuit, but Countess Carody says that there is no need to be shy, nobody will see them. The Countess enters the water, while Linda takes off her clothes. Naked she joins the the Countess in the water. Unknown to Linda she is being watched.

After swimming for a while, the Countess and Linda lying down in the sand sunbathing.


After a while, the Countess removes her bikini and lays down on her front.

Later on they sit down for dinner.



Over dinner Linda talks to the Countess about her inheritence, mentioning that it was not easy transfering the property to her, seeing that it had been in the Dracula family for centuries. She asks for some background on the Count and his family.

The Countess explains that, like her, the Dracula family came from Hungary. Dracula left everything to her, the woman who made his life worth living (?)  She mentions that one day, she will pass on her inheritence to somebody who deserves it.

Linda mentions that maybe she could help. The Countess says that it is quite possible...Maybe even sooner than she thinks.

After finishing her red wine, Linda falls into a trance. The Countess asks her what is wrong, Linda replies that she has a terrible headache. The Countess suggests that she should lie down. Linda thanks her and passes out. The countess calls for her servant Morpho, who turns out to be the man who has been watching Linda.

Morpho carries Linda into a bedroom, laying her on a bed. After a while the Countess draws back a curtain revealing blood on her lower lip.



Linda wakes up. Seeing the Countess, Linda gets off the bed and stands up, waiting as the Countess approaches her. Reaching out she first of all touches her face, then she runs her hand down to her right breast.



She then leans in to kiss her, while Linda keeps her eyes open and looks confused. The Countess then places her hand on Linda's neck, which startles her, before sliding her hand back down inbetween her breasts. The Countess sinking to her knees, brings Linda down to the floor with her, where she removes her top.

They then begin to make love.



After a while of making love, she then bites into Linda's neck.

The next day, Linda wakes up on the bedroom floor naked. She finds a black dress on the floor and puts it one. She goes downstairs looking for the Countess, calling her name Nadine. Leaving the house she finds Nadine, floating in the swimming pool naked. This proves too much for her and she faints.

Elsewhere a woman is having a fit. Doctor enters the room, calling the woman Agra. He picks her up off the floor, sitting her down in a chair, still screaming he slaps her round the fce a couple of times. Carming down she says she can feel the influence of a woman, who will be soon visiting her and she wants the doctor's help to keep her with her. He agrees and leaves her.

The doctor goes and sees his boss, Doctor Seward, he asks him to come and visit Agra, because she has had another fit.

Doctor Seward goes and visits Agra. He asks her about the woman that she says is coming for her, she tells him she is the Queen of the Night.

Linda wakes up to find herself in a room with a man sitting at a table, she asks where is she, but the man just gets up and leaves the room, followed by Doctor Seward who enters the room. Again she asks where is she, he replies that she is at his private clinic. He asks her name, but she can not remember who she is. He asks her where is she from and what happened. She does not know or remember anything.

Linda's boyfriend Omar makes his way over to Doctor Seward's clinic, in answer to an advertisment about a girl found on the beach. Doctor Seward questions him about his relationship with his girlfriend. He then says that Omar can go and see the girl. Omar is shown into the room, at first Linda does not seem to reconise him. Later on she is released into his charge and explains as best as she can about what happened, which is only being on a boat and a dead woman floating in a swimming pool.

The Countess is lying on a bed, remembering her past, telling it to Morpho.



She was in her parent's house, maybe one or two hundred years ago, she was very young and alone. Watching from her window, she saw soldiers looting and raping women in the streets. They forced their way in to her parent's house, grabbed her. She struggled against them, crying out, when Count Dracula appeared. He stuck his knife into the soldier lying on top of her, killing him. Dracula then whispered to her, "I will take all your suffering away." He then began to visit her every night drinking her blood. When he realized that she was losing her life, he initiated her into the society of vampires. Because of the rape she hates men, but many have been captivated by her, just like women, whom she prefers. She bewitches them, making them loose their identity, but now she has met Linda and she is in danger of losing her identity. So she must now do what Dracula did to her and make Linda a vampire.

At the Istanbul Hilton, Linda and Omar are in bed making love.

After they have made love, the Countess calls to Linda, waking her up. As if in a trance she gets up and gets dressed. She leaves the hotel and walks to a castle. She enters and goes up the stairs to a room where the Countess is waiting.





The Countess goes over to a shelf and retrieves a large glass goblet full of blood. She drinks from it first and then offers it to Linda.



Which she accepts and drinks from.



The Countess places the goblet back on the shelf and asks Linda if she knew she has just drunk blood. Linda says nothing, but walks over to her. The Countess tells her tha she has now become a vampire and that she will protect her. She then says "Kovec nihe trekatsch." Which Linda replies and then kisses her.



Linda then begins to make love to the Countess.



Meanwhile in Doctor Seward's clinic, Agra is feeling very aroused and is playing with a falic looking clown.

The next day, Linda takes Omar to Doctor Seward, because he has lost a lot of blood. They are interupted by his assistant, who informs him that Agra is having another fit. Doctor Seward invites Linda to accompaney him.

Going into his office he tells Linda that Omar is not in any danger from vampires, but she is. She tells him about her experiences. He tells her he can help her, if she wants his help. She replies that she does. He tells her that she must either split the head in two with an axe or piece it with a spike.

In Agra's room Doctor Seward enters to find her rolling around on the floor.



She tells him that the infelunce of the Countess has gone and now she feels empty. Then she stops and calms down, for the Countess has returned as she will visit her, so she can meet Doctor Seward.

Later on Omar has made a full recovery. He is worried about Linda, she acting very strange. Doctor Seward says that there is nothing to worry about.

As Omar leaves the clinic, Agra calls out to him, she has escaped from her room. She tells him that he must go to the Countess in her house in Uskalan, up in the mountains. Just then Doctor Seward and his assisstant arrive and take Agra back to her room.

Back at the hotel Omar discovers the room empty. Checking with reception, he discovers that Linda had checked out the day before, not saying where she was going.

Linda has returned to the Plaj Hotel. Trying to enter the back way she is surpised by Memmet, who attacks her and knocks her out.

Meanwhile at the night club, Omar turns up. He is seen by Morpho. He is just in time to catch the Countess' show. This time the Countess can not contain herself and she bites the naked womans neck, feasting on her blood.

That night at Doctor Seward's clinic, Dr. Seward is studing. His assistant comes in to bid him good night and leaves. After a while Doctor Seward leaves his study, crosses the hall and stops at the bottom of the stairs as the clock strikes twelve. He then ascends the stairs only to stop half way and looks down into the hall. Standing there is the Countess. He asks what she wants, she tells him that she has come to kill him. Tells her she will not succeed and starts to resite a prayer, which makes her back away in fear. She calls for Morpho, who appears at the top of he stairs and attacks Doctor Seward.



In Agra's room she is getting aroused, when the Countess enters her room. She has come to say goodbye to her.



The next day Linda's psychologist is visted by Omar, he is worried that Linda is in the hands of the killers of Doctor Seward and he also witnessed the murder of the dancer by the Countess. He tells the psychologist that he knows where the Countess lives, so they decide to investigate.

Linda wakes up bound to a chair in the wine-cellar of the Plaj Hotel and sees Memmet approaching her with a saw in his hands. It transpires that his wife was Agra and she went to visit the Countess and beame bewitched by her. In loosing her he has gone mad and believes that now he must kill every woman who he comes into contact with, thereby they will love him as he loves them, as he drinks their blood. He unties Linda's legs, but she tries to kick him, so he shows her the body of his last victim, leaning against a wall covered in blood. She tells him that she wants to enjoy giving him love by enjoying the pain he wants to inflect on her, but first he has to untie her. As he unties her, she picks up the saw he has left unattended and rises it up above his head.



And brings it down on his neck.

At the Countess' castle Omar and the doctor arrive. They enter the building, making their way up the stairs. The Countess is aware of their presence and sends Morpho after them. They then escape in the doctor's car.

The Countess is walking around the streets of Istanbul.



She makes her way back to the house on the island. Linda arrives at the house asking Nadine to open the house for her, in the end she forces her way in. She finds Nadine lying on a bed looking ill, she asks her what the matter is, she says that the end has come for her. Linda asks if there is anything she can do. The Countess replies that there is. Linda has to give her some of her blood, but Linda does not want to do that. The Countess asks her if she wants to leave her. Linda says that it must end as she bites into the Countess' neck and drinks her blood.

Morpho witness' this.

While at Doctor Seward's clinic Agra feels the death of the Countess.

Linda decides that she does not want to be a vampire, so before the Countess dies she produces a spike and rams it into her head, spurting blood all over her face.


Morpho feeling that there is something wrong runs over to the house. He runs into the bedroom, grabs hold of Linda, throws her to the floor. Seeing that the Countess is dead, he gives her a kiss. Removing the spike he then stabs himself in the heart.

The doctor and Omar arrive at the house, to fin it empty apart from Linda,, sitting on the flor in shock.



The film is properly Franco's masterpiece. Coming after COUNT DRACULA and THE DEVIL CAME FROM AKASAVA, it is his best film at this time, but it is also a wonderful performance from Soledad Miranda and Ewa Stromberg. In a lot of ways, I would say that this fim influenced DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971), VAMPYRES (1975) and THE HUNGER (1983).

The DVD is the Second Sight release from 2000, along with a restored print in widescreen, it also contains a traile and a photo gallery of mainly behind the scenes images.

You can buy the DVD from Amazon.co.uk by clicking the link below.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vampyros-Lesbos-DVD-Soledad-Miranda/dp/B00004Y8E1/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1344772237&sr=1-1-spell

No comments:

Post a Comment