Blood and Roses (1960)

A lonely and bitter young heiress - jealous of her cousin's engagement to another woman - becomes dangerously obsessed with legends surrounding a vampire ancestor, who supposedly murdered the young brides of the man she loved.

Director:

Roger Vadim

Writers:

Claude Brulé (original story), Sheridan Le Fanu (novel)

Stars:

Mel Ferrer, Elsa Martinelli, Annette Stroyberg

Cast

Cast overview:
Mel Ferrer	...	Leopoldo De Karnstein
Elsa Martinelli	...	Georgia Monteverdi
Annette Stroyberg	...	Carmilla (as Annette Vadim)
Alberto Bonucci	...	Carlo Ruggieri
René-Jean Chauffard	...	Dr. Verari (as R.J. Chauffard)
Gabriella Farinon	...	Lisa (as Gaby Farinon)
Serge Marquand	...	Giuseppe
Edith Peters	...	The Cook (as Edith Arlene Peters Catalano)
Nathalie Lafaurie	...	Marie (as Nathalie LaFaurie)
Carmilla Stroyberg	...	Martha (as Camilla Stroyberg)
Marc Allégret	...	Judge Monteverdi

Storyline

Young Carmilla is jealous of her friend's engagement, and her obsession leads her to the tomb of a female vampire. The vampire possesses her and leads her to kill and terrorise the inhabitants of the estate. But is it all in her mind, or is she really under the control of an ancient vampire ancestor?

---

Plot Keywords:

1960s | female vampire | carmilla | possession | psychotronic film | 

---

Taglines:

Beyond Reason! Beyond Belief!

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

14 September 1960 (France)

Also Known As:

Blood and Roses

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Documento Film, Films EGE

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound)

Color:

Black and White (dream sequence) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Lee was originally considered for the role of Count Karnestein (probably to make the film marketable for fans of his Hammer vampire films) but the part eventually went to his friend Mel Ferrer.

---

Goofs

In three shots from the same scene, the bloodstain on Carmilla's dress moves from the right to the left side, then back to the right side again.

---

Alternate Versions

The Japanese cut has slightly different opening credits and omits the Paramount logo at the end.

---

Connections

Referenced in Emotion (1966)

User Reviews

Today's audience can keep "Twilight", I have this!

In a world where films such as "Twilight" are considered great vampire flicks, a little unknown gem like "Blood and Roses" comes as a extremely pleasant surprise as it is one of those films that you expect nothing from and turn out to be real cinematic works of art. Unfairly underrated director Roger Vadim creates a dark, tragic love story, filled with beautiful landscapes, terrifying Gothic atmosphere, surrealistic feel, a lovely soundtrack and a suspenseful build up to a shocking and heartbreaking finale. Vadim adapts Sheridan La Fanu's "Carmilla" with a modern twist, whilst keeping the poetry and the eroticism that so many other, more "faithful" adaptations lack. Making "Carmilla" a much more human character was a clever choice and makes you feel sympathy for her character, so therefore you actually feel bad for both the victims and the killer, which is something that usually lacks in horror films, at least in such an intelligent way. Annette Vadim helps bringing the character to life, and is here in one of her best performances. Mel Ferrer and Elsa Martinelli have a wonderful chemistry together and are perfect choices for the supporting roles. Another of the film's highlights is the cinematography, that unfortunately doesn't show it's full Technicolor glory in the film's bad VHS print. Hopefully, one day Paramount will release this masterpiece in DVD or Blu-Ray with it's gorgeous visuals as Vadim intended. 10/10 - a masterpiece. One of the best vampire movies ever made.