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?

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Ghoul or Girl?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance

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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 as to make the film marketable for fans of his Hammer vampire films) but the part eventually went to his friend Mel Ferrer.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

The new French DVD is fully uncut, expect for the infamous dream sequence, which is almost entirely cut and re-edited.

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Connections

Referenced in Emotion (1966)

User Reviews

A Hauntingly Memorable Experience

A school chum and I saw this film only one time - when it was first released in 1960. During a recent reunion we realized that neither of us has ever forgotten the spellbinding qualities of the movie as a whole! I very clearly remember the impression of having walked into a renaissance-era painting accompanied by a musical score that along with the visuals, created an almost hypnotic state. Elsa Martinelli was a familiar face at that time, but the mysteriously beautiful other actress was not. I now realize she has to have been Annette Vadim. I clearly remember the undercurrent she portrayed with such seemingly effortless skill that it almost felt like watching two separate characters. The other actors and characters seemed to be almost like props in comparison to these two players in the story. I do hope I can see it again.