Les deux orphelines vampires

I have a real love-hate relationship with Jean Rollin. If I sit down to watch one of his films I can usually rely on two things; 1, the movie will look great, have an intriguing premise, and feature some stunningly beautiful women. And 2, by the end of it I'll feel hugely let-down and look on the whole thing as a missed opportunity. I know a lot of European directors favour 'style over substance', but Rollin often takes that to a new level. The fact that what's good about his stuff is often SO good is exactly what makes it so annoying; if he missed the mark by a mile it wouldn't matter, but the gorgeous cinematography, composition, lighting, and location work just make the whole thing all the more frustrating.

This movie is a rare exception. Two blind girls (supposedly around the 15-16 yr mark, although the actresses seem to be late teens/early twenties) live at a Catholic orphanage/school. However, at night they can see because they're actually vampires, who after 'lights out' leave the orphanage to hunt. These vampires are more along the lines of Stoker's Dracula; they can move around in daylight, but their vampire abilities only manifest at night when their sight returns and they sprout fangs.

There are several kills (six, by my count), but a fair amount of time is also spent lying around in cemeteries as the girls reminisce about their previous lives (it seems they've been hunted, destroyed, and resurrected several times over 500 years) as well as try to remember who they were before they became vampires. Alexandra Pic (looking like a cross between young Ellen Page and young Jennifer Connelly) and Isabelle Teboul have an ethereal presence as the two girls, and there are cameos by Rollin favourites Tina Aumont and Brigitte Lahaie. It's about 10 minutes too long, and there are still some things that don't make any sense - but that's Rollin. It's slow but very watchable. Some nudity - but for Rollin, not much. 7/10.

(aka: TWO ORPHAN VAMPIRES)

This DVD has some serious compression problems. Everytime the camera pans to the left or right, the whole screen gets blurry. Plus whenever the characters move, it looks like the speed has been turned down half a notch.

That said, the film itself is a low budget affair (which is a typical feature of Jean Rollin's films) about two female vampires who are blind during the day, but can see at night. They have lived throughout eternity, being killed off occasionally through the ages, only to be resurrected later. By what, this is never explained.

No where near as good as Rollin's THE GRAPES OF DEATH or his later film FASCINATION, but there are worse such as the schlock Jess Franco puts out. The film goes on about 20 minutes too long with a lot of pointless talk about how mankind just doesn't understand them and that they have to kill in order to keep existing in the neverworld that they are condemned to live in.

All this talk just bores the hell out of me. 3 out of 10

Many Jean Rollins fans didn't like this movie because it didn't have the kinky sex and rampant nudity of his earlier films, but I'm of the opinion that European cult directors like Rollins and Jesus Franco have actually done their best work when they didn't lazily rely on these elements (although with Franco you'd have to go back to late 60's to find evidence of this). Like with most Rollins movies the plot of this one is pretty incidental (something about blind, orphan, twin vampires trapped in a world that doesn't understand them) and the dialogue is downright laughable (if you have a choice watch it in French with English subtitles, or even turn off the English subtitles--it won't matter much). What makes the movie is the music, the atmosphere, and the startling visuals that at times approach the sublime surrealism of Jodorowsky (that's a compliment by the way). The leads are both very good. I was under the impression that this movie was so tame because Rollins had cast children in the lead roles. The actresses instead look to be in their late teens or early twenties (and they do have one brief nude scene). And if you miss the old Rollins standbys, Tina Aumont and Brigitte Lahaie both put in brief but interesting cameos (which is perfect because I never thought Lahaie especially could act her way out of a crisp paper sack). Maybe this isn't as good as many of Rollin's classic 70's films, but it's a lot better than all his recent SOV and hardcore porn efforts.

Now *this* is the film that separates the men from the boys. If it's in-yer-face sex and horror you want; then I suggest you bugger off now, because Jean Rollin has concocted something very very different... And are you man enough to take it?

Rollin's filmic obsession with vampires- and let's face it, with erotic young women- has never looked this beautiful. Like many films to come out of Europe, this eschews huge action and movement in favour of stillness and thought. It's beautiful to look at, and within the frame Rollin has trapped a whole other world- a vivid, colourful world of rich tones and contrasts, waif-like vampires and deep brown earth. Like some kind of comfortable dream on a hot Summer's evening, 'Two Orphan Vampires' slides from plot point to plot point at its own leisure. At times there's not a lot going on; but there's always something to look at.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about the film, is the way in which Rollin makes the tiny budget work to his advantage. We meet a vampire queen, a ghoul and a werewolf. But we are only *told* this is what they are- they appear outwardly 'normal'... and although it's a cliche to say 'our imaginations do the rest', here it is so true. Late in the film there is a scene in which one of the characters explains some of her past; stuff that Hollywood would salivate over. Rollin has her hunched over a table and s-l-o-w-l-y tracks the camera towards her. No fuss, no noise, no elaborately staged flash-backs and set-pieces. Stillness. Quiet. And an otherworldliness that will leave you changed. It's like looking at a painting that illustrates a poem you strongly admire, and finding the artist has got it just 'right'. 'Two Orphan Vampires' is a tribute to the enduring presence of Jean Rollin- a writer/director of integrity, vision and wit.

Steev

A dreamy dark fairy tale about two lesbian orphans who are blind. Also they are vampire and can see in blue vision at night.

I haven't seen many Jean Rollins films, but I enjoyed this one much more than Demonaniacs. It was dark, but sweet. It was dream like with poetic dialog. The relationship between the two orphans was wholesome and Ioving. They weren't strong, they questioned who they are, and they enjoy some brandy to go with their blood. The movie was a great watch and I now feel the need to watch more of Rollins films.