Jonathan

I saw Jonathan in the early '70s, at the old Harvard Square Theater, in Cambridge, MA, and I have been looking for it to reappear on the screens ever since (or maybe on DVD). Contrary to the "classical" vampire film, Jonathan's plot is rather an original one, in so far that it carries a political message. A bunch of aristocratic, fascist vampires, led by the evil Count, have taken over the country. They have turned their peasant population into slaves and literally suck the blood out of them. In their midst, a hero appears, ready to destroy this scourge. I think it would be most "a propos," given the neo-aristocratic present administration of Bush "le petit," for this film to be reissued.

I do not remember all the details of the film, the cinematography, acting, etc, but I do remember being enthralled by it and kept riveted in my chair. Given these vague memories, it is difficult for me to give this film a precise rating, but I can safely give it a seven or eight stars. So let's go with eight.

Vampire hunter Jonathan (Jürgen Jung) embarks on a perilous mission to try and free prisoners from a vampires' castle and encourage them to join in a revolt against the bloodsuckers. Along the way, the coach in which Jonathan is travelling is attacked by two men who kill the driver and his horses and steal Jonathan's vampire killing equipment. Jonathan continues on foot, accompanied by a stranger who later tries to strangle him, before eventually arriving at the castle, where he is captured and tortured.

I've read that German vampire film Jonathan was intended as an anti-fascist allegory, the vampires representing Nazis, with a head vampire (Paul Albert Krumm) who resembles Hitler without a moustache. But even armed with that knowledge, I still found the majority of this arthouse horror completely incomprehensible, director Hans W. Geissendörfer chucking in lots of strange imagery that is presumably symbolic or metaphoric but which left me utterly bewildered.

Why is there a group of young girls in pink frocks at the vampires' castle, and what is the meaning of their dancing? Who is the panting hunchback in the shack surrounded by inverted crucifixes? Why does the girl who shares the shack with the hunchback pour water and dry ice over her leg while singing? Who are the dead people that Jonathan and his travelling companion discover in a farmhouse? Why is there a room full of villagers watching a couple having sex? And how does Jonathan suddenly go from being fully clothed in a barn to being totally naked and straddled by a hot babe?

About the only thing I liked about this baffling pretentious nonsense was the camerawork, with lots of long gliding shots that are technically impressive.

1.5/10, rounded down to 1 for some of the most abhorrent animal cruelty I have seen in a film, a man repeatedly stomping on a poor rat.

This is really wonderful but just as difficult to describe. Obviously it is about Vampires but nothing like anything else I have seen. It is certainly dream like and rather surrealist but this seems so obvious by saying that. The only film I can think anything like this is the films of Jean Rollin but not really because this one is so strange even though it seems simple as well. Jonathan is probably the only one in the film who seems normal and not like anyone else. His journey in the coach is a long time and all seems okay but then suddenly he finds everyone is dead, the man and the horses and then walking he eventually finds the castle. There the vampires, in red, seems to almost move as in dance and it is scary as the way they move not quite as lovely as you might think and we see blood. Robert Muller cinematography is splendid being Dutch and of many films like Breaking the Waves (1996), Paris,Texas (1984), Repo Man (1984) and Dead Man (1995). The last one is that of Jim Jarmusch's and seems to usually do all his films. The music is by the composer, Roland Kovac and there is something of the style of the work of E. T. A Hoffmann. The director, Hans W Geissendorer like most of the cast is German but has had many TV and films although seems to be best known, apart from Lindenstrobe, it was his long TV series, a weekly soap opera (1985-2020) the lives of the people of Munich, the controversial issues through the years like Homosexuality, drug abuse, domestic violence, rape, xenophobia, prostitution and Aids, which had many awards and of course big in the day when his first film was made this also received a German award.

Geissendorfer's first feature was an original approach to Bram Stoker's Dracula, but it is seldom mentioned in most studies of vampirism on film. Jonathan must fight against wild and aristocratic vampires, who do not stop at anything to satisfy their thirst for blood. Cows, sheep, chickens, anything is left bloodless in this outrageous film, which luckily is also funny.

I watched this movie in germany, when it was released for the theaters. It left a lasting impression on me. It captures an E.T.A. Hoffmann sort of atmosphere, talks to your romantic and advanterous spirit. Specially when you have grown up in the european countrysite , between ruined keeps in the midst of old forest. Little probably to tickle the northamerican imagination. I found the approach to vampire stories very genuine and without moral judgement. I was glued to my seat in the theater. I was searching for this movie ever since. I hope it will be rereleased on DVD.