Grapes of Death (1978) by Jean Rollin - Printable Version +- Forums (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum) +-- Forum: Doom Arts (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6) +--- Forum: Doom Streaming (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: Grapes of Death (1978) by Jean Rollin (/showthread.php?tid=5475)

Grapes of Death (1978) by Jean Rollin - cranefly - 06-04-2020 Workers in masks and PPE equipment walk through a vineyard spraying the vines with pesticide.  Another masked worker rides a tractor, cultivating the field.  But he soon returns to the house, complaining of sickness.  But the boss tells him to get back out there, and that a shipment of airtight masks will arrive tomorrow. Words to die by.  Right now it sounds eerily prescient. Anyway, the protagonist is Elizabeth, who is traveling by train with plans to move in with her fiance, Michael, owner of a vineyard.  Enroute, she strikes up a friendship with Brigitte.  While Brigitte takes a bathroom break, an infected man (the tractor driver) enters Elizabeth's berth and freaks her out.  So she goes looking for Brigitte only to find her brutally murdered.  With the sick man stumbling after her, she pulls the emergency brake and flees the train into the middle of nowhere. This is a significant departure for Rollin.  It's more a horror film, in many ways a gore-fest.  The sickened people are zombie-like, but retaining more of their marbles.  They are ever erupting in boils and pus, drooling, with here and there a seeping eye socket. Rollin seems comfortable and competent with paired women leads, and here he effectively does this by pairing Elizabeth with a succession of women -- - first Brigitte, then with a blind woman (amazing eyes!), then with a opportunistic lady going into the final act.  The actress playing Elizabeth gives a brilliant performance, and the women she plays off throughout provide great contrasts.  There's not much nudity in this one, but still more than Hollywood will invest in a film  The camerawork and cinematography are topnotch as always, utilizing old structures, ruins, and eccentric landscapes to best effect.  Rollin has such an aesthetic eye. All in all, one of his most consistent atmospheric pieces, though one of horror.  Oh, by the way.  This month (June) Kanopy seems to have upped the borrow limit to ten. RE: Grapes of Death (1978) by Jean Rollin - Drunk Monk - 06-04-2020 10? I still only get 8. RE: Grapes of Death (1978) by Jean Rollin - cranefly - 06-07-2020 Brigitte Lahaie out walking her dogs when interrupted by hunters suspecting she's infected.  She soon provides compelling evidence she's not.