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I haven't seen all of writer/director/actor/producer Roman Polanski's films, but the ones I have seen have kind of been hit or miss propositions for me. On the one hand I thought Rosemary's Baby (1968) to be a wonderfully creepy film, but on the other The Tenant (1976) while interesting, I thought to be slightly confusing and lacking a strong sense of direction. Chinatown (1974) is acknowledged by many to be a classic (to which I'd agree), while The Ninth Gate (1999) tended to annoy me with a pretentious ambiguity stemming from a European stylization of making a film obtuse and inaccessible to audiences...of course, these are all just my own, personal opinions, which really don't mean squat in the grand scheme of things...at the end of the day one should really draw their own conclusions based on their own, personal experiences. As far as the film The Fearless Vampire Killers or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (1967) goes, I enjoyed it as it served to reaffirmed something which I already knew...whether you like Polanski's films or not, his features are so very individualistic, rarely transgressing on each other, displaying his immeasurable talents, vision, and his ability to adapt to a wide range of material. Co-written by Gérard Brach (Repulsion) and Polanski (the latter also directed and starred), the film features performances by Jack MacGowran (Tom Jones, Doctor Zhivago), Alfie Bass (The Lavender Hill Mob), Ferdy Mayne (Where Eagles Dare, The Vampire Lovers), Iain Quarrier (Cul-de-sac), and Sharon Tate (Valley of the Dolls), who would later marry Polanski about a year prior to her murder (and that of their unborn child) at the hands of Charles Manson and his cult followers.
As the film opens, it's a moonlit night, and we see a horse drawn sled traveling down a snowy road, the occupant of the sled being the driver, Professor Abronsius (MacGowran), and the Professor's assistant Alfred (Polanski), who, on the surface, appear to be a pair of buffoons, but in such a way where the same buffoonery that gets them into trouble, also get them out, illustrated throughout the story. Seems the Professor, who has long since been labeled `a nut' by his once colleagues, is traveling the Transylvanian countryside in order to further his knowledge about vampires and their ilk. After arriving at a small village and availing themselves of the services of the local inn, telltale signs abound with regards to the presence of vampire activity within the area...the interiors of the inn are decorated with strings of garlic cloves, a hunchback arrives at the inn to collect supplies, and so on...and sure enough, not soon after their arrival, the innkeeper's daughter Sarah (Tate) is abducted, her father killed (and subsequently turned) while searching for her, and the boys are off to a nearby castle in order to find her, the Professor with an eye towards proving the theories which he's read, and Alfred more so because he's become smitten with the girl. They eventually do find the castle, along with its master, in that of Count von Krolock (Mayne), along with the Count's very effeminate son Herbert (Quarrier)...quite the aristocratic pair they are...the Professor and Alfred find themselves guests of the Count and learn of a grand gala approaching, one to be held within the castle, a sort of cadaverous celebration where the boys may not only be the guests of honor, but also the main course...
I've given some details about the plot, but there's really no way what I've written displays all the wonderful aspects inherent within the story and the film itself. There is just so much going on at any one point one could watch this film a number of times and still see something new each viewing. One of the aspects that impressed me the most, from the beginning and throughout the film, was the extensive amount of detail and attention to creating a complete sense of putting the viewer within the context of the story. It's like a fairy tale come to life. The period sets and pieces are exquisitely beautiful and intricate, featuring a serious eye towards detailing, as are the props, costumes, backdrops, etc. There's just such a pervasive feel to the entire film in terms of providing the appropriate gothic setting, something that used to be a common factor in both Hammer and Universal horror productions during their respective heydays...and keep in mind, this is supposed to a mixing of comedy and horror. And when I say comedy, I don't mean the laugh out kind (there is a good deal of slapstick, but that's not the specific humor I'm talking about here), but a slinky, subtle type of humor blended as well as I've ever seen in a cross genre film. A perfect example of this delicate melding comes in the sequence when Alfred, while searching the castle rooms for Sarah, accidentally walks in on the Count's dandy of a son Herbert. The comic touches in Herbert's coy advances soon erupt into an explosion of fanged violence that results in a Keystone Cops type chase through the castle. Another one of my favorite sequences is when the Count and his son are preparing to retire to their ornate coffins prior to the sun rising, aided by their hunchbacked manservant Koukol. After they get settled in (and boxed up), here comes Shagal (Bass), the once innkeeper now vampire, dragging his meager pine box into the crypts with the intent of also settling in for the day. Koukol, seeing this as an affront to his masters, proceeds to unceremoniously drag the coffin, which Shagal is now sitting in, down to the stables, as that's a seemingly more appropriate setting from someone of his class, with Shagal weakly protesting the entire way. The performances are strong all around, particularly that of Count von Krolock, played by Mayne. He embodies the aristocratic and sinister features one would expect from his character, along with including enough distinctions to separate his character from those of his cinematic ilk. Another wonderful aspect is the original music provided by regular Polanski collaborator and composer Krzysztof Komeda. It's suave, sophisticated, spooky, enchanting, oft times understated, and compliments film without actually drawing away from the visuals. All in all this is perhaps one of the best crafted films I've seen straddling two genres that normally don't play well together, and worth a look for those who can appreciate the expertise involved. In terms of contemporary artists, I might compare this to the better outings by individuals like Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton.
Presented on this DVD is the original version of the film, the one seen by European audiences. Apparently, prior to the film's American release, MGM had mangled it pretty well, removing about ten minutes, adding a new opening sequence, and hacking the soundtrack to pieces, which might explain why it didn't do as well here as it did overseas. The anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) does looks very good, but there does seem room for improvement. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through clean. As far as extras, there's a theatrical trailer for the film (also presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, along with a comical vintage featurette titled The Fearless Vampire Killers: Vampires 101 (10:18) which appears to be a lengthy promotional piece created to help advertise the film back when it was originally released.
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Top reviews from other countries
Robert Lee
Excellent service. Good value.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 12, 2024
Nachtschatten
Le meilleur film de Polanski, et un grand film de vampire !
Reviewed in France on January 20, 2024
