jessicacoco2005 Vastly underrated film that sadly has not gotten the popularity that it deserves. Though in black and white, the film is physically beautiful; the castle, the landscape, even the costumes the young men and women wear. Both the photography and story line in the film display an unusual ethereal and poetic quality that remains in the viewers' mind long after it has been watched. Amid all this beauty, unsettling emotions simmer underneath. A sad, haunting story of a fatalistic love triangle revolving around the unrequited love of the main female character deeply in love with male cousin.

matheusmarchetti In a world where films such as "Twilight" are considered great vampire flicks, a little unknown gem like "Blood and Roses" comes as a extremely pleasant surprise as it is one of those films that you expect nothing from and turn out to be real cinematic works of art. Unfairly underrated director Roger Vadim creates a dark, tragic love story, filled with beautiful landscapes, terrifying Gothic atmosphere, surrealistic feel, a lovely soundtrack and a suspenseful build up to a shocking and heartbreaking finale. Vadim adapts Sheridan La Fanu's "Carmilla" with a modern twist, whilst keeping the poetry and the eroticism that so many other, more "faithful" adaptations lack. Making "Carmilla" a much more human character was a clever choice and makes you feel sympathy for her character, so therefore you actually feel bad for both the victims and the killer, which is something that usually lacks in horror films, at least in such an intelligent way. Annette Vadim helps bringing the character to life, and is here in one of her best performances. Mel Ferrer and Elsa Martinelli have a wonderful chemistry together and are perfect choices for the supporting roles. Another of the film's highlights is the cinematography, that unfortunately doesn't show it's full Technicolor glory in the film's bad VHS print. Hopefully, one day Paramount will release this masterpiece in DVD or Blu-Ray with it's gorgeous visuals as Vadim intended. 10/10 - a masterpiece. One of the best vampire movies ever made.

rockallnight This article is aimed at people already familiar with the American version of Roger Vadim's "Blood And Roses". For those who have not seen the film, it may contain possible "spoilers". Since so few fans appear to have seen the original "European" version of this film, I shall try to detail the difference between the two versions. The only video copy I have is the American version, but have seen the 84 minute English-dubbed original several times in Irish and U.K. cinemas. The information given below is drawn from memory. The biggest difference is the way in which the story is told: in the U.S. version the narrator is Millarca; in the original, the story is begun and concluded by Dr. Valeri. Both versions begin with the Caravelle jet taking off, but in the original this is followed by a scene on board the aircraft in which Valeri is in conversation with a small group of friends. After a little encouragement - "Doctor, I've known you a long time; I'll bet you have a story to tell us", Valeri begins the story of Carmilla, Georgia and Leopoldo. This is then followed by several scenes that have been cut: 1. Martha, one of the children who has a fascination with the Vampire legend, is seen exploring the Karnstein cemetery, much to Marie's trepidation. 2. Signor Lugieri is seen doing a reconnaissance of the old abbey as a possible location for his firework display. 3. Carmilla and Georgia are seen sharing a horseback ride. They are greeted at the villa by Leopoldo, who reminds them that there will be guests for dinner that evening. 4. Martha and Marie are saying their night-time prayers. When Martha pleads "Please let me see a Vampire someday" this leads to a comic altercation between the two, ending in a pillow fight. The above 4 scenes - which account for about 5 minutes running time - are introductory, so their absence does not impact too much on the plot.However, also dropped is a brief scene in which Carmilla, in the presence of Judge Monteverdi, is seen laughing heartily at an unspecified joke. This occurs just before the scene with the fox, and shows another side of Carmilla's character. In two more scenes - the greenhouse scene and when Dr. Valeri gives his explanation of Carmilla's behavior to Leopoldo - the dialog has been shortened. Apart from scenes being cut/shortened and the narrator being changed, there have also been some additions. These include extra lines spoken off-camera ("You make it seem too real, Carmilla", "Carmilla, enough; you're frightening Georgia" etc.), extra sound effects (the unconvincing screams), and even visuals (the big close-ups of the rose fading) that Paramount presumably felt were needed to make the story clearer and the film more "marketable". The difference between the two versions, therefore, is considerable. My purpose here has been to list the differences, not evaluate them. However, the use of a Vampire spirit(!) as a narrator in place of Dr. Valeri destroys the film's intended ambiguity. In the original, Dr. Valeri's medical/psychological explanation of Carmilla's behavior is balanced by Giuseppi and the children Martha and Marie who explain it according to their superstitious beliefs. The audience is left to decide for themselves. No such choice for the American viewer: Millarca's over-dubbed voice tells us that she is taking possession of Carmilla. Giant close-ups of the fading rose prove it. To my knowledge, "Et Mourir De Plaisir"/"Blood and Roses" has never been released on VHS or DVD in Europe. Since it has appeared on VHS in America, it is possible that Paramount may eventually put out a DVD. However, this would most likely be the U.S. version. That is unless fans of the film were to bombard the distributor with requests for the original. But why would fans request release of a version they have not seen? Maybe this article will awaken an interest.

andrabem I saw this film a long time ago in the television. I can still remember the atmosphere and gentle horror that permeate the film. "Et mourir de plaisir" is based on "Carmilla", an horror tale written by Sheridan Le Fanu. I had already read the book as a child and had liked it very much. Later on I saw this film on television and I was deeply impressed - the atmosphere, the castle and landscape surrounding it, the two girlfriends running together and laughing (one of them will die because the other one is in reality a vampire), beautiful flowers ... weave together a delicate tapestry. Contrary to the Hammer film "The Vampire Lovers" in which the girls relationship is explored very briefly and superficially, "Et Mourir de Plaisir" shows in more detail the delicate love story between two girls lived until death did them part.I don't remember so well the film after such a long time, but some images remained with me, and those images dictate the words I'm writing now.