Directed by Jean RollinReview based on Synapse DVD Edition
Following an enthusiastic review of this 70's flick in Jamie Russell's new Zombie tome "Book of the Dead", I thought I'd give this movie a try. I'm a big fan of European cinema, and thought that this would be a good addition to my extensive collection of obscure genre flicks.
Overall, this movie has some nice moments of eerieness and an overwhelming sense of doom, but it virtually buckles under the weight of its own pretentiousness.
Like Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", Rollin takes similar themes of destruction and isolation and takes them out of the Monroeville Mall to land them squarely in the rolling French countryside. It's an intriguing premise, and whilst the photography is undeniably stunning (thanks to DOP Claude Becognee), it also results in some very lengthy panning shots which at points lead to enhanced tension but at other moments almost resolutely destroy it.
The idea of French Wine causing an infection is similar to the concept found in Jorge Grau's "Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue", but Rollin's zombies are fully cognitive human shells which links this celluloid piece closely to the recent "28 Days Later". It is an interesting twist, and gives the whole piece a very different slant that makes the killing sequences unsettling. The best example on offer here is the bloody execution of a blind girl who is befriended en-route by the protagonist, Elizabeth. The brutality of the moment is strong enough, and the point is hammered even further (no pun intended) by having her husband as the executioner. Rollin shows him as crying and fully conscious throughout the entire sequence; his actions uncontrollable due to the rampaging infection.
"The Grapes of Death" also contains some unintentional hilarity thanks to the casting of Brigitte Lahaie, who as an ex-porn star in her first horror flick still seems to feel the urge to drop her clothes at the most inopportune of moments. Apparently, it is necessary for her to bare all during the middle of a zombie attack in order to prove that she is uninfected. It has absolutely nothing to do with Rollin wanting one of his recurring leading ladies to bare her breasts. Honestly.
In conclusion, "The Grapes of Death" is a very Gaelic-flavoured horror piece which is a really good starting point for anyone with a vague interest in the evolution of the genre and an affection for 70's flicks. It does suffer at points, but the dated nature of the piece certainly gives it that extra charm. Recommended, but certainly not for those who like their material pacey and relentless!
6 out of 10
An interesting Garlic tinged horror
