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DEVIL'S KISS (1975)
Directed by Georges Gigo
Image Entertainment DVD
Reviewed 05.17.07
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Heads up! The Devil is comin' at
ya with a big, wet French Kiss.
Don't forget the Tic-Tacs.
The French. You just can't stop
them. Every time I turn around,
a new vintage trash-horror film
en Francais opens up and pleads,
"Please. Watch me." I
cannot refuse. From Devil
Story to Revenge
Of The Living Dead Girls,
French trash is like nothing else
on this planet; it's often compelling,
always ridiculous, and blatantly
uninhibited. Upon a chance discovery,
one-time director Georges Gigo's
obscure (and oh-so French) Devil's
Kiss was, quite naturally,
instantly attractive. After watching,
the chemistry diminished, but my
level of tolerance had increased.
Just a bit. Bad breath -- it'll
get you every time.
The semi-stylish Devil's Kiss
runs for 93 minutes. You could watch
it for 372 minutes and still end
up with the same conclusions. It's
pretty slow. And, it makes very
little sense. As psychic-vamp/main
character Claire Grandier notes,
"Boredom is contagious."
She's right. However, just as Tic-Tacs
can protect you from The Stank Breaf,
so can Devil's Kiss protect
you from the boredom. You just have
to let it. Remember Ted V. Mikels's
Blood
Orgy Of The She-Devils?
Exactly.
Claire Grandier and her companion,
The Professor, move in to The Duke's
castle. It's not clear why they
do this, or who these people are.
But hey, they're French! Once there,
Claire and company perform an aristocrat
seance, watch a psych-funk dance-fashion
show, ride horses, and talk a lot.
In other words, a very good day.
Then, Claire, The Prof, and a newly
discovered, kind-of-tall dwarf rob
a grave and create a Frankenstein
zombie. He's blue. He strangles
people. There's some lick-heavy
sex, a little full frontal nudity,
no blood, Satanic revenge, and some
headgear from A Clockwork Orange.
Boredom is not so contagious after
all.
Crickets. Nighttime dew. Humidity.
These are the atmospheric building
blocks which make Devil's Kiss
slink above its plaintive booby
traps. Like a mellow mix of Jess
Franco's Night
Of The Skull and Independent
International's Graveyard
Of Horror, this film surrounds
its many minutes of conversation
with damp clouds, ridiculous sights,
and cheap thrills. It's a pleasant,
exotic companion for twiddling the
midnight hours away. Naturally,
sleep will consume you; that's only
fitting. Devil's Kiss patterns
itself after a dogged dream. Therefore,
inducing sleep is the utmost compliment.
And that, my friend, is what it
feels like to get a big, wet French
Kiss from The Devil himself. Throw
away the Tic-Tacs.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
To my knowledge, Devil's Kiss
had never known the joys of a North
American living room before the
release of this 2003 DVD. It sure
does now; the presentation is a
knock-out. The anamorphic widescreen
print looks terrific, with surprising
crispness, zero damage, and booming
colors. The mono sound, which includes
tracks in both the original French
language and an English dub, was
perfectly equalized and matched
the print's sweet sheen. English
subtitles are also included. Very
nice.
EXTRAS
Not a one, unless you count the
stark organ and piano soundtrack.
Which I do.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Wet lips sink ships. Or do they?
The muddled Devil's Kiss
piles on the talk, but the general
aura is a trashy, midnight delight.
A viewing may lead to either total
exhaustion or drowsy satisfaction;
it all depends on you. Still worth
renting on a Friday night. |
Shake it, don't break it
Claire it up
His dogs are barking
Poor malenky ptitsa
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