DIRECTED BY PERE PORTABELLA: CUADECUC, VAMPIR (1971) + UMBRACLE (1972) (Severin Films Blu-ray Review)

DIRECTED BY PERE PORTABELLA 

VAMPIR-CUADECUC (1971) / UMBRACLE (1972) 

Label: Severin Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 69 Minutes 11 Minutes (Vampir-Cuadecuc) / 68 Minutes 23 Second (Umbracle) 

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono (Vampir-Cuadecuc) / Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono (Umbracle) with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1) 

Director: Pere Portabella

Cast: Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Soledad Miranda 

Subversive Spanish experimental filmmaker Pere Portabella was invited on set during the filming of Jess Franco's Count Dracula (1970) and shot this surreal, one-of-a-kind making of doc Cuadecuc, Vampir (1971). Artfully shot in black and white high contrast 16mm and without sync sound, which makes for a somewhat arty behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie with shots of the effects being composed with many of the main cast, with the exception of Klaus Kinski. Interestingly we see black and white shots of scenes from Franco's film featuring Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Soledad Miranda, and Jack Taylor shot from alternate angles, sort of giving us an alternate version of the film, the fuzzy 16mm lensing giving it vibes of Nosferatu or Vampir, the B&W accentuating the dreamy Gothic elements. There are also scenes of the actor between takes, winking at camera, and scenes of special effects shots like Lee being covered in sugar-candy cobwebs as well. This is certainly one of the most unique behind-the-scenes companion pieces you will ever see.

Lee also stars in Portabella’s sort of companion piece, Umbracle (1972), also featuring his Count Dracula vampire bride Jeannine Mestre. Equally artful, also shot in black and white high contrast 16mm, and just as disembodied this feels like a somewhat surreal tourist film starring Lee as he visits a museum of natural history, admiring the taxidermied birds, a traffic accident, and walking the streets. 

These are both more fascinating arthouse curios than essential items in my opinion, not something I would seek out on their own. Of the pair I absolutes give preference to Caudecuc, Vampir for it's Gothic fever-dream quality, an interesting companion piece to Jess Franco's Count Dracula (1970), but neither of these on their own did much for me, as I said, more a curio than essential.  

Audio/Video: Both films arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films in 1080p HD framed in 1.33:1 full screen. Both were originally filmed on 16mm, because of the experimental nature of the composition detail and clarity wax and wane accordingly, but overall it feels filmic, and Cuadecuc looks sharper and more textured than the previous version that was included on Severin's Blu-ray of Jess Franco's Count Dracula.  At times the course grain structures standout with the high contrast black and white, and at times the white are blown out, and particulars of detail can be a bit fuzzy. Audio on both come by way of DTS-HD MA 2.0, both films are for the most part non-verbal. with sound effects and abstract music filling the void, though with Cuadecuc, vampir Lee shoe briefly discusses Dracula's death in the source novel, and Umbracle features a film critic discussing Spanish censorship.  

Extras on the disc include the 26-min A Cinema Of Vampires: Pere Portabella, Jess Franco And The School Of Barcelona – Interview With Spanish Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil, and  2-min Vampir-Cuadacuc Trailer. 

The single disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, tucked away inside is a  Booklet Featuring Text By Pere Portabella And Film Critics Jonathan Rosenbaum And Federico Karstulovich. 

Special Features:
- A Cinema Of Vampires: Pere Portabella, Jess Franco And The School Of Barcelona – Interview With Spanish Film Scholar Dr. Álex Mendíbil (35:40) 
- VAMPIR-CUADECUC Trailer (1:50) 
- Booklet Featuring Text By Pere Portabella And Film Critics Jonathan Rosenbaum And Federico Karstulovich

Screenshots from the Severin Films Blu-ray: 

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