The Fearless Vampire Killers
 | This article's lead section may not adequately summarize key points of its contents. (July 2010) |
| The Fearless Vampire Killers | |
|---|---|
 Film poster by Frank Frazetta | |
| Directed by | Roman Polanski |
| Produced by | Gene Gutowski |
| Written by | Roman Polanski Gérard Brach |
| Starring | Jack MacGowran, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, Ferdy Mayne |
| Music by | Krzysztof Komeda |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Editing by | Alastair McIntyre |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | February, 1967 (UK) November 13, 1967 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 108 min (director's cut) |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck (shortened to The Fearless Vampire Killers; originally titled Dance of the Vampires) is a 1967 comedy horror film directed by Roman Polanski, written by Gérard Brach and Polanski, produced by Gene Gutowski and co-starring Polanski with future wife Sharon Tate. It has been produced as a musical named Dance of the Vampires.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film is set in the heart of Transylvania and the story appears to take place sometime during the mid-19th Century. Professor Abronsius, formerly of the University of Königsberg, and his apprentice Alfred are on the hunt for vampires. Abronsius is old and withering and barely able to survive the cold ride through the wintry forests, while Alfred is bumbling and introverted. The two hunters come to a small Eastern European town seemingly at the end of a long search for signs of vampires. The two stay at a local inn, full of angst-ridden townspeople who perform strange rituals to fend off an unseen evil.
Whilst staying at the inn, Alfred develops a fondness for Sarah, the daughter of the tavern keeper Yoine Shagal. After witnessing Sarah being kidnapped by the local vampire lord, Count von Krolock. Upon being told by the pair of ther daughter's kidnapping Shagal attempts to rescue her, but doesn't get very far before he's captured, drained of his blood and vampirized. Abronsius and Alfred follow soon after from the snow trail, leading them to Krolock's ominous castle in the snow-blanketed hills nearby. They break into the castle, but are trapped by the Count's hunchback servant, Koukol. Upon being taken to see the count, he affects an air of aristocratic dignity whilst he cleverly questions Abronsius about why he has come to the castle. They also encounter the Count's son, the foppish (and homosexual) Herbert. Meanwhile, Shagal, no longer caring about his daughter's fate, sets on his plan to turn Magda, the tavern's beautiful maidservant and the object of his lust while he was still human, into his vampire bride.
Despite misgivings, Abronsius and Alfred accept the Count's invitation to stay in his ramshackle Gothic castle, where Alfred spends the night fitfully. The next morning, Abronsius plans to find the castle crypt and kill the Count, seemingly forgetting about the fate of Sarah. The crypt is guarded by the hunchback, so after some wandering they climb in through a roof window. However, Abronsius gets stuck in the window; and it is up to Alfred to kill the Count, which he feels unable to do. He has to go back outside to free Abronsius, but on the way he comes upon Sarah having a bath in her room. She seems oblivious to her danger when he pleads for her to come away with him, and reveals that a ball is to take place this very night. After briefly taking his eyes of her, Alfred turns to find Sarah vanished into thin air.
After freeing Abronsius, who is half frozen, they re-enter the castle. Alfred again seeks Sarah but meets Herbert instead, who first attempts to seduce him and then, after Alfred realizes that Herbert's reflection does not show in the mirror, reveals his vampire nature and attempts to bite him. Abronsius and Alfred flee from Herbert through a dark stairway to safety, only to be trapped behind a locked door on a turret. As night is falling, they become horrified witnesses as the gravestones below open up to reveal a huge number of vampires at the castle, who hibernate and meet once a year only to feast upon any captives the Count has provided for them. The Count appears, mocking them and tells them their fate is sealed. He leaves them to attend a dance, where Sarah will be presented as the next vampire victim.
However, the hunters escape by firing a cannon at the door by substituting steam pressure for gunpowder, and come to the dance in disguise, where they grab Sarah and flee. Escaping by horse carriage, they are now unaware that it is too late for Sarah, who awakens in mid-flight as a vampire and bites Alfred, thus allowing vampires to be released into the world.
[edit] Cast
- Jack MacGowran as Professor Abronsius
- Roman Polanski as Alfred, Abronsius's assistant
- Sharon Tate as Sarah Shagal
- Ferdy Mayne as Count von Krolock
- Iain Quarrier as Herbert von Krolock
- Alfie Bass as Yoine Shagal, the innkeeper
- Terry Downes as Koukol, Krolock's servant
- Jessie Robins as Rebecca Shagal
- Fiona Lewis as Magda, Shagal's maid
[edit] Production
Coming straight on the heels of Polanski's international success with Repulsion, the film was mounted on a lavish scale - color cinematography, huge sets in England, location filming in the Alps, elaborate costumes and choreography suitable for a period epic. Previously accustomed only to extremely low budgets, Polanski chose some of the finest English cinema craft artists to work on the film: cameraman Douglas Slocombe, production designer Wilfrid Shingleton. Polanski engaged noted choreographer Tutte Lemkow, who played the titular musician in Fiddler on the Roof, for the film's climactic danse macabre minuet.
During filming the director decided to switch formats to anamorphic while filming on location. Flat scenes already filmed were optically converted to match.
In his autobiography, Roman Polanski discusses some of the difficulties in filming The Fearless Vampire Killers: "Our first month's outdoor filming became a series of ingenious improvisations, mainly because the last-minute switch from one location (Austria) to another (Urtijëi, an Italian ski resort in the Dolomites) had left us so little time to revise our shooting schedules. The fact that we were filming in Italy entailed the employment of a certain number of Italian technicians, and that, in turn, bred some international friction. Gene Gutowski (the film's European producer) rightly suspected that the Italians were robbing us blind."[1]
Despite numerous production headaches, Polanski is said to have enjoyed making the film. His cinematographer, Douglas Slocombe, was quoted by Ivan Butler in his book, The Cinema of Roman Polanski, as saying, "I think he (Roman) put more of himself into Dance of the Vampires than into another film. It brought to light the fairy-tale interest that he has. One was conscious all along when making the picture of a Central European background to the story. Very few of the crew could see anything in it - they thought it old-fashioned nonsense. But I could see this background....I have a French background myself, and could sense the Central European atmosphere that surrounds it. The figure of Alfred is very much like Roman himself - a slight figure, young and a little defenseless - a touch of Kafka. It is very much a personal statement of his own humour. He used to chuckle all the way through."[1]
When the film was first released in the United States, MGM wanted to market it as a farce, and gave it the title The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck.[2] The director was less than pleased. Over the years it has been reported in most sources that studio head Martin Ransohoff cut Dance of the Vampires for the American release.[2][3] In fact, MGM Supervising Editor Margaret Booth and Head of Theatrical Post Production, Merle Chamberlain, made the cuts and remixed the film in an attempt to make it 'kooky and cartoony.'[4]
Though it was critically panned on its initial release, The Fearless Vampire Killers has garnered latter-day praise[by whom?] for its vivid atmosphere and audacious balance of broad comedy with Hammer Films-style horror.
This film was the source material for the wildly popular European stage musical Tanz der Vampire. It is peppered with numerous references to King Richard III of England, who even appears in the ball scene.
Director of Photography Douglas Slocombe would work with actor Ronald Lacey, who plays one of the villagers, again in the epic blockbuster film Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.
[edit] Style and themes
The Fearless Vampire Killers was Polanski's first feature to be photographed in color and using a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film's striking visual style, with its snow-covered, fairy-tale landscapes, recalls the work of Russian fantasy filmmakers Aleksandr Ptushko and Alexander Rowe.[original research?] Similarly, the richly textured, moonlit-winter-blue color schemes of the village and the snowy valleys evoke the magical, kaleidoscopic paintings of the great Russian-Jewish artist Marc Chagall, after whom the innkeeper in the film is named.
The film is also notable in that it features Polanski's love of winter sports, particularly skiing. In this respect, The Fearless Vampire Killers recalls Polanski's earlier short film, Ssaki.
[edit] Animated Opening Sequence
The sequence clearly begins on a sunny day. A bird was minding own business when the sun behind him sinks and the crescent moon rise in it's place, starting night. The bird becomes alarmed an speeds way. a zoom out reveals the setting of a graveyard. Professor Abronsius and Alfred bump into each other. They shook hands and a green vampire pop out from a grave behind and, with each successful scare, laugh as the camera zooms in on him. A bag falls from the sky. Abronsius reach in and take out a box containing garlic. He takes it out and, along with Alfred, ate it. They sneak up to the vampire (who had no idea where they are), taps his shoulder and breathes garlic breath on him causing him to shrink and run off. The bag drops to them again and Alfred take out a gold crucifix and give it to Abronsius. They sneak up on the now plugged-nose vampire, shows him the crucifix, and he again shrink and run off. He hide behind the tree and tries to scare them, but the sun replaces the moon, signaling the vampire to run, and Abronsius and Alfred chase him to a coffin. The bag appears for the final time and Abronsius takes a mallet and a wooden stake. He (with the Alfred's help) kills the vampire, then place the lid on the coffin. In the pitch-black backdrop Professor Abronsius and Alfred congratulate each other until the MGM logo appears, startling them. The lion in the logo roars, and it's fangs grew longer. Frightened Abronsius and Alfred ran away.
[edit] Soundtrack
The score was provided by Krzysztof Komeda, who also scored Rosemary's Baby.
[edit] In popular culture
 | This section does not cite any references or sources. (July 2012) |
- A parody of the Dance of the Vampires ballroom scene is featured in the German comedy film Die Einsteiger starring Thomas Gottschalk and Mike Krüger, and perhaps more notably in the 2004 film Van Helsing starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale.
- The Skinny Puppy song "Rivers" features numerous dialogue clips from the movie.
- The 2006 Swedish vampire film Frostbite was inspired by "Fearless Vampire Killers" in its comical approach to the vampire mythos as well as its dark and unexpected ending.
- In 2008, London alternative rock band Fearless Vampire Killers named themselves after the film.
- Doom metal band Pagan Altar recorded a song entitled Dance of the Vampires in 2011, using footage from the 1967 movie in an accompanying promotional video clip.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Hallenbeck 2009: 83
- ^ a b Hallenbeck 2009: 84.
- ^ Polanski himself also seems to report this version of events in an interview surrounding the creation of the musical of the same name.
- ^ DVD Savant; "MGM's head negative cutter from the time gave Savant the straight story on the whole debacle..."
[edit] References
- Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-3332-2.
[edit] External links
- The Fearless Vampire Killers at the Internet Movie Database
- The Fearless Vampire Killers at AllRovi
- The Fearless Vampire Killers at the TCM Movie Database
- Review of The Fearless Vampire Killers
- "The Fearless Vampire Killers: A Tale of Two Versions" DVD Savant
- "The Fearless Vampire Killers Retrospective by Scott Hutchins" Film Scope
- Review of Dance Of The Vampires
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