Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that can help answer the question.
Query: What was the first film by Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil?
In 1968, Jean directed his first feature Le Viol du Vampire (The Rape of the Vampire). At the time he was still not known in the world of cinema, having only done a few short films and documentaries. The film was shot on a low budget, and consisted of two parts because it was originally intended to be another short film; the second part was later added so that it was released as a feature film.[3] The release of Le Viol caused public scandal and outrage, his strong inspiration of American serials did not attract viewers. It was released during the events of May 1968, and due to the riots, it was a rare theatrical production at the time. Rollin himself was also threatened due to this scandal,[4] because of this, he briefly decided to give up making films.
"Le viol du vampire" was released on Blu-ray in the US via Redemption on 29 May 2012. The Blu-ray, as well as a DVD reissue, contained the film presented uncensored in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio from a newly remastered negative in HD. Special features included an introduction from Rollin; two short films from Rollin ("Les amours jaunes" and "Le pays loin"); an alternate version of one scene; "Fragments of Pavements Under the Sand", documentary by Daniel Gouyette featuring interviews with Rollin, Jean-Denis Bonan and Jean-Pierre Bouyxou; additional interviews with Rollin and Jean-Loup Philippe; original theatrical trailers; and a 16-page booklet with an essay by "Video Watchdog" editor Tim Lucas.
In 1980, Rollin directed the Spanish zombie horror feature, Le lac des morts vivants (commonly known as Zombie Lake) under the pseudonym J.A. Lazer. Jésus Franco was intended to direct the film, and with an unfortunate turn of events he became unavailable. At this point, Rollin was planning to take a vacation, and on the morning he was expecting to leave, he received a phone call from the production company Eurociné asking if he would be interested directing the horror film which was due to start filming the next morning, as Franco could not be located. Rollin agreed, and arrived on set the following morning. The company could not attach Rollin's name to the project due to issues with the contact, as a Spanish name had to be credited for the film and J.A. Lazer was chosen. Le lac des morts vivants was released in 1981 and Rollin admitted that he never really cared for the film. It contains most of the elements which one would expect from a Franco film, and includes Franco's frequent collaborators such as actors Howard Vernon, Nadine Pascal, Antonio Mayans and Alain Petit, and composer Daniel White. Photography for the film was courtesey of Max Monteillet, who Rollin would later work with in several projects. Rollin himself made a cameo appearance in the film.[15]
Les deux orphelines vampires (The Two Orphan Vampires) is a 1997 French fantasy horror/drama film directed by Jean Rollin. The film was an adaptation of Rollin's novel of the same name. Rollin was primarily known for his vampire-themed works, but "Les deux orphelines vampires" was actually Rollin's first vampire film since 1979's "Fascination".
Philippe began his acting career in 1956, appearing uncredited in the film "En effeuillant la marguerite", with Daniel Gélin and Brigitte Bardot. He had a larger role in his next film, "Escapade", with Louis Jourdan. Following his 1957 film, "Une manche et la belle", his acting career became somewhat erratic, with film appearances occurring every few years. After a long break, Philippe returned with the film, "L'itinéraire marin" in a small role, and his first time working with French director Jean Rollin. He starred in the 1963 film "Les bonnes causes", with award-winning actors Marina Vlady, Bourvil, and Virna Lisi. His final film of the sixties was the comedy "Les gros bras". Following another long break, Philippe starred in Jean Rollin's "Lèvres de sang", his first leading role, and a film he is best known for, for which he also served as dialogue writer. His final three films were also direct by Rollin, "Les paumées du petit matin", "Killing Car" and "La nuit des horloges". Philippe's other credits include the adult feature, "Le sexe qui parle" and "Un jour un tueur", with the award-winning actress Mylène Demongeot.
His second feature La Vampire Nue (The Nude Vampire) was his first film in colour. It was mostly inspired by the 1916 film Judex, and also surrealism in general. Rollin wanted to do something a little more temperate than Le Viol, a traditional mystery film. Anyway, as he himself stated, it came to be the same kind of film as his first feature, it also has the same spirit. La vampire nue also became notable in that it introduced Catherine and Marie-Pierre Castel, twin sisters who frequently collaborated with Rollin during the early years of his career.
Rollin continued his career into the 1990s, following what was intended to be a brief return in 1994 when he directed and wrote a final pornographic film. He remained true to form for what were to be his final years of film making, and his next feature went into production in 1995; Les deux orphelines vampires (The Two Orphan Vampires) saw the return of his most recognizable work, and his first vampire film since 1975's Levres de sang. With the then recent increase in popularity of Rollin's works, and with the resurgence with the vampire genre in general, most notable with Bram Stoker's Dracula, this prompted Rollin to create a new vampire feature, quite different from Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 blockbuster, as he stated that it was "not a good film at all", and that "it just doesn't work for one second".[28] The idea of the film was based upon Rollin's novel of the same name and went into production in June 1995 for a mere ₣3,000,000, which is actually more than his prior works received. Locations for the shoot included four days in New York at the beginning, with the remaining three weeks in Paris. Cinematography was provided by Norbert Marfaing-Sintes, who previously worked with Italian director Duccio Tessari, as Max Monteillet was not available. Nathalie Perrey introduced Rollin to Marfaing-Sintes, as she had experience working with Marfaing-Sintes in many films; to show his gratitude, Rollin offered Perrey a role in Les deux orphelines vampires. The leading roles were offered to two inexperienced actresses, Alexandra Pic and Isabelle Teboul, whom Rollin choose while answering a newspaper ad they had printed. Brigitte Lahaie received a minor role in the film.[28] Following an extensive period in post-production, the film was eventually released on 9 July 1997.
Saga de Xam (1967), illustrated by Nicholas Devil.[34] Le temps d'un visage (1990), Jean Rollin. Éd. Saint-Germain de Prés.[35] Les deux orphelines vampires / Two Orphan Vampires Series, by Jean Rollin. Les deux orphelines vampires (1993)[36] Anissa Les Voyageuses Les Pillardes Les Incendiaires Rien n'estvrai, by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[37] Ombres vives (1996), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Saint-Germain-des-Prés.[38] Les dialogues sans fin: précédés de quelques souvenirs sur George Bataille, Maurice Blanchot et Michel Fardoulis-Lagrange (1998), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Mirandole.[39] Cauchemar d'anniversaire (1998), by Jean Rollin. R. de Surtis.[40] Monseigneur Rat roman (1998), by Jean Rollin. Belle lettres.[41] La cabriole a disparu (1998), by Jean Rollin. Illustrated by Michel Solliec. Liv'éditions.[42] Enfer privé (1998), by Jean Rollin. Belles lettres.[43] La statue de chair (1998), by Jean Rollin. Belles lettres.[44] La promeneuse romans (1999), by Jean Rollin. Belles lettres.[45] Vies et aventures de Jean-Pierre Bouyxou (2001), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[46] Tuatha (2001), by Jean Rollin. Belles lettres.[47] Gargouillis glauques (2001), by Jean Rollin. R. de surtis.[48] La petite fille au cerceau (2001), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[49] Estelle et Edwige, les demoiselles de l'étrange (2003), by Jean Rollin.[50] Jean-Pierre Bouyxou contre la femme au masque rouge (2004), by Jean Rollin.[51] Les voleuses de foudre (2004), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[52] Alice et Aladin détectives de l'impossible, by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[53] Déraison (2005), by Jean Rollin. Éd. Films ABC.[54] Bestialité (2005), by Jean Eollin.[55] La petite Ogresse (2007), by Jean Rollin.[56] MoteurCoupez!: mémoires d'un cinéaste singulier (2008), by Jean Rollin.[57] Bille de clown (2009), by Jean Rollin.[58] Jean Rollin: Écrits complets Volume 1 (2010), by Jean Rollin.[59] Jean Rollin: Écrits complets Volume 2 (2011), by Jean Rollin. E/dite.[60]
Rollin received minor work following Les trottoirs de Bangkok; in 1985, he resumed his pseudonym work as Michel Gentil in a non-pornographic feature, the slapstick comedy, Ne prends pas les poulets pour des pigeons which reunited Brigitte Borghese and Gérard Landry from his previous film, and included French actor and comedian Popeck. Rollin was hired for the work and therefore his real name was not attached to the project. In 1988, he received the uncredited directorial role in the erotic sequel Emmanuelle 6, in which he also served as screenplay writer. The film suffered many flaws during production under direction from Bruno Zincone and Rollin became involved in an attempt to salvage what he could and see that production was completed for the financiers.[24]
The film is often referred to as being seminal to George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead. However, it has more in common with Jorge Grau's 1974 Spanish-Italian horror film Let Sleeping Corpse's Lie (also known as The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue). The film does not follow the tradition zombie method, instead, Rollin's zombies centre on madness with a strong environmentally conscious message. As he has mentioned, the zombies "have retained their consciousness" and they finally "suffer for what they are".[10] With the film as a notable success, Rollin would continue with pornographic films under a new pseudonym, Robert Xavier, while retaining the Michel Gentil credit.
His career, spanning over fifty years, featured early short films and his achievements with his first four vampire classics Le viol du vampire (1968), La vampire nue (1970), Le frisson des vampires (1970), and Requiem pour un vampire (1971). Rollin's subsequent notable works include La rose de fer (1973), Lèvres de sang (1975), Les raisins de la mort (1978), Fascination (1979), and La morte vivante (1982).[1]
In 2011, Philippe appeared in the Jean Rollin documentary "Jean Rollin, le rêveur égaré".
Between 1976 and 1977, his work consisted strictly of hardcore pornographic films as there was a lack of money and producers reluctant to fund any new mainstream projects due to his previous commercial failures. Seven porn films were produced within this period under his pseudonym Michel Gentil, and one of which, Suce moi vampire (Suck Me Vampire: the hardcore version of Lèvres de sang), he credited himself as Michel Gand. His 1976 hardcore film Douces pénétraitions marked the final time the Castel Twins would appear together working for Rollin, and the final time Marie-Pierre would work with him altogether. Catherine would continue to appear in his films for several years.
In 1979, Maï made her film debut when she received the leading role in Jean Rollin's classic vampire tale "Fascination", which is considered to be one of the best films in all of Rollin's canon. In "Fascination", Maï portrayed the role of 'Elisabeth', a mysterious chambermaid who resides in a deserted château which her lesbian lover (Brigitte Lahaie), when they are encountered by a charming jewel thief (Jean-Marie Lemaire) who takes refuge in the château. What followed was three further feature films, in which she received minor roles; "Zig Zag Story", a 1983 comedy written and directed by Patrick Schulmann, Ody Roos' "Point mort" and finally in 1987, "Le moustachu", which was written and directed by Dominique Chaussois. Maï appeared in two television films; "Quatre femmes, quatre vies: Des chandails pour l'hiver" in 1981 and "Les idiots" in 1987. She had a guest role in the ORTF and Antenne 2 crime drama series "Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret". In 1988, her final appearance as an actress came when she was cast in the short film "Berceaumniaque", which was written and directed by Maï's then life companion Yoram Mevorach Oyoram.
Les Misérables is a 1958 French-East German-Italian film adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel released in France on 12 March 1958. Written by Michel Audiard and René Barjavel, the film was directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois. It stars Jean Gabin as Jean Valjean.
Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil (3 November 1938–15 December 2010) was a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his work in the fantastique genre.
Despite his intentions to retire from directing following Perdues dans New York, his final film of the 1980s, Killing Car (working title Femme dangereuse) was produced in 1989. It is a revenge thriller and one of his most underrated and overlooked works. Initially intended to be a softcore production under the Michel Gentil pseudonym, Rollin attached his own name to the project and made it one of his most personal and self-referential of all his works. The film was shot on 16mm and in less than a week on a minimal budget of under $100,000. Australian model Tiki Tsang, originally of Brisbane, Queensland, had been residing in Paris, France for sometime when she was discovered by Rollin and offered her the role of "The Car Woman", a strange woman who steals an old Buick and proceeds to kill a number of people to seek revenge for a past tragedy. The part of "The Car Woman" was written especially for Tsang in what is the only film credit to her name. Killing Car gives nod to previous Rollin works including Tsang emerging from a grandfather clock (as did Dominique in an iconic scene from Les frisson des vampires). Max Monteillet returned as cinematographer and Philippe Brejean provided the score. Cast includes recurring collaborators Jean-Pierre Bouyxou and Jean-Loup Philippe. Following the production, Rollin was hospitalized due to exhaustion and started editing the film after his recovery. The editing process lasted two years.[26] Several problems would arise during post-production, as the film found it difficult to receive distribution, like Perdues dans New York, if it could not receive a theatrical distribution, Rollin would settle for a video or television release. The film was eventually released in 1993. It was announced that no usable print or negative of the film exists today, and all known film negatives are considered lost.
Michel Roth appeared as the first role in the television documentary "Le Festin de Noël", broadcast on France 3 on December 8, 2010.
Jean Rollin (born Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentil; 3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and novelist. He worked on his mainstream films under his own name and on pornographic and several other films under the pseudonyms Michel Gentil or J.A. Laser. He has additionally served as an editor, assistant director, executive producer, production and film supervisor on several other projects throughout his career.
Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984 (1994) by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs – Dedicates a chapter to Rollin Video Watchdog, Edition 31; Peter Blumenstock interviews Rollin (1995) Virgins & Vampires: Jean Rollin, Contains essays by Jean Rollin, edited by Peter Blumenstock; Includes CD soundtrack from Les Deux orphelines vampires – Limited edition of 300 copies, autographed by Jean Rollin (Crippled Publishing, 1997, ISBN3-9805820-0-0) Jean Rollin: cinéaste écrivain (2002) by Pascal Françaix (ABC Films Editions, ISBN978-2-915160-05-5)
The film includes pornographic actress Brigitte Lahaie, in her first mainstream role, as Rollin was the first French director to recognise her acting capabilities and offer her much more prominent roles in his subsequent films. Rollin stated that Les raisins de la mort was his "first traditional, almost conventional, production" which was because the film acquired solid finances with made a change and with special effects supplied by Italian experts. Claude Becognee served as director of photography which added to the film's success. Rollin would credit much of the film's success to Marie-Georges Pascal's portrayal of Elisabeth, whom he would recall delivered a very "moving" performance in the film. Les raisins de la mort was shot in the deserted mountain region of Les Cévennes.
Rollin's final adult production came in 1994 when he made a brief return to direct (uncredited) and wrote the scenario for Le Parfume de Mathilde (The Scent of Mathilde). Rollin was initially required as a screenwriter for the production due to the fact that he was to replace producer Marc Dorcel's in-house auteur Michele Ricaud, who has just recently passed away. However, Rollin became co-director of the made-for-video film. Following his final time working on a sex film, Rollin later returned to his traditional works when he would go on to resume what he was best known for.[27]
Rollin directed the adult sex films Jeunes filles impudiques (Schoolgirl Hitchhikers), Le sourire vertical (The Vertical Smile), and Tout le monde il en a deux (Bacchanales sexuelles or Fly Me the French Way) under the pseudonym Michel Gentil as he was financially unable to come up with a budget for another mainstream feature film. However, in 1974 Rollin directed the horror adventure and self-proclaimed "Expressionist" film Les démoniaques which was inspired by the adventure classics he had enormous admiration for in his youth. The film includes Joëlle Cœur and Willy Braque whom Rollin worked with on Jeunes filles impudiques. The story follows two young women who have been involved in a shipwreck and are brutally raped and murdered by a group of rogue pirates, only to be resurrected after making love to the devil so that they can seek their revenge. Rollin had many disputes with the producers of the film during production of the project as they insisted on a low budget. He was hospitalized for two weeks following the work due to mental and physical exhaustion. Further problems would arise including the working title, Les diablesses, having to be changed as the copyright was not free of charge and with the Castel Twins being unavailable for the roles of the avenging ghosts, the parts where offered to inexperienced actresses Lieva Lone and Patricia Hermenier.[8]
Due to the commercial failures of both La rose de fer and Lèvres de sang, Rollin again had no choice but to direct another adult sex film for financial reasons as there was no possible way to produce a feature film for the foreseeable future. Phantasmes (Once Upon a Virgin) was written and directed by Rollin for release in 1975 and was the first and only pornographic film in which he was credited under his own name because he liked what he did in the film. Rollin mentioned that the film is his "first and final attempt at a serious" adult film, wanting to create a film that didn't just "poke fun at sex". The score for Phantasmes is considered one of the films best attributes, courtesy of composer Didier William Lepauw of Lèvres de sang.[9]
Le masque de la Méduse () is a 2009 fantasy horror film directed by Jean Rollin. The film is a modern-day telling of the Greek mythological tale of the Gorgon and was inspired by the 1964 classic Hammer Horror film of the same name and the 1981 cult classic "Clash of the Titans". It was Rollin's final film, as the director died in 2010.It was thought that Rollin's 2007 film "La nuit des horloges" was the final film of his career, as he had mentioned in the past. However, in 2009, Rollin began preparation foe "Le masque de la Méduse". Rollin originally directed the film as a one-hour short, which was screened at the Cinémathèque de Toulouse, but after the release, Rollin decided to add 20 minutes of additional scenes and then cut the film into two distinct parts, as he did with his first feature, "Le Viol du Vampire". The film was shot on location at the Golden Gate Aquarium and Père Lachaise Cemetery, as well as on stage at the Theatre du Grande Guignol, which is where the longest part of the film takes place. It was shot on HD video on a low budget of €150,000. Before the release, it was transferred to 35mm film.