Jean Michel Rollin Roth Le Gentilwas a French film director, actor, and novelist best known for his films in the
fantastique genre such as the
vampire film Le Viol du Vampire (1968) and the first
French gore film Les Raisins de la Mort (1978) died after a long illnes he was , 72,.
[1]
(3 November 1938 – 15 December 2010) |
Early life
Jean Rollin was born in
Neuilly-sur-Seine (now
Hauts-de-Seine),
France to Claude Rollin, an actor and theatre director, who went by the stage name "Claude Martin", and Denise Rollin-Le Gentil, an artistically inclined family.
[2]
Career
Early career and short films
He had a passion for cinema from an early age. He saw his first film during the second World War, it was
Capitaine Fracasse, a 1942 film directed by
Abel Gance. Jean decided he want to make film when he grew up, and with his father being a theare actor, he was a heavy influence on him. During his teens, he developed an obsession for
American serials and read comic books. These serial were an obvious infuence on him as a teenager. When he was 16, he found a job at
Le Films des Saturne, he was there to help write invoices, and earned himself some money, and of course wanted to be involved in cinema. They specialized in creating opening and closing credits and short cartoons, but real films were also shot, and industrial shorts and documentaries were also made. Jean was part of the crew in a short documentary about
Snecma, a big factory in France which built motors and planes. He arranged the travelling shots, laid the tracks, checked the electricity, and helped the cameraman. When Jean did his military service for the
French army, he worked as an editor in the cinema department alongside Claude Lelouch. They worked on army commercials, Lelouch directed, and Jean did the montage, and also did two films,
Mechanographie, a documentary, and
La Guerre de Silence (
The War of Silence), a real film with actors and a story. In 1958, he directed his first short film
Les Amours Jaunes (
The Yellow Lovers), which he directed after he left the army. He shot it on a
35mm Maurigraphe camera, and used a beach in
Dieppe as his location, the same beach that was used in his later films. In 1960, Jean decided to direct his first feature film, but later abandoned the project as he had no money to finish it. His next short,
Ciel de Cuivre (
Sky of Copper), was directed in 1961, and was quite surreal, it told a sentimental story. He did not finish the film because he ran out of money and as it was not very good. The footage is now lost. In 1962, he was as an assistant director on the film
Un Cheval pour Deux (
A Horse for Two), which was not a great experience for him, and decided to approach cinema in a different way. In the early sixties, Jean became interested in politics, and made a short documentary in 1964 called
Vivre en Espagne (
Life in Spain), it was about Generalissimo Francisco Franco, thirty minutes were filmed and it wasn't very good, but risked a lot to get it made. Jean and the crew found themselves haunted by the police and just managed to make it back into France. Jean also directed a short film in 1965 called
Le Pays Loin.
Le Viol du Vampire and beyond
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 supposed 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. Jean himself was also threatened due to this scandal,
[4] because of this, Jean briefly decided to give up making films. 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. Jean wanted to do something a little more temperate than
Le Viol, a traditional mystery film. It is exactly the same kind of film as his first feature, it also has the same spirit.
Le Frisson des Vampires (
The Shiver of the Vampires) was heavily influenced by the trappings of the hippie movement. The film was his most successful and commercial film to date, it was made on a shoe-string budget and was a dreamlike fantasy film,
[5] a theme his films are known for. In 1971, Jean directed
Requiem pour un Vampire (
Requiem for a Vampire), which became one of his most successful films, and it was another low budget production, which almost took no money to make. There was no dialogue in the first 40 minutes of the films, this was to simlify the story, direction and cinematography.
Writing
Death
Rollin died in December 2010 after a long illness.
[6]
Filmography
Director/crew |
Year | Title | Crew | Notes |
1958 | Les amours jaunes | Director | short film, other title: The Yellow Lovers |
1961 | Ciel de cuivre | Director | short film, other title: Sky of Copper |
1962 | Un Cheval pour Deux | Assistant director | Other title: A Horse for Two |
1963 | L'itinéraire marin | Director, writer | Project abandoned |
1964 | Vivre en Espagne | Director | short documentary |
1965 | Le pays loin | Director, writer |
|
1966 | Tristesse des anthropophages | Producer | short film |
1967 | Faire quelque chose | Producer | short film |
1968 | Le Viol du Vampire | Director, writer, producer | Other title: The Rape of the Vampire |
1969 | La Vampire Nue | Director, writer | Other title: The Nude Vampire |
1970 | Le Frisson des Vampires | Director, writer, producer | Other title: The Shiver of the Vampires |
1971 | Requiem pour un Vampire | Director, writer | Other title: Requiem for a Vampire |
1972 | La Rose de Fer | Director, writer | Other title: The Iron Rose |
1973 | Jeunes filles impudiques | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
Christina, princesse de l'érotisme | Director (dream sequence) | Other title: A Virgin Among the Living Dead |
1974 | Les Demoniaques | Director, writer | Other title: The Demoniacs |
Tout le monde il en a deux | Director, writer, producer | credited as Michel Gentil |
1975 | Lévres de Sang | Director, writer | Other title: Lips of Blood |
Phantasmes | Director, writer | Other title: Once Upon a Virgin |
1976 | Douches pénétrations | Director, writer | credited as Michel Gentil |
La comtesse Ixe | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
Amours collectives | Writer |
|
Apothéose porno | supervisor | uncredited |
1977 | Saute-moi dessus | Director, writer, cinematographer, editor | credited as Michel Gentil |
Hard Penetration | Director, writer | credited as Michel Gentil |
Vibrations sexuelles | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
|
1978 | Remplissez-moi...les 3 trous | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
Petites pensionnaires impudiques | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
Lèvres entrouvertes | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
Hyperpénétrations | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
Les Raisins de la Mort | Director, Writer | other title: The Grapes of Death |
Discosex | Director, writer | credited as Robert Xavier, uncredited as writer |
1979 | The Cannibals | Writer | uncredited |
Fascination | Director, writer |
|
Gamines en chaleur | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
Bouches lascives et pornos | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
Pénétrations vicieuses | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
Jeux d'adultes pour gamines expertes | Producer |
|
1980 | La Nuit des Traquées | Director, writer | other title: The Night of the Hunted |
Minouche, fillette insatiable | Producer | other title: Unlimited Girls |
1981 | Les paumées du petit matin | Director, writer | other title: The Escapees |
Le Lac des Morts Vivants | Director | credited as J.A. Laser |
1982 | Rêves de sexes | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
La Morte Vivante | Director, writer | other title: The Living Dead Girl |
1983 | Sodomaine | Director, writer | credited as Robert Xavier |
Folies anales | Director | credited as Robert Xavier |
1984 | Les Trottoirs de Bangkok | Director | other title: The Sidewalks of Bangkok |
1985 | Ne prends pas les poulets pour des pigeons | Director | credited as Michel Gentil |
1988 | Emmanuelle 6 | Director, writer | uncredited |
1989 | Perdues dans New York | Director, writer | television film, other title: Lost in New York |
Killing Car | Director | later released in 1993, original title: Femme Dangereuse |
1990 | La griffe d'Horus | Director, writer | television film |
1991 | À la poursuite de Barbara | Director | uncredited |
Et le temps s'en va... | Exclusive producer | short film |
1994 | Le parfume de Mathilde | Director, writer | uncredited as director |
1997 | Les deux orphelines vampires | Director, writer | other titles: The Two Orphan Vampires |
2002 | La fiancée de Dracula | Director, writer | other title: Dracula'a Fiancee |
2007 | La nuit des horloges | Director, writer |
|
2010 | Le Masque de la Méduse | Director, writer |
Actor |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
1956 | Crime et Châtiment | Le prêtre chantant | uncredited |
1966 | Tristesse des anthropophages | Un client du restaurant scatophage | uncredited |
1968 | La femme-bourreau | Un flic | uncredited |
Le Viol du Vampire | Villager | uncredited, other title: The Rape of the Vampire |
1973 | La Rose de Fer | Man in Cemetery | uncredited, other title: The Iron Rose |
Le sourire vertical |
| other title: The Vertical Smile |
1975 | Phantasmes |
| other title: Once Upon a Virgin |
Lévres de Sang | Le gardien du cimetière | uncredited, other title: Lips of Blood |
1976 | Douches pénétrations | Le chef cuisinier |
|
Amours collectives | Mike Gentle the Vampire | scene deleted |
1978 | Remplissez-moi... les 3 trous |
|
|
Lèvres gloutonnes |
|
|
Hyperpénetrations |
|
|
Les Raisins de la Mort | Worker at Vinyard | other title: The Grapes of Death |
Discosex | Sound Engineer |
|
1979 | Entrez vite... vite, je mouille! |
| credited as Michel Gentil |
1980 | Clinique pour soins très spéciaux |
|
|
1981 | Le Lac des Morts Vivants | Stiltz | other title: Zombie Lake |
1982 | La Morte Vivante | Salesman | uncredited |
1984 | Les Trottoirs de Bangkok | Un Tueur | uncredited |
1985 | Sanguine | L'éditeur |
|
1989 | Killing Car | Bandaged man in car | later released in 1993
credited as Michel Gentil, original title: Femme Dangereuse |
1991 | À la poursuite de Barbara |
|
|
1992 | Trepanator | Dr. Roll | direct-to-video |
1993 | Dinosaur from the Deep | Professeur Nolan | direct-to-video |
1997 | Marquis de Slime | Homme du gouvernement | short film |
2007 | Life Like | The director | short film |
2010 | Le masque de la Méduse | L'homme qui enterre la tête |
|
Works
Further reading
- 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, ISBN 3-9805820-0-0)
- Video Watchdog, Edition 31; Peter Blumenstock interviews Rollin (1995)
- Immoral Tales: European Sex & Horror Movies 1956-1984 (1994) by Cathal Tohill and Pete Tombs – Dedicates a chapter to Rollin
- Jean Rollin: cinéaste écrivain (2002) by Pascal Françaix (ABC Films Editions, ISBN 978-2915160055)
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