I was in the mood for vampires last night so I watched an episode of Angel, "That Old Gang of Mine". I wasn't satisfied so I also watched Carl Dreyer's 1932 film Vampyr again.
I guess "That Old Gang of Mine" isn't much about vampires, really. According to the Wikipedia article, writer Tim Minear considers it his weakest script. I would say it's an instance of a Buffy show leaning on one of the more weakly established pillars of its worldbuilding. The drama is about Gunn's new conflict with his old gang who are indiscriminately killing demons, whether they're the kind who eat babies or who generally just chill out in the sewer drinking Big Gulps. I always hate it when some fictional species are made just basically human so they can be used as a metaphor for bigotry or civil rights. Disney is currently making the same mistake with droids in the Star Wars franchise. It's the kind of thing that makes you think these people don't understand why demons and droids are so cool.
Anyway, Vampyr's always a dreamy delight. You have to ease yourself into a Carl Dreyer film, let the atmosphere, created largely by pacing, soak into your bloodstream. I love how the protagonists of Vampyr almost seem like living dolls. Rena Mandel as Gisele calling out her sister's name, standing in a stiff dress, wide-eyed with a plaintive voice, is almost like a lamb alone on a hill bleating for its mother.
Sybille Schmitz, as her sister, Leone, tends to be the one in the posters. It's unsurprising given how effectively maniacal she looks.
Vampyr is available on The Criterion Channel and Angel is available on Disney+ or Hulu, depending on your country.
No comments:
Post a Comment