Arrow Academy: Spirits of the Dead (Histoires extraordinaires)
BluRay - £14.99 Cat No: FCD436
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, Jane Fonda, Terence Stamp Directed by: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle, Roger Vadim Rating: 18 Duration: 121 mins
Overview: Federico Fellini, Louis Malle and Roger Vadim adapt works by macabre author Edgar Allan Poe in the anthology film Spirits of the Dead [Histoires extraordinaires]. Dealing with tormented characters experiencing a personal hell, filled with angst and delirium, Spirits of the Dead was a ground-breaking departure for the adaption of Poe in cinema.
Vadim directs Jane Fonda as Countess Metzengerstein, a debauched heiress leading a life Caligula would commend. The Countess becomes tormented by the denial of her incestuous desire for her cousin Baron Berlifitzing (fittingly played by her brother Peter Fonda). Malle directs Alain Delon as William Wilson, an Austrian Solider who is haunted by his doppelgänger, tormenting him at times in his life where he is at his most cruel and sadistic. Fellini’s famed segment sees Terence Stamp as a Toby Dammit, an actor arriving in Rome to meet the producers of his new film, the first Catholic Western. Drugged and drunk, Dammit is disturbed by the haunting image of the devil, which like Mario Bava’s Kill, Baby... Kill! and Bunuel’s Simon of the Desert, is actually a young girl, ominously bouncing a ball.
Spirits of the Dead is presented in a brand new transfer from a new High Definition restoration of the original film negative. Reinstating Terence Stamp’s superb performance with his original English audio as well as alternate English audio options for Metzengerstein and William Wilson.
Special Features:
- Brand new transfer of Spirits of the Dead from a new HD restoration of the original negative
- Alternative English audio for Metzengerstein and William Wilson, multi-lingual English and Italian audio for Toby Dammit as well the French dubbed version
- Brand new English subtitle translation on all versions
- Features rare Vincent Price voice over narration used for the US theatrical version
- Booklet featuring ‘Spirits of the Dead Revisited’ essay by critic and author Tim Lucas, ‘Literature and Cinema’ essay by scholar and author Peter Bondanella on Toby Dammit illustrated with original lobby cards and posters
