Blood Relatives (Les Liens de Sang)

The French New Wave film movement created not only some of cinema's finest achievements but also gave birth to the auteur theory of film criticism. It is fitting that some of the biggest beneficiaries of this canonization of a film’s author were La Nouvelle Vague's own auteurs such as Truffaut, Godard, Rohmer, and my personal favorite, Claude Chabrol.

Chabrol directed more than 15 films during an incredible creative peak between the years of 1968 and 1978. There are virtually no duds among the films he created during those years, and numerous classics, including Le Boucher, Une Femme Infidele, La Rupture, Que la Bete Meure, and Juste Avant La Nuit. Watch any film Chabrol made during this period and you will be thoroughly entertained, intrigued and challenged. Chabrol continued to make excellent films until his death in 2010 but these ten years were an inspired and fertile period.

Chabrol at his best would use the suspense or thriller genre to expose the hypocrisy and moral rot of the French bourgeoisie. Blood Relatives (Les Liens de Sang - 1978) takes Chabrol outside of his native France with a mystery set in Montreal. A young woman named Patricia bursts into the police station at night covered in blood and tells the officers that she barely escaped from an assailant but her cousin, Muriel, was sexually assaulted and murdered. Police Inspector Carella (Donald Sutherland) begins to investigate her story by rounding up and interviewing known sex criminals before Patricia changes her story and accuses her brother, Andrew, of the murder. Inspector Carella rightly believes that Patricia is hiding something and begins to dig deeper into Muriel’s past by searching for her missing diary. Here the film moves from police procedural into a disturbing tale of incest, pedophilia, jealousy and murder.

This is an extremely dark film populated at all turns by deception, pedophiles and incestuous affairs. With the exception of Inspector Carella, everyone seems to be hiding something or guilty of a crime. Even suspects cleared of the murder are guilty of being pedophiles. Donald Pleasence turns in a nice performance as a vile pedophile who must prove he did not murder Muriel. David Hemmings also makes an appearance as Muriel’s boss. Although he is at least twice Muriel’s age and married he is using his position as her boss to try to seduce the young girl. Muriel herself also has dark secrets hidden away out of guilt and shame.

Filming in a different location may have been an intriguing challenge for Chabrol but his forte was portraying and critiquing French society. It is impossible for him to have the same depth of knowledge about life in Montreal and the film suffers from this change of location. There is a somewhat generic feel to the dialogue and the characters compared to the films Chabrol made in France. The mystery is intriguing and the actors are all top notch but there is a certain perception and insight missing from the proceedings. Chabrol’s best films are at the same time universal in their themes and specific to their location. The incidents and characters are intrinsically French while the themes carry a worldwide understanding and relevance. Blood Relatives feels like it could have been made anywhere, its characters from any country. Chabrol does not capture the flavor of Montreal in location or character like he is able to do in his French films.

It is interesting to note that Blood Relatives has some strong similarities to the cult TV show Twin Peaks. As surprising as it sounds, either David Lynch or Mark Frost may have been influenced by Blood Relatives. The first time this thought struck me was during the funeral scene. As they are lowering Muriel into the ground, her cousin Andrew breaks down in tears and jumps on her casket just as Leland Palmer does at Laura’s funeral in Twin Peaks. After this scene the numerous similarities became more obvious. Both stories revolve around a detective (or FBI agent) trying to solve the murder of a teenage girl. The mystery hinges on finding the dead girl’s diary, and the diary holds dark secrets concerning incest and sexual affairs with older men. The works have similar themes about hidden secrets, incest, pedophilia and the potential darkness that dwells beneath the placid surface of bourgeoisie life. While Lynch and Frost turned out a completely original TV series it is hard not to wonder if the seeds of their work were planted by Chabrol.

While Blood Relatives is not one of Chabrol’s masterpieces, it is an engaging and intriguing film. It is a dark film with a good mystery, strong acting and solid directing. Chabrol is one of cinema’s masters and even a lesser film in his hands is better than a great film in the hands of someone else. 

Blood Relatives is only available on an R2 PAL DVD released by Carlton Home Video in 2000. I don’t know if this disc is OOP but luckily for us in North America it can be found for download in avi format.

Hammer Non-Horror Honor Roll

The British film production company Hammer Films is synonymous with horror films and enjoyed unprecedented success in the genre from the mid-1950s through most of the 1970s. They were so well known for their gothic horrors that the term “Hammer Horror” became a brand and a genre unto itself. What is not as well known is that some of the best films Hammer ever produced were not horror films. They produced quality films in a variety of genres including sci-fi, thrillers, action-adventure and suspense.

The company ceased production in the 1980s but has been resurrected in recent years and started churning out marginal horror product again under the Hammer name. The films they are producing now will not make anyone forget the classic Frankenstein and Dracula movies or the quintessential Hammer film stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. However, it seems many have already forgotten some of the less famous, but equally deserving non-horror films Hammer produced during their heyday. The DVD market has provided a second life for many of these hard to find Hammer classics in recent years. So that these gems don’t get buried beneath the gothic fog of the great Hammer horror films, I compiled my “Best of the Hammer Non-Horror Films” list. The list is in chronological order because it was too tough to rank a best of list on quality. Search out these films and enjoy a little nostalgic journey through the vault of one of the most prolific genre production companies of all time.

The Abominable Snowman (1957) [US title: The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas] - Despite the monster movie title this film is a sci-fi adventure written and directed in serious and dramatic tones by Quatermass veterans Val Guest and Nigel Kneale. Together, director Guest and writer Kneale teamed up numerous times in their early careers to make some of the best films produced by Hammer. An expedition into the Himalayas to study rare mountain herbs becomes dangerous when the scientists join another group who are on a hunt to find the mythical Yeti. Peter Cushing turns in another great performance as the thoughtful scientist, and Forest Tucker surprises with a believable portrait of the loud, gruff American adventurer at odds with Cushing. The film becomes not just a showdown between man and monster but also dramatizes the continuing battle between science and the commercial exploitation of nature. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) – After rebooting the Frankenstein and Dracula tales in brilliant color, Sherlock Holmes received the Hammer treatment in this version of the Conan Doyle classic. While remaining firmly grounded as a detective tale this version also benefits from the menacing, supernatural elements of the story like foggy moors and ghostly hounds. The opening set-piece, a prologue that explains the origins of the Baskerville curse, is one of the best ever staged by director Terence Fisher. Fisher is generally considered the premier Hammer director and this film proves he was capable of expertly filming mystery, drama and suspense without relying on the trappings of gothic horror that made him famous. Of course, the performances of Peter Cushing as Holmes and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville are superb. On DVD from MGM.

The Stranglers of Bombay (1960) - This tension filled British colonial-era historical thriller chronicles the exploits of Captain Harry Lewis (Gary Rolfe) while stationed in India. He and all the British military are there mainly to protect the business interests of Britain and the East India Company. Captain Lewis has been investigating a series of disappearances of the native Indians and is pushing the military to take an interest in solving the mystery. The story shows a somewhat progressive view for its era by criticizing the callous attitude of the British colonials toward the Indian people and culture. At the same time, the movie has no trouble adding thrills and excitement through its portrait of a fringe cult of locals, the notorious Thuggees, who practice ritual sacrifice, torture and murder. Another excellent entry from Terence Fisher. One of four Hammer films on DVD from Sony under the title Icons of Adventure.

Captain Clegg (1962) [US title: Night Creatures] – Another historical adventure story that uses eerie atmosphere to ramp up the excitement. The British navy, led by Captain Collier, arrives in an English coastal town to investigate reports of smuggling and bootlegging. The Captain soon learns of a local tale about “Marsh Phantoms” – ghostly riders haunting the marshes and spooking all who come in their path. The village vicar (Peter Cushing, again) seems to have many secrets and Captain Collier thinks he may be involved in the smuggling. The Marsh Phantom scenes provide an air of mystery that enlivens the costume drama atmosphere and quirky performances by Cushing and the young Oliver Reed are welcome additions. Captain Clegg combines genre elements from swashbuckling adventures and creepy mysteries into a uniquely enjoyable film. One of eight Hammer films on DVD from Universal under the title Hammer Horror Series.

The Damned (1963) [US title: These Are the Damned]  – This rarely seen film is a masterpiece of cold war nuclear fear set amid the scenic splendor of an English seaside village. After a run-in with a group of rebellious youths, an American tourist stumbles upon a terrifying secret government experiment. All the performances are top notch and Oliver Reed stands out in the role of the gang leader. Thematically, The Damned portrays the loneliness of modern life, authoritarian government control and the widening generation gap that would eventually come to define the 60s as much as the cold war. Because it was originally released in a severely edited form in the U.S. this film was given little attention and became a lost treasure sought by many Hammer fans. Now available in its original cut The Damned can finally be reassessed and claim its rightful status as an early sci-fi classic. Far ahead of its time but superbly of its time, The Damned is a must-see film. One of six Hammer films on DVD from Sony under the title Icons of Suspense.

Hysteria (1965) – Paranoia takes center stage in this Kafaesque thriller about an American named Chris who wakes up in an English hospital with no memory of his life prior to a recent car accident. Chris begins to work on unraveling the mystery with his only clue a photograph torn from a newspaper. He also discovers some unknown person has been paying his hospital bills and has provided him with a penthouse apartment. So many unusual and unexplainable things happen that Chris begins to question his own sanity. This wonderful premise propels the audience and Chris on a bizarre trip through the swinging sixties and concludes with a satisfying twist and resolution to the mystery. Hysteria is one of the best of the Hammer “sting in the tail” mystery thrillers. Available from the Warner Archive DVD-on-demand collection.

Quatermass and the Pit (1967) [US title: Five Million Years to Earth] – Another sci-fi masterpiece from a thought provoking screenplay by Nigel Kneale. The third, and best, Quatermass film explores themes of human evolution, extraterrestrial life and the power of the human mind. It accomplishes all of this with an interesting and exciting sci-fi premise whose influence can be seen in everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Alien, The X-Files and even Scientology. A mysterious metallic structure is discovered during the construction of a new London underground railway station. Initially thought to be an unexploded WWII missile it is soon discovered to be strange looking vehicle of unknown origin containing mysterious ape-like skeletons. From there the mystery and excitement builds to a satisfying and dramatic conclusion. Despite suffering from low-budget special effects, Quatermass and the Pit is serious, ground-breaking sci-fi for 1967 and possibly the finest movie on this list – another must-see Hammer film. The only unifying element of the Quatermass series is the character of rocket scientist Professor Quatermass so they can be viewed in any order. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Devil Rides Out (1968) [US title: The Devil's Bride] – Arguably a horror movie, this film edges out of a strict horror definition because it is a genre mashup of the occult and action-adventure set in swinging sixties Britain. Christopher Lee is excellent as the Duc de Richelieu caught in a deadly fight against a group of Satanists. This is pure pulp but if you buy a ticket you will enjoy the ride. It is fun of seeing Lee play a chivalrous character confronting a satanic cult in order to save his friend’s son from becoming a servant of the devil. The period setting utilizing genteel English country estates and 60’s sports cars provides a unique backdrop in which to stage demonic battles and sinister visions. Based on an equally pulp novel by prolific British author Dennis Wheatly, this is another Terence Fisher film that keeps the thrills moving fast enough that you don’t question the plausibility of the action. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

The Lost Continent (1968) – Another adaptation of a Dennis Wheatly book, and another bizarre genre mashup that somehow works despite some inherent goofiness in the plot. The Lost Continent is a sci-fi, fantasy, action-adventure tale that begins with the voyage of an old steamship carrying a motley collection of passengers and an illegal cargo of explosives. The ship runs into a hurricane and is blown off course and into a mysterious fog covered sea. The truly bizarre events occur in this uncharted part of the ocean, where the crew and passengers encounter flesh-eating seaweed, giant shellfish, a graveyard of previous shipwrecks and a band of Spanish conquistadores who have lived here since their galleon ran aground centuries ago. While the movie shows its budget limitations, the set-designs are a psychedelic visual treat of surreal imagery. A great late-60’s head-trip movie that is like a Harryhausen fantasy film with a Hammer edginess. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

Straight on Till Morning (1972) – The final selection was tough but I wanted to include at least one selection from Hammer’s output in the 70s and Straight on Till Morning is the winner. This is the story of Brenda, a shy, naïve and childish girl from Liverpool who moves to London. She wants to be out on her own and the allure of mod and fashionable London calls her. Very somber in tone and at times reminiscent of Polanski’s Repulsion, Straight on Till Morning is a bleak movie that is as far away from the Hammer blueprint as you can get. After a rough adjustment period to the cynical, fast-paced city, Brenda meets a man named Peter and falls deeply in love. They begin a very strange love affair and soon it becomes apparent that Peter isn’t just weird – he is a psychopath with very dangerous secrets. On DVD from Anchor Bay.

Honorable Mentions: I don’t have time or space to go beyond the top ten but there are plenty more Hammer non-horror films out that are deserving of a mention. The films that were the toughest choices to leave out of the top ten are listed here and readily available on DVD.

The Snorkel (1958) ; Taste of Fear (1961) [US title: Scream of Fear]; The Full Treatment [US title: Stop Me Before I Kill!] (1961); Maniac (1963); Nightmare (1964); Paranoiac (1964) ; Crescendo (1970)