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Jesús Franco
Jesús Franco Manera (12 May 1930 – 2 April 2013) was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a prolific director of low-budget exploitation film, exploitation and B-movies. In a career spanning from 1959 to 2013, he wrote, directed, produced, acted in, and scored approximately 173 feature films, working both in his native Spain and (during the rule of Francisco Franco) in France, West Germany, Switzerland and Portugal. Additionally, during the 1960s, he made several films in Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul. Biography Of Cuban and Mexican parentage, Franco was born in Madrid, Spain, Madrid and studied at the city's Instituto de Investigaciones y Experiencias Cinematográficas and the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques in Paris. He began his career in 1954 (aged 24) as an assistant director in the Spanish film industry, performing many tasks including composing music for some films as well as co-writing a number of the screenplays. He assisted directors such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juan Antonio Bardem
Juan Antonio Bardem Muñoz (2 June 1922 – 30 October 2002) was a Spanish film director and screen writer, born in Madrid. He was a member of the Communist Party. Bardem was best known for ''Muerte de un ciclista'' (1955) which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, and '' El puente'' (1977) which won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1979 film ''Seven Days in January'' won the Golden Prize at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1981 he was a member of the jury at the 12th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1993 he was a member of the jury at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival. In 1953 he and Luis GarcÃa Berlanga founded a film magazine, '' Objetivo'', which existed until 1956. Bardem is the father of director Miguel Bardem and uncle of actor Javier Bardem. Bardem died in Madrid in 2002, at age 80. Filmography Director *'' Esa pareja feliz'' (1951, co-directed with Luis GarcÃa Berlanga) *'' Cà ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bare-Breasted Countess
''Female Vampire'' (a.k.a. ''The Bare-Breasted Countess'') is a French-Belgian horror film written, directed, and co-edited by Jesús Franco. It was produced in 1973, but was only theatrically distributed in 1975. The film is set in Madeira and stars actress Lina Romay as Irina von Karlstein, a vampire who has sex with both male and female victims. In an unusual variation of the vampire myth, Karlstein performs oral sex on her victims until they die, draining them of their sexual fluids. Three versions of the film were shot: straight horror, horror mixed with sex, and a hardcore pornography version. Franco's original title for the film was ''The Bare Breasted Countess'', but it was released under many different titles over the years. To assuage Franco, the film was screened as ''The Bare Breasted Countess'' at the 2009 Fantastic Fest in the United States, which Franco attended as guest of honor. The film's title was inexplicably changed to ''Female Vampire'' for its DVD release. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vampyros Lesbos
''Vampyros Lesbos'' ( es, Las Vampiras) is a 1971 West German-Spanish erotic horror film directed and co-written by Jesús Franco. The film stars Ewa Strömberg as Linda Westinghouse, an American who works in a Turkish legal firm. Westinghouse has a series of erotic dreams that involve a mysterious vampire woman who seduces her before feeding on her blood. When she travels to an island to settle an inheritance, Linda recognizes a woman as the vampire from her dreams. The film was shot in 1970 in Turkey. It was a popular success in theaters in Europe on its release and was the first film to have a more psychedelic score for a Franco film and the first to have a lesbian theme as a prominent feature of the film. The film's score became popular in the mid-1990s when it was included on the compilation ''Vampyros Lesbos: Sexadelic Dance Party'', an album that became a top ten hit on the British Alternative charts. Plot On a remote island, the beautiful vampire Countess Nadine Carody ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soledad Miranda
Soledad Rendón Bueno (9 July 1943 – 18 August 1970), better known by her stage names Soledad Miranda or Susann Korda (or sometimes Susan Korday), was an actress and pop singer who was born in Seville, Spain. She starred in several erotic thriller films directed by Jess Franco in 1969 and 1970, such as ''Count Dracula'' (1970) and '' Vampyros Lesbos'' (1970). She also released numerous Spanish-language pop songs throughout the mid-sixties. She died in a car accident on a Lisbon highway at age 27, in August 1970, just as she was about to sign a new film contract with Franco's producer, Karl Heinz Mannchen. Biography Early life Soledad Miranda was born Soledad Rendón Bueno on 9 July 1943 in Seville, Spain. Soledad (whose name translates as ''solitude'' or ''loneliness'') was the niece of the famous Spanish singer-actress-flamenco dancer Paquita Rico. At age 8, Miranda made her professional debut when she was hired as a flamenco dancer and singer, first in the "Youth Gal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Count Dracula (1969 Film)
''Count Dracula'' (german: Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht, translation=''At night, when Dracula awakens'') is a 1970 gothic horror film directed by Jesús Franco, based on the novel '' Dracula'' by Bram Stoker. It stars Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom and Klaus Kinski. Although ''Count Dracula'' stars Lee in the title role, it is not a Hammer production like his other Dracula films, being produced instead by Harry Alan Towers. Klaus Kinski, who would play Dracula himself nine years later in ''Nosferatu the Vampyre'', is also featured in the film as Renfield. ''Count Dracula'' was advertised as the most faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. Among other details, it was the first film version of the novel in which Dracula begins as an old man and becomes younger as he feeds upon fresh blood. The film was shot at the Tirrenia Studios and on location in Spain. The film's sets were designed by the art director Karl Schneider. Plot Jonathan Harker, a lawyer traveling from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bloody Judge (film)
''The Bloody Judge'' is a 1970 horror film directed by Jesús Franco and written by Enrico Colombo, Jesús Franco, Michael Haller, and Anthony Scott Veitch. The film stars Christopher Lee, Maria Schell, Leo Genn, Hans Hass Jr., Maria Rohm and Margaret Lee. The film was released in Italy on February 5, 1970. Plot This film is the story of Judge Jeffries, the Lord Chief Justice Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ... of seventeenth-century Britain, who condemned women as witches to further his political and sexual needs. Cast Production According to Harry Alan Towers' biographer Dave Mann, the collaborations between director Jesús Franco and Towers were fraught with difficulties. Franco explained that Towers liked doing co-productions with others and that the film wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultimately playing the role nine times. His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1974), Count Dooku in several ''Star Wars'' films (2002–2008), and Saruman in both the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' film trilogy (2012–2014). Lee was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009, received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011, and received the BFI Fellowship in 2013. He credited three films for making his name as an actor, ''A Tale of Two Cities'' (1958), in which he played the villainous marquis, and two horror films, ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' (1957), and '' Dracula'' (1958). He considered his best performance to be that of Pakistan' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
99 Women
''99 Women'' (german: Der heiße Tod, translation=The Hot Death) is a 1969 women in prison film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Maria Schell, Mercedes McCambridge, Maria Rohm, Rosalba Neri, Luciana Paluzzi and Herbert Lom. One of the earliest and most financially successful examples of the genre, it was produced by Harry Alan Towers as an international co-production. The script was purchased from Robert L. Lippert. Cast * Herbert Lom as Governor Santos * Mercedes McCambridge as Thelma Diaz * Maria Schell as Leonie Caroll * Maria Rohm as Marie, #99 * Rosalba Neri as Zoie, #76 * Elisa Montes as Helga, #97 * Luciana Paluzzi as Natalie Mendoza, #98 * Valentina Godoy as Rosalie, #81 * José Maria Blanco as Doctor Reception From contemporary reviews, an anonymous reviewer in the ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' reviewed a 70-minute version. The reviewer found it to be a "Crude women's prison melodrama" with a "turgid script that rambles coyly on about lesbianism, flogging and the ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Necronomicon - Geträumte Sünden
''Succubus'' (german: Necronomicon – Geträumte Sünden, lit=Necronomicon – Dreamt Sins) is a 1968 West German horror film directed by Jesús Franco and starring Janine Reynaud, Jack Taylor, Adrian Hoven, and Michel Lemoine. It follows Lorna Green, a performer at a Lisbon nightclub who performs fictionalized acts that involve erotically charged sadomasochistic murders. As she begins to suffer violent, surreal nightmares, it is suggested that Lorna may be under mind control by a man who may be Satan incarnate. ''Succubus'' was Franco's first film made entirely outside of Spain. During production, the German backers for the film fell out, leading to the producer contacting Pier A. Caminnecci to finance the film. The film was released in West Germany in April 1968, and was subsequently acquired by American International Pictures, who distributed it in the United States beginning in April 1969. Plot In Lisbon, Lorna Green works as a nightclub dancer who performs sadomasochistic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marquis De Sade
Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusations of sex crimes. His works include novels, short stories, plays, dialogues, and political tracts. In his lifetime some of these were published under his own name while others, which Sade denied having written, appeared anonymously. Sade is best known for his erotic works, which combined philosophical discourse with pornography, depicting sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence, suffering, anal sex (which he calls sodomy), child rape, crime, and blasphemy against Christianity. Many of the characters in his works are teenagers or adolescents. His work is a depiction of extreme absolute freedom, unrestrained by morality, religion, or law. The words ''sadism'' and '' sadist'' are derived from his name in reference to the works of f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have written authorised Bond novels or novelisations: Kingsley Amis, Christopher Wood, John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz. The latest novel is ''With a Mind to Kill'' by Anthony Horowitz, published in May 2022. Additionally Charlie Higson wrote a series on a young James Bond, and Kate Westbrook wrote three novels based on the diaries of a recurring series character, Moneypenny. The character—also known by the code number 007 (pronounced "double-oh-seven")—has also been adapted for television, radio, comic strip, video games and film. The films are one of the longest continually running film series and have grossed over US$7.04 billion in total at the box office ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
