Bogart, Visconti, and lesbian vampires

New year, new films. In addition to newly shot films, there are also some rediscovered gems. Rarities, forgotten works, whose relevance today is often astonishing. For cineastes eager to discover new things, the Filmkunst video library is a veritable treasure trove. At the beginning of the year, newly acquired rarities are waiting for you. Here are a few examples:

THE BLACK LEGION (1936): This anti-Ku Klux Klan film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan is exactly 90 years old. The film avoids being preachy, instead packing its message into an exciting crime story.

BLOOD AND ROSES (Et mourier de Plaisir, 1960) An early film adaptation of the queer horror novella “Camilla.” Director Roger Vadim and cinematographer Claude Renoir (brother of Jean Renoir) created a magical visual world reminiscent of Jean Cocteau. And the ecstatic performances of actresses Annette Stroyberg and Elsa Martinelli make the screen vibrate.

THE STRANGER (1967) Francois Ozon’s remake is currently showing in cinemas. But almost 60 years ago, Luchino Visconti had already ventured an adaptation of Albert Camus‘ novella. In the 1960s, when Visconti celebrated the decline of the upper middle class with big-budget films such as THE LEOPARD, THE STRANGER seems modest. Even the colors are subdued (while Ozon made them disappear completely in his remake). The leading roles are played by the then Fellini star Marcello Mastroianni and Godard’s muse Anna Karina. Unfortunately, Visconti’s version has been forgotten. Unfairly, in our opinion.

Have you missed a film in the last six months? Or would you like to see one again? Show it to your friends? No problem: most of the films that are shown at b-ware! Ladenkino are subsequently available for rent on DVD. Current examples: SIRAT, THE UGLY STEPSISTER, and DER PHOENIZISCHE MEISTERSTREICH. If you can’t find your favorite film in our video library, just let us know. In most cases, we can order it for you.