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Kladivo na čarodějnice [Witchhammer] (Otakar Vávra, 1970)
Oct
19
apples
A woman in a tub lustfully bites into an apple, presented to her by a giddy maid. A second maid replenishes the bathwater. DP: Josef Illík.
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仁義なき戦い [Jingi naki tatakai / Battles Without Honor and Humanity] (Kinji Fukasaku, 1973)
Oct
16
Tetsuya Sakai (Hiroki Matsukata, L) and several of the other yakuza. DP: Sadaji Yoshida.
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0課の女 赤い手錠 [Zeroka no onna: Akai wappa / Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs] (Yukio Noda, 1974)
Oct
15
1937
Rei (Miki Sugimoto) wielding the long red chain of her handcuffs. DP: Yoshio Nakajima.
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Le passager de la pluie [Rider on the Rain] (René Clément, 1970)
Oct
10
Mélancolie 'Mellie' Mau (Marlène Jobert) and Col. Harry Dobbs (Charles Bronson), dancing. DP: Andréas Winding.
– You expect me to eat that?
– Americans live on ketchup and milk. I'm a whiz at geography.
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Happy Birthday to John [Happy Birthday John Lennon] (Jonas Mekas, 1995)
Oct
9
1972
A rectangular birthday cake with a chocolate acoustic guitar spells out Happy Birthday John From Yoko And The Whole World. Presumed DP: Jonas Mekas.
On October 9th, 1972 an exhibition of John and Yoko's art – designed by the Master of the Fluxus movement, George Maciunas and curated by David Ross – opened at the Syracuse Museum of Art in New York. On the same day, an unusual group of John and Yoko's friends, including Ringo Starr, Allen Ginsberg, and Paul Krasner, gathered to celebrate John's birthday.
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Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
Oct
7
1916
The Amarillo Dispatch reports on President Wilson's October 7 visit to the town of Panhandle. DP: Néstor Almendros.
– Here he is!
– There he goes!
– That's the president of the whole country.
– Ohh!
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Grey Gardens (Albert + David Maysles, Ellen Hovde + Muffie Meyer, 1975)
Oct
5
1973
Washed out felt-tip penned well-wishes read: OCTOBER 5th – 1973 “GREY GARDENS” AT 78 IT IS TRUE – YOU CAN LIVE TO BE 80 TOO. DPs: Albert & David Maysles.
“Thank you for your card and your ice-cream, I love you very much!”
– Edith 'Big Edie' Bouvier Beale, saying goodbye to her birthday party guests
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拳精 [Quan jing / Spiritual Kung Fu] (Wei Lo, 1978)
Oct
3
Jackie Chan balances three bowls and a small bench Jackie Chan style. DP: Jung-Shu Chen.
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Le boucher [The Butcher] (Claude Chabrol, 1970)
Oct
3
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Vampyros Lesbos (Jesús Franco, 1971)
Oct
2
Dracula
A favourite Dracula movie. As my very most favourite Dracula movie has been claimed, I go with its nearest competitor that somehow also features my favourite Jesus*
Linda (Ewa Strömberg) has been summoned by Countess Nadine Carody (Soledad Miranda) to handle a real estate inheritance from a certain Count Dracula. Spellbound, she finds herself on a small island, and helpless in the Countess' embrace.
“You are one of us now. The Queen of the Night will bear you up on her black wings.”
– Countess Nadine Carody
A film that can easily hold up against Jean Rollins' dreamy vampire erotica, this love letter to Soledad Miranda's brooding torment is a delight to watch and a pinnacle in Jess Franco's filmography. Its influence on neo-Giallo Amer and Dario Argento – particularly his Suspiria – is evident, and that in itself should give you enough clues of how much of an essential chapter Vampyros Lesbos is in adult European filmmaking.
* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for October is horror-themed as opposed to date-based, and is all about favourites. Expect non-horror and films I believe to be relevant instead.
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