Isabel Undefeated!

The Passion of Isabel is definitely the most popular film in our catalogue these days. The question whether there will be more films like it, is, still, on the table. Danielle is anxious to start her training, which may lead to a torture film or two with her, set in contemporary times, for now. When and if we make Maleficarum II, we will have a location for another period film like The Passion or Le Marquis. I’m sure of that.

2.- JUSTINE – 775 points

JUSTINE continues its strong attraction after almost a year since its release! And it brings some unexpected surprises as well. I mentioned before that Jac received an email announcing him that his film was under consideration to represent Bolivia at the Oscars.

Not so much an Oscar, more of an Oscar Wilde
Eulalia

A couple of days ago Jac was told that JUSTINE almost made it to the Oscars! There were people in the academy voting for our film. The voting came down to three films, and JUSTINE was one of them. But the voters went for a more traditional film with a strong Bolivian theme, something about miners. The usual. It’s interesting, nevertheless, that JUSTINE was under consideration.

It’s also interesting to learn that JUSTINE and Jac are the subject of discussions at film schools here. Bea is attending a film school where all the professors are well known filmmakers. It was during those classes that she learned that one of his professors was a member of the academy and he was going to be watching JUSTINE. Later on, he told her that he liked the movie, that the acting, photography, and so on was very good but he was sad because of all that happens to her in it.

At another class, the continuity teacher, asked his students if they knew Jac’s work. Some raised their hands, the teacher then asked Bea to share her experience of working with the director that does ‘erotic’ films in Bolivia. Bea then realized that she’s becoming famous.

In the meantime, my comments about the next film to be produced, Cage, (provisional title), received some very interesting responses:

R. L. Stevenson was interested in Hegel’s philosophy, his concept of dialectical antitheses may well have influenced Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. And I can see how Lacan’s ‘mirror stage’ might relate to it too. André Breton? He seems to have referred to RLS in some of his writings, I suppose he would have seen some ‘surrealism’ in J & H. But all that heady philosophy with naked girls in torture chambers, sounds like an Alain Robbe-Grillet film!
Eulalia (From CruxForum)

Some critics compared Amy’s and Jac’s work to the films of Jean Rollin, Jesus Franco and even Dario Argento. I’m pretty sure that the next comparison will be to Alain Robbe-Grillet and for the reasons stated by Eulalia from the CruxForum. Robbe-Grillet made films that were cerebral and sexually provocative, like the beautiful nightmare La Belle Captive. Alain Robbe-Grillet has explored the shadowy realms of eroticized surrealism, like Amy and Jac do in films like BARBAZUL and JUSTINE, or OLALLA and Dead But Dreaming, which are highly unusual and sexually disturbing films. However, Robbe-Grillet tends to be more abstract for some people’s taste. I think Cage is going that way. Another interesting part of Eulalia’s comment is Lacan’s mirror stage. Cage opens with a mirror scene and that mirror is fundamental to the story.