Random FRANCO Ramblings...

[Dark Horse 77]

Yeah, absolutely - I know BU's (re)release schedule can be a bit slow, but I really don't think they would have sat on arguably Franco's two best films through two rounds of format upgrades, if putting them out was still a possibility.

And meanwhile, yeah, it would be good to get the One Shot films back out there, just to satisfy people's curiosity if bothing else (preferably as a bumper, budget priced box set)... though I'd imagine it would be a bit of a nightmare for poor old Steve Thrower to have to find something to say about them all again, given how negative the write ups in his book are for that whole period.

There's definitely no way BU would have missed releasing some of Franco's jewels during two upgrades for sure! The possibilities of a One Shot box...that would have to be an extreme budget set..but your idea of Stephen Thrower having to sit through them again is a great one. I suspect even he would finally give up after a while. They were mostly terrible, imo, with Snakewoman being by far the best with Tender Flesh and Lust for Frankenstein decent. The rest are just fine if one can fast forward through them with minimal pain.

[BW Haggar]

Yeah, absolutely - I know BU's (re)release schedule can be a bit slow, but I really don't think they would have sat on arguably Franco's two best films through two rounds of format upgrades, if putting them out was still a possibility.

And meanwhile, yeah, it would be good to get the One Shot films back out there, just to satisfy people's curiosity if bothing else (preferably as a bumper, budget priced box set)... though I'd imagine it would be a bit of a nightmare for poor old Steve Thrower to have to find something to say about them all again, given how negative the write ups in his book are for that whole period.

[Dark Horse 77]

Sadly, the first three films on that list at least remain painfully AWOL since the DVD era - presumably due to irresolvable rights / elements issues, as it's a cinch any number of labels would jump at the chance to put them out if they could.

That said though, potentially VERY exciting to see Severin sponsoring a screening of 'Venus in Furs', given that they've previously released most of the other films on that line up.... I seem to recall they were trailing some "very big news" for Franco fans a while back, which has yet to materialise, so - fingers crossed.

That makes sense. I would've thought BU would've jumped at the chance to put out Succubus and Venus in Furs as they're probably the best out of that bunch. I think it was on this message board that someone (jokingly) said the big announcement would a collection of the One Shot (mostly) crap. Here's to hoping they all get the blu treatment as I know I'd love to see them. Plus, no doubt Stephen Thrower would be there to do his usual brilliant breakdown of each film.

[BW Haggar]

Did Blue Underground ever release the following titles on Blu or still to come?

Succubus
Venus In Furs
Eugenie De Sade
Women Behind Bars
Sadomania

Sadly, the first three films on that list at least remain painfully AWOL since the DVD era - presumably due to irresolvable rights / elements issues, as it's a cinch any number of labels would jump at the chance to put them out if they could.

That said though, potentially VERY exciting to see Severin sponsoring a screening of 'Venus in Furs', given that they've previously released most of the other films on that line up.... I seem to recall they were trailing some "very big news" for Franco fans a while back, which has yet to materialise, so - fingers crossed.

[Dark Horse 77]

Did Blue Underground ever release the following titles on Blu or still to come?

Succubus
Venus In Furs
Eugenie De Sade
Women Behind Bars
Sadomania

[Ian Jane]

[Randy G]

Feels like the Franco cult is growing stronger which is cool to see. I think his rep suffered for a number of years because many people thought he was a failed horror director instead of a director of spacey, psychedelic sex films with some supernatural elements now and then.

[Ian Jane]

For those in the NYC area....

https://www.spectacletheater.com/fra...stery-marathon

Over the course of his sixty-year career, Spanish writer/director/actor/trumpeter Jesús Franco made nearly 200 unique feature films. Working across just about every genre conceivable—from slashers to spy films; gothic horror to hardcore porn, and beyond—Franco channeled his lifelong obsessions with pulp storytelling, jazz, and sex into a filmography that’s as dense as it is singularly idiosyncratic. This August, we team up with the Oscarbate Film Collective & Severin Films, who’ve dedicated the past couple of years to exploring all of the various depths and crevices of Franco’s filmography, for an eight-film mystery marathon, filled with Franco fan favorites and deep cuts alike. Whether you’ve seen one or a hundred of his films, why not take a chance to fall under his spell?

Day passes are available online for $25. Single film tickets will be available at the door for $5 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

[Ian Jane]

For those in the Pacific Northwest....

[Dom D]

Giving Lorna The Exorcist another look. I saw this year's ago aware that it was a favourite of the true Franco connoisseur but was left cold by it. A rewatch has at least given me a new piece of favourite film dialogue; when the wife goes to answer the phone and has a brief conversation before turning to her husband and saying with some drama: "it's a sexy female but she refuses to give her name!' A sexy female? I'd better take that!

This is some pretty twisted shit. Never mind the crabs, Lorna keeps claiming to be Lina's mother but if that's true then Lina has been getting some serious Oedipussy in her dreams.

I'm starting to worry I've grown out of post 70s Franco... that's a disturbing thought. Those epically long shots of mysteriously furry crotches leave me more bored more than anything. It's always nice to tick off the Franco keystones like the female Renfield in this. I guess its a classic fairytale story given a soft/hard core spin but I might need more these days.

[Ian Jane]

From the Soledad Miranda twitter feed.

[Tom Clark]

Hey! Been a minute since I posted anything here. Recently had another Franco-centric piece of writing go up for Diabolique Magazine, perhaps it would be of interest to some here. The genesis of this was an excuse to talk about Franco's two “Cinematic B-Film Jazz” albums from 1997, The Crazy World of Jess Franco and The Manacoa Experience. However, along the way it grew into something else. So, leading up to the discussion on the albums is an exploration of the symbiotic relationship between Franco's films and jazz. Specifically the concept of the Franco “jazz film”, with looks at Venus in Furs (1969) and its soundtrack courtesy of Manfred Mann, Franco's composing of Succubus/Necromonicon (1968) and Paula-Paula (2010) to the music of Friedrich Gulda, Al otro lado del espejo (1973) as a similarly inspired “jazz film”, Franco's supply of pseudonyms sourced from jazz history and finally a deep-dive into the musical exploits of Franco and his “B-Band”.

https://diaboliquemagazine.com/sketc...n-b-film-jazz/

[Ian Jane]

Some dudes started a Franco podcast called The Franco Observer.

https://redcircle.com/shows/e6a2b7f9...IUWos0VeNwBHaw

[Whit]

Also thought this article was great--a nuanced take on some difficult films. I'm susceptible to the historical resonances that accrue over time--1980s SOV horror was mostly a miserable slog to me as a kid more or less contemporaneous to it, and now it plays with these added layers because the visual texture so viscerally invokes the feelings of an entirely different, now far distant, era, and I suspect Franco's One Shot work will (maybe already has--haven't seen these in years) fare similarly. I've been reading Thrower's second volume very slowly--luxuriating in it rather than racing through, with extended time-outs to (re)watch films as he covers them, then flashback viewings to wherever that leads--but I suspect when I reach this era, I'll do some revisiting too.

[Newt Cox]

Great read there Tom. I need to watch more later era Franco. Only seen Tender Flesh,Lust for Frankenstein and Mari-Cookie.