Harry Kümel Movies

Those whose impressions of the Netherlands are dominated by the very hip modern city of Amsterdam may be unaware that for centuries the country was noted for a pervasive bourgeois stodginess that exceeded anything that Henrik Ibsen ever said about the Norwegian middle class of his time. In 1889, Dutch society was set on its ears by the quite long poem Eline Vere by Louis Couperus, published in installments in the newspapers, which minutely described the mores, manners and hypocrisies of the time. To this day, Dutch schoolchildren learn about their past by studying that poem, which boasts a Dickensian richness of description and vivid characterizations. This melodramatic film follows Eline Vere (Marianne Basler), the heroine of the poem, as she attempts to break free from the confines of her narrow existence in Den Haag (the Hague) through three tumultuous and ultimately disastrous courtships. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This erotic variation on La Ronde was filmed in the Netherlands. As indicated by the title, the hero has a very healthy sex life. Sometimes he even double-dates. And triple-dates. And quadruple-dates. In short, his conjugal bed threatens collapse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Le Rouge aux Levres is a stylish, fascinating, very erotic vampire film based on Sheridan le Fanu's Camilla, the classic tale of a lesbian vampire. A young married couple, Stefan (John Karlen) and Valerie (Daniele Ouimet), honeymoon at a deserted oceanside resort where they meet Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Delphine Seyrig) and her companion Ilona (Andrea Rau). Valerie has discovered that Stefan is a brutal sexual sadist and is drawn to the Countess because of her warmth and sensuality. Ilona attempts to seduce Stefan but is accidentally killed, and the Countess takes her revenge on his wife. Director Harry Kumel directs with stunning visual style and maintains the erotic intensity and tension between the characters with skill, getting a particularly good performance from the magnificent Delphine Seyrig, who resembles in both mood and looks the young Marlene Dietrich. Erotic, unusual and extremely violent, Le Rouge aux Levres, also released as Daughters of Darkness is one of the finest vampire films ever produced, making up with style and class what it might have lacked in budget. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

This tedious feature concerns a woman who disguises herself as a man to avoid prosecution for the murder of her lover 15 years ago. She is the last living member of a wealthy family from Vienna, and she has spent the years after the murder traveling with her female servant Victorine. Her tours of Europe have provided her with an anonymous cloak that allows her freedom of movement but little solace. Nearing 40, the woman/man suffers from guilt, weariness and a life unfulfilled as she contemplates suicide as the only way out of her dilemma in this unconventional tragedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi