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7.6
/10
1,279 Ratings

LE VAMPIRE

Directed by Jean Painlevé
France, 1945
Avant-Garde, Documentary, Short
  • 88 minutes

Synopsis

The Vampire travels to South America to observe the habit of a vampire bat that kills small animals by draining all their blood and kills large ones by leaving a parasite in their bloodstream. Jean Painlevé draws a connection between the vampire bat and the film creatures of the same name.

Synopsis

The Vampire travels to South America to observe the habit of a vampire bat that kills small animals by draining all their blood and kills large ones by leaving a parasite in their bloodstream. Jean Painlevé draws a connection between the vampire bat and the film creatures of the same name.

Our take

Jean Painlevé’s brand of “scientific-poetic cinema” combines his interests in ecology and filmmaking, and this particular 1945 creature-feature avant-garde short illustrates archetypal parasitism via delightful voiceover, spirited music, and remarkable footage. Sometimes horrific, always riveting.