Filmmaker Anna Biller Takes On A Ladykiller!
Here is the opening line:
“Some husbands are pussycats, some are dullards or harmless rogues, and some are Bluebeards. Judith still wasn’t sure which type she had married. But she wasn’t taking any chances, so she decided to run away.”
I want to share the latest from Director Anna Biller, who is a terrific independent filmmaker from Los Angeles. She has taken on a classic ladykiller story in a fascinating new novel!
“Bluebeard’s Castle!”
I am a huge fan of all of Biller’s work, which I will share – but first, she has just published a new novel that is a terrific melodrama!
Here’s the plot:
When the successful British mystery writer Judith Moore meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a birthday party on the Cornish coast, his love transforms her from a bitter, lonely young woman into a romance heroine overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a secluded Gothic castle. But soon she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband’s mysterious nature and his alternation between charm and violence become increasingly frightening.
As Judith battles both internal and external demons, including sexual ambivalence, psychological self-torture, gaslighting, family neglect, alcoholism, and domestic abuse, she becomes increasingly addicted to her wild beast of a husband. Why do women stay in abusive relationships? The answer can be found in the tortured mind of the protagonist, whose richly layered fantasy life parallels that of the female Gothic romance reader. Filled with dark humor and evocative imagery, Bluebeard’s Castle is a subversive take on modern romance and Gothic erotica.
I am halfway through the book already, which propels you through Judith’s melodrama – it reads like a Douglas Sirk film mixed with Cary Grant in “An Affair To Remember!”
Anna is in the midst of a promotional tour, with events scheduled all across America – she’s directed two films, and had announced plans for making a film about “Bluebeard” as well…well, the novel came first!
As wikipedia says about Biller:
“She grew up watching her mother design beautiful clothes, watching her father paint with a vibrant color palette, and watching classic cinema, all of which has had a big influence on her filmmaking practice.”
I just recently was able to get a copy of her 2007 directorial debut, “VIVA.” Yes, Anna stars in the lead role as a bored housewife at the beginning of the sexual revolution.
I admire her visual style – and how she is combining various styles of classic cult cinema in her work…
Here’s what Biller said when she announced her new project about the infamous character “Bluebeard”:
“I had been looking for a novel about a sociopathic man who torments his wife, and I found the perfect novel (as yet a secret)! What’s interesting about the novel is that it shows a strong woman, who never was interested in love before, being caught up in the web of a sociopath so deeply that she loses all of her free will. In terms of the research I did for the script, this is accurate: no matter how strong a person is, they can’t outsmart a sociopath or get them to change their ways. The only way to survive is to make a clean break. Sociopaths often love-bomb women with their charm and sex appeal, so that women become sex-addicted and confused. The typical victim of a sociopath is a person with a good heart who is trusting and loving, who sincerely believes that the sociopath can be rehabilitated. It’s this trust and love that causes the victim to stay longer than another person – often, tragically, long enough to get killed. It’s a fantastic part for an actress, as she must switch between different kinds of awareness as she tries to negotiate her love, trust, sexuality, and suspicions.”
Biller goes on to add:
“The reason I call it a “Bluebeard” picture is that any story about intimidating men that women have reason to be afraid of is a Bluebeard story, after the fairy tale of the same name where a woman marries a wealthy man only to find that he literally has six dead wives locked away in a secret chamber. In modern horror movies, most often the villain is a literal monster (an axe-wielding psychopathic maniac, a masked goon, etc.); but in classic films, the monster was often a woman’s husband or lover, shifting mercurially from dream lover to monster and back again as he went through his different masculine moods. The heroine’s dilemma in these films is to figure out who the man really is. She must decide if she is horrified with him because of her own irrational fears and emotional immaturity, or if he really is an abnormal monster, a killer, someone to flee from.”
And speaking of that madman with six wives frozen away:
Check Out Richard Burton’s “Euro-Sleaze” Take On “Blubeard!”
Time to introduce you to “Bluebeard”, an awful 1972 thriller starring Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Joey Heatherton and Sybil Danning. It was filmed in Budapest, Hungary and directed by Edward Dmytryk.
The plot finds the infamous “Bluebeard” marrying – and then disposing of – one wife after another…the poster above says it all!
And Raquel Welch Was, Indeed, “The Nun!”
WHAT?!?!?!?! Yes, it just keeps getting more bizarre, as “Bluebeard” stars Raquel Welch playing the world’s sexiest Nun!
This is the kind of “so bad its good” film that looks and feels like an old Hammer horror film from that era.
Here is the trailer:
If you need more trivia on this film, you can check out my entire story here:
As for Anna Biller, her second film following “VIVA” was the terrific erotic thriller “The Love Witch”, released in 2016.
It’s her take on 60’s sexploitation films through the filter of ’50’s Douglas Sirk romantic melodrama.
Here’s what Richard Brody of The New Yorker said about “The Love Witch”:
“Biller puts genre to the test of do-it-yourself artistry, and puts feminist ideology itself to the test of style. The film pulsates with furious creative energy throughout, sparking excitement and giddy amazement that it even exists.”
“The Love Witch” was on many “best films of 2016” lists, including The New Yorker and Indiewire.
You can see more about it here:
If you enjoy these posts, why not subscribe and never miss out? It’s easy, and there are NO ads of any kind, just stuff I like…click on the main page and “follow” me on the upper right!
Bravo to filmmaker Anna Biller, can’t wait to read her take on “Bluebeard!”
If you like this story, please share on social media!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Art, Books / Media, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Independent Cinema, Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
Hi JOhn, the old version with Rachel Welsh is intriguing. I didn’t know about it. The poster is fascinating. Now I need to find out what chandeliering is.
LikeLiked by 1 person
it looks a lot like a pulp gothic thriller with an edge – sounds great
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the cover of her new book. It harks back to the classic pulp fiction of the late 1950s.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s exactly the vibe Pete…it’s an entertaining read and a nice mix of vintage pulp and melodrama
LikeLiked by 1 person