Key Scene to Vampyros lesbos (1971)

There’s a key scene which lays out who this Countess Kordy is and why Franco’s weird resort flunkie was warning the Jonathan Harker/Renfield (depending on which depiction you follow) of the film (Ewa Strömberg) against going to the island to meet her:

“Could you tell me more about Count Dracula and his family?”

“They came from Hungary like me. In his will he left everything to me…to the woman who made his life worth living.”

“Unfortunately, not everybody is so generous.”

“It is wonderful how much he had to give me. One day I will pass it on to someone who deserves it.”

“Maybe I can be of assistance?”

“Yes, that’s quite possible. Perhaps even sooner than you think…”

What I love about this movie is how Franco just adopts a freedom to turn the Dracula film on its head, and while still paying homage to it, he also  delights in changing things up. Like a vampire playfully swimming and laying on the beach during the sunniest of day and not hiding away in some casket/coffin until night fall. A deliberate gas of a line comes during the "meeting of business" I include in this write-up chapter of my ongoing Vampyros lesbos project where she enjoys the taste of wine (unlike Dracula, the Countess *does* drink wine!) added below...

I have a piece on Soledad, but I think I'll save it for a little later. As far as the movie goes, as I watch Franco's overall resume, his emphasis of and direct approach in visualizing the locations are as much a part of his style and thematic obsession as the oft-mentioned sex and nudity. The violence once again pops up when we see Memmet's "extracurricular" activities when he isn't cleaning rooms, showing customers their rooms, or creeping the customers and visitors the fuck out. Franco, too, has the luxury of shooting in some of the most alluring, exotic locales...and during this period, he was shooting the film (for the most part) he desired to make. I think why this film holds its place among Franco's fans is because he made the film he wanted. The shots of bugs, scorpions, a kite, and his camera taking Istanbul, Berlin, or Spain all in show a mind's eye seeing what is happening all around the plot featuring Countess Carody and her paramour, Linda Westinghouse (Strömberg). A face shown spying through a net towards Westinghouse from Carody's "muscle", dreams that arouse Westinghouse, a "presentation" on stage where Carody does some "performance art" for a lounge crowd who seem transfixed by her work opposite a "human mannequin": Franco is fully in charge and doesn't adhere to the Count Dracula not far removed. This isn't formula Hammer or formula Universal. This is formula Franco.