Rating: Summary: Company of Wolves.... Review: I first saw this movie in the theater when I was 15 years old and was entranced. The imagery of the forest is amazing. It looks exactly like a fairy tale forest should look...a dark fairy tale forest anyway.I'm not sure if at fifteen I knew this was a 'coming of age' cautionary tale telling young girls to be careful because dark things are in the wood. Dark things, that are not necessarily evil or that even if they are, you'll feel sorry for them as they steal your heart and childhood away. Even if I did know I wouldn't have listened *l* One of the best parts is a story told about another young girl who strayed from the path and who had become a wolf. The imagery shows the loss of her innocence as a beautiful close up of a white rose bleeding red, until it is a white rose no longer. This movie is practically unknown which is a crime because it's one of the best Gothic Horror movies I've ever seen. The slice and dice stuff can't compare and neither can most other stuff being put out. If you like Clive Barker, early Anne Rice, or Carmilla by Sheridan le Fanu you will love this film!
Rating: Summary: Frightening, well-told fairy-tale... Review: I just watched this on the Independent Film Channel. I have heard of this film for years, but never saw it. If you get a chance to view it, I recommend it. The sets were designed by Anton Furst - beautifully realized fairytale world. Parts were scary; parts were funny. Certain segments seemed over-long, but it wasn't that distracting. Angela Lansbury is, of course, very good as The Grandmother. As is the young girl (can't remember her name) The interesting parts were actually the fairytale that was within the fairytale within a dream. (Story within a story within a dream.) Confused? Once you're looking at it, you won't be. They should try to re-stock this; I would love to see it on DVD. Many lessons to be learned, especially empowering to young girls (to some degree) with the last story.
Rating: Summary: As You're Pretty, So Be Wise..... Review: I saw The Company of Wolves with my best friend Bryan when we were both thirteen, and I must confess, we both left the theater totally perplexed. What the hell did we just see? With almost twenty years more maturity under my belt, and having seen (And loved!) most of Director Neil Jordan's films, I decided to give "Company" another try... It's still a deeply challenging film. The story is basically a fever-dream committed to film. Rosaleen is a young girl on the cusp of becoming a young woman. Her dreams place her in a fairy-tale land where her older sister has strayed from the path and been killed by a pack of wolves. Rosaleen's Granny (The excellent Angela Lansbury) tries to teach her about the ways of wolves (and men...), but will Rosaleen listen? Her burgeoning sexuality is about to lead her off the path, and into the arms of a big bad wolf.... The film is absolutely drenched in rich symbolism and deep parables that resonate strongly in this day of seemingly commonplace child abductions. As Rosaleen's family strives to keep her safe, they must also deal with her desire to forge her own path in life. Director Neil Jordan has crafted a film that rewards multiple viewings, adapting Angela Carter's stories to great effect. The colors are simply gorgeous to look at, and the sets and effects are staggeringly effective. The performances are marvelously understated, and Terrence Stamp steals the show in an all-too-brief cameo. Sarah Patterson plays young Rosaleen, and does a great job. Her recitation of the closing quotation is superbly chilling. The disc comes with a photo gallery, promo reel, and trailer. Highly recommended for horror fans who are sick of screaming teens running from knife-wielding maniacs....
Rating: Summary: Atmospheric visual and musical beauty beyond comparison... Review: I was amazed when I first saw this film in the mid-1980s. This film captured my heart and touched on that fantasy world atmosphere I've envisioned since I was a child more so than any other film I've ever seen. The Company Of Wolves is a sort of glamourised, horrific telling of the tale, Little Red Riding Hood. The casting, the lighting, the camera angles, the beautiful dream world atmosphere, the special effects, and the old world-style of story telling is remarkable. This film has a passionate soul. Equally remarkable and integral is George Fenton's fantastic impressionist/romantic musical score to the film. If you are a fan of well-made, intelligent horror films, and/or of atmospheric fantasy films like, for example, "Legend", you'll simply fall in love with this buried and thoroughly underrated gem of a film by Neil Jordan.
Rating: Summary: Interesting, rewarding film Review: If you enjoy werewolf legends, dark fairy tales or the occult, you are sure to be pleased by this unorthodox, surreal treatment of Red Riding Hood. The story unwinds casually in storybook fashion, but meanders between side stories, often of a nightmarish quality. I especially like the soundtrack, largely composed on synthesizers. Very brooding and sensual, romantic in the old world sense. Amazing that this was all shot on set. The effects are curiously grotesque, but the real virtue is the pacing and atmosphere. Concludes spookily too. I actually have this on VHS, recorded by my father some years back off BRAVO during an international film festival, along with Herzog's 'Nosferatu' and Polanski's 'The Tenant'--an awesome compilation of moody horror. Halloween on tap, any day of the year.
Rating: Summary: dazzling in it's darkness Review: long before tim burton released his beloved sleepy hollow and just on year before silver bullet, neil jordan had released his little known but rich little masterpiece which most of us have perhaps forgotten over the years. let's get a few things straight before we begin though. no, this is not one of the cutesy, cool horror films like scream which will have teenagers bouncing off the wall nor is company a gentle fairytale for the younger audience. neil jordan and angela carter have fabricated a vivid but nightmarish atmospheric drama which literally takes a wicked twist on the classic little red riding hood story. what not to like? angela lansbury is wonderful as always but our young actress sarah patterson also makes a splendid young rosaleen dressed in soft red wool. in comparison to most horror films, this wonderful film is perhaps less gory but nevertheless still has the power to haunt and to provoke while holding you breathless in it's beauty. imagine your favorite classic horror films and what they migth've been like with a bit more fantasy or perhaps had they been a bit more visual. while the film has no explicit sex, it is evident throughout the whole film that director neil jordan had orignally intended to make a movie which would completely explore the mysterious relationships between man and woman. he clearly identifies strengths, weaknesses, fears, and longing as if he were a psychology teacher and we were the students. thus, perhaps this is the most intellectual werewolf flick ever made and it's release on dvd is long overdue. many kudos to hen's tooth for seeing fit to bring this wonderful film back into our lives on both dvd and video for those who have not yet completely converted to dvd.
Rating: Summary: Creepy, atmospheric... but could've been better Review: Neil Jordan has made better movies. This one has many good things going for it: decent acting, a good script based on the wonderful short story by Angela Carter, and a number of different spins on classic werewolf-themed tales, such as the hunter who brings home the paw of a wolf he's killed, only to see that it has turned into a human hand. The young actress playing the lead character, Rosaleen, is great. She and the character of "The Huntsman", towards the end of the movie, rehash the "Red Riding Hood" story with such conviction, intensity, and fire-breathing chemistry, you'd almost think you had never heard the story before. It is easily the best scene in the movie. The rest of the movie isn't so great. It's stylish, for sure. The plot is kind of all over the place, but that's due to the movie's multi-story format and considerable mystique. The ending will confuse some. The special effects are... well, not very special, but decent enough for a limited budget. All in all, a creepy, atmospheric film. Just don't get your hopes up too high. It could've been wrapped up a little tighter.
Rating: Summary: Yes! On DVD finally! Review: Neil Jordan's fantasy filled with mystique and animals is at last on DVD! It has been out of print for almost a decade, and many rabid fans are clawing for the DVD. The Company of Wolves is like The Nutcracker with wolves instead of rats; it's image and sets are beautiful and realistic, and we have a young, beautiful girl protagonist experiencing the flaws of adolescence while her grandmother shares legends of witches, werewolves, and the devil. Recommended to all.
Rating: Summary: Wish I could've seen it in the theaters! Review: One of my all time favorites is this beautiful gem of a movie that gets better every time i see it. And i have seen it plenty of times, believe me! I wish i couldve seen it in the theatres. i am sure when this was released it did not get the attention it deserved! Its about a young girl Rosaleen(excellantly played by Sarah Patterson) who dreams of a fantasy world of werewolves and witches. Her Grandma Angela Lansbury tells her these tales to warn her away from men but of course she doesnt listen. And one night comes knocking on Granny's door wondering who's inside.... This movie has beautiful scenery, a beautiful score by George Fenton, excellant direction, and great FX. The end where fantasy and reality meet is quite a twist. If you have not seen this gem see it and give it a chance.
Rating: Summary: An Actual Groundbreaking But Little-Known Werewolf Film! Review: Released in 1985, this horror film was an actual groundbreaker although it is little-known. Before American Werewolf In London (and Paris), Wolfen, Silver Bullet, & all The Howling series of movies, came this FILM, directed by the great Neil Jordan. It has some great special effects, excellent acting and is a story of many Grimm's Fairy tales all rolled into one. You have Little Red Cap (Little Red Riding Hood), The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Wolf & Seven Little Kids, & The Wolf & The Man, just to name a few. Angela Lansbury is wonderful as granny. If you like wolf movies like the ones mentioned above, you will certainly enjoy this flick! "The sweetest of tongue but the sharpest of tooth" is quoted in the movie in regards to werewolves & their powers. A nice switch from the standard slasher films...
|