Page 174 - Alternative Europe Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945

C H A P T E R 1 3
J E A N R O L L I N : L E S A N G D'UN P O E T E D U C I N E M A

Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc

All you need to make a film is a girl and a gun.
- Jean-Luc Godard

INTRODUCTION

All you need to make a Jean Rollin film is two girls and a gun. Rejected by critics and ignored by
mainstream audiences, the cinema of Jean Rollin is one of stark contradiction, the blurring of art and
artifice. His films portray a visual richness that is more akin to painting, with narratives and editing
that are closer to poetry. His plots derive from the world of the pulp novel and sado-masochistic
literature. Although he has ventured into other genres, including a number of zombie films, and
worked extensively in the porn industry (using pseudonyms and generally taking the job for the pay
cheque attached), Rollin is best known for his cycle of vampire films. As a filmmaker Rollins style
may seem audacious, but his use of subject matter and imagery is basically highly personal. He is not a

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