Tags
1980's, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Fantasy, Horror, Micha Bergese, Neil Jordan, Sarah Patterson, Stephen Rea, The Company of Wolves
Director
Neil Jordan
Starring
- Sarah Patterson as Rosaleen
- Angela Lansbury as Grandmother
- Micha Bergese as The Huntsman
- David Warner as Father
- Stephen Rea as Young Groom
A visually arresting and thematically rich dark fairy tale from the pen of Angela Carter and immense craftsmanship of Neil Jordan, The Company of Wolves sucks you right into its world of haunting dreams and metaphors that will be impossible to shake once you’ve viewed them.
The Company of Wolves takes place almost exclusively in the dreams of a young girl by the name of Rosaleen. She dreams of living long ago in a village, surrounding by a foreboding forest. Her older sister is killed by a wolf, sending the village into shock. Her Grandmother, who is wise and filled with stories, arrives and begins informing the sheltered Rosaleen on dark subjects. She explains that her sister wasn’t taken by any wolf, but a werewolf. She goes on to warn her granddaughter of not straying from the path in the wood and keeping distance from men whose eyebrows meet in the middle. Grandmother also gifts Rosaleen with a red shawl, which she almost always wears. At this time, Rosaleen is fascinated by the stories, which include one about a husband going missing. When he returns, his wife has remarried and his rage comes flying out in the form of a transformation into a wolf. Despite the warnings from Grandmother about wolves and that many of them are hard to tell in human form, Rosaleen can’t help but be curious about the opposite sex and alternates between running from growing up and grasping for it. One day, she is sent to visit Grandmother meaning she must take the path through the forest. Let’s just say things get interesting and many things Grandmother told her come into fruition once she meets a mysterious and most unusually seductive Huntsman.
Neil Jordan is the perfect director for The Company of Wolves, due to his skill with visuals and also haunting atmosphere. Both are very much in evidence here as is his wise decision to focus on story rather than just scares. Don’t get me wrong, The Company of Wolves is most certainly an adult horror, but it has more thoughtfulness going for it than you’d think. In short, Jordan is at his best with this movie. The Company of Wolves chock full of symbolism and Freudian overtones, plunging us further into the mind of a young girl who is both excited by and terrified of her own burgeoning sexuality. Carter, adapting from her own spin on fairy tales that was entitled ‘The Bloody Chamber’ and collaborating with the visually inclined Neil Jordan, are a dream team at incorporating the sense of innocence being lost and the feverish emotions of puberty, when the world seems alien to a person. As a viewer, you are taken on quite the experience that slowly intensifies and gathers staggering momentum in terms of thematic material and. The sexuality angle and subject of changing is never far from the screen, with lycanthropy standing for the body altering as you grow up and the way that Grandmother warns of not leading the path( in other words, straying into sin). It’s not a movie for everyone as the narrative and structure may confuse certain viewers. But for those willing to see a dreamlike horror fantasy that covers curiosity, sexuality and darkness, you should be in for a treat. The effects, mainly in the transformation scenes, use animatronics which might not have the smoothness of CGI, but at least have something more unusual and downright creepy to them. I found myself getting very unsettled as people morphed into werewolves and screamed out in pain as their bodies underwent a severe transformation, which contains all member of messages and interpretations. The eerie sets resemble something from a Hammer Horror and are accentuated by a red heavy colour palette, combining danger, passion and death into an already heady cauldron. A spooky and bubbling score from George Fenton further amps up the unsettling nature of the stories and the dreamlike way they are presented to us.
Young Sarah Patterson possesses a radiant innocence and naivete that is played well and you can see her mind in overdrive as the temptation of adulthood comes calling to her. With her soft voice and angelic face, she is an ideal vision of Little Red Riding Hood in this passionate and very dark fable. Angela Lansbury is on scene stealing duty; capturing a loving kindness and uneasy creepiness of the wise Grandmother who is full of story and warning. Lansbury is a pro in every sense of the word and I loved her eccentricity and slightly off kilter appeal in The Company of Wolves. Micha Bergese has this downright slippery and creepy vibe that is employed to fine effect as he slinks his way around Rosaleen and tempts her. It’s all in the voice and the eyes with him. David Warner is the young girls father in a supporting role, while Stephen Rea makes his story undeniably unnerving and spine-chilling. But by far the biggest star is the atmosphere of it all.
A dark and menacing variation on Little Red Riding Hood and a commentary on reactions to coming of age, The Company of Wolves spins a compelling web of creepy fairy tales and evocative material that you’ll find yourself thinking over for a long time.
Pingback: My Horror Movie List | vinnieh
beetleypete said:
I rate this film too. It took that genre to a new level back in 1984.
Cheers, Pete.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
It is such a spellbinding movie. You feel like you’re walking through a very vivid and feverish dream.
LikeLike
Rincewind said:
I have not this movie but I will definitely check it out, sounds like my kind of movie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
It’s quite an experience. A dark fairy tale with a sensuality running through it.
LikeLike
fragglerocking said:
Haven’t seen this but it does sound tempting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
I recommend it, Fraggle. It’s got atmosphere to boot and the themes it deals with are rich.
LikeLike
raistlin0903 said:
As always you manage to write the convincing reviews that never fail in ending with me adding something new to my to watch list lol😂😂
Great post Vinniek, haven’t seen this one either, but it sounds terrific😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Is that watch list growing bigger? What did you like the most about the review?
LikeLiked by 1 person
raistlin0903 said:
Sorry man, still not getting notifications from you on wordpress. (Highly annoying, so hopefully I haven’t missed any other comments you made). But yes…my watch list is always growing bigger instead of smaller lol 😂😂
I like the way how you described the atmosphere of this film. I pretty much visualised it immediately so job well done! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Aww, thanks for the compliments. It’s one of those movies where atmosphere is everything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
robbinsrealm said:
I love this film. Excellent review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Thanks for the compliments. I really had a good time with this movie.
LikeLike
alexraphael said:
Angela Lansbury really is a scene stealer in everything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
You said it perfectly. She just rocks it.
LikeLike
Jay@cinemaessentials.com said:
Excellent review Vinnie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Thank you so much for commenting.
LikeLike
Cindy Bruchman said:
You sure know how to set up a film and stir temptation, Vinnieh. I’ve never heard of it before. Thanks for the head’s up. It sounds like my kind of film.
LikeLiked by 1 person
vinnieh said:
Oh I think you’ll have a good time with this, Cindy. It’s atmospheric and completely intoxicating.
LikeLike