Monsters, villains & wine lovers
On the occasion of the Sitges Film Festival, Luis M. Rosales takes us into the chronology of celluloid in search of the most iconic villains that just happen to be winelovers.
This month, the International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia once again returns to Sitges. In honor of the occasion, we decided to explore the relationship between fantasy film and wine with a look at its most wine-loving monsters and villains.
Since the birth of horror films, monsters have cultivated a curious relationship to this exquisite elixir. In the1932 version ofDracula,directed by Tod Browning, the vampire played by Bela Lugosi offers Renfield a glass of wine. When Renfield asks if he'll join him, Lugosi answers with the greatest of subtlety, “I don't drink...wine.” The scene established a timeless link between wine and blood, the origins of which go back to the beginnings of Christianity and the blood of Christ himself.
We encounter yet another monstrous wine lover in the 1935 sequel toFrankensteindirected by James Whale. InThe Bride of Frankenstein,the creature played by Boris Karloff escapes from prison and makes his way to the house of a blind man, captivated by a melody he plays on his violin. The man invites him to a meal and offers him wine to quench his thirst. After taking a sip, the creature breaks into a satisfied smile, followed by a simple and resounding exclamation: “Gooood!”.
Kirk Douglas played the title hero in the 1954 filmUlysses, directed by Mario Camerini and one of the first sword-and-sandal epics produced by Dino de Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. On his journey home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, he and his crew stop at an island to stock up on provisions. Upon discovering grapevines, they decide to make wine, insisting that it “is better than milk” amid cries of “Where there is no wine, there is no celebration!” But that isn't all, because wine goes on to save Ulysses and his crew, proving immensely useful in beating Polyphemus, a gigantic cyclops with an insatiable thirst for “the blood of the earth”.
1962 saw the release ofTales of Terror, one of a series of films directed by Roger Corman and based on three Edgar Allan Poe stories that starred Vincent Price. The second tale,The Black Cat, fused the story of the same title with elements ofThe Cask of Amontillado. Price plays Fortunato Luchresi, one of the world's most important wine tasters, who is challenged to a contest by Montresor Herringbone, a heavy drinker played by Peter Lorre. One thing leads to another, and Price's character ends up falling in love with Herringbone's beautiful wife. The husband takes revenge by killing his wife and chaining Fortunato up in his basement, then building a wall to hide their bodies. Price was also a great wine lover in real life and a spokesperson for the Californian wine industry. After his death, he was honored with a special edition known as The Vincent Price Signature Wine Collection.
Norman Bates, the character played by Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock'sPsycho, was another well-known wine lover who enjoys more than one glass of wine in the film and its sequels. A plethora of elegant, refined psycho-killers followed Bates, including one who stands out from the rest: Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the protagonist of the series that began withThe Silence of the Lambs. On screen, the famous doctor paired his peculiar eating habits with a nice glass of Chianti, whereas in Thomas Harris's novels, he opted for an Amarone.
In 1968, Roman Polanski gave usRosemary's Baby, a film in which Satan worshippers sipped wine while hatching diabolical plans for Mia Farrow's unborn child.
Even the prince of darkness himself gets a taste of the prized libation in movies likeEl Caminante(The Walker) by Paul Naschy. In this picaresque tale released in 1979, the Spanish actor took on the triple challenge of writing, directing and starring in the film. Then there was Al Pacino's devil in disguise in the 1997 movieThe Devil's Advocate, which also starred Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. Here the devil, along with his faithful followers, succumbs to the temptation of the vine's earthly pleasures.
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were also great wine lovers. The two most famous actors to appear in productions by the British company Hammer Films starred in the Eugenio Martín-directedHorror Expressin 1972. During their cinematic journey, the twosome enjoys more than a few glasses of wine.
Science fiction has also shown a taste for the pleasures at hand. For example, inStar Trekthe Klingons, an alien warrior race, celebrate their battlefield exploits with a toast of blood wine.Matrix Reloaded, the 1999 sequel to the Wachowskis' hit film, introduced us to Merovingio. The owner of the Le Vrai restaurant is fond of combining his taste for good wine with the most affected sophistries.
This concludes our brief look at some of the most famous wine-loving monsters and villains in fantasy cinema. But before bidding you farewell, let me leave you with a final word of advice. Fantasy films are best enjoyed by candlelight while sipping a glass of good wine, and if it's from one of our local wineries, even better.
by Luis M. Rosales
Director of SCIFI WORLD magazine