Tonight's Movie: The Black Vampire (1953) - A Flicker Alley Blu-ray Review

THE BLACK VAMPIRE (1953), called EL VAMPIRO NEGRO in the film's native Argentina, was a highlight for me at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival in the fall of 2021.

It was thus a real thrill when Flicker Alley released the movie on a Blu-ray/DVD combination set a little over a year later.

It's been a pleasure getting to know Argentinian film noir thanks to the Film Noir Foundation and Flicker Alley, which has previously released Blu-ray/DVD sets of THE BEAST MUST DIE (1952), also known as LA BESTIA DEBE MORIR, and THE BITTER STEMS (1956), aka LOS TALLOS AMARGOS.

It's wonderful that with the release of THE BLACK VAMPIRE a third Argentinian film is now available from Flicker Alley. Can we perhaps hope for a future release of HARDLY A CRIMINAL (1949), seen at the 2014 Noir City Film Festival?

THE BLACK VAMPIRE is a spin on the classic story M, which was filmed in three different countries. Fritz Lang made the original film in Germany in 1931; the first remake, directed by Joseph Losey, was filmed in Los Angeles and released in 1951.

As in the prior versions, THE BLACK VAMPIRE concerns a child killer, in this case a shy, awkward professor (Nathan Pinzon).

Unlike the previous versions, the Argentinian film gives a large role to Amalia (Olga Zubarry), the mother of one of the potential victims; Amalia is a nightclub singer known professionally as Rita. One evening she sees a disturbing image of a man throwing a child into the sewers.

Despite that horror, Amalia is afraid to cooperate with the authorities, as she's a single mother; being associated with scandal or having her profession revealed publicly could cause her to have problems regarding her little girl (Gogo). Amalia's worries are compounded when the case's prosecutor (Roberto Escalada). a seemingly upright man with an invalid wife (Gloria Castilla), makes a pass at Amalia.

And then Amalia's own little girl disappears...

Zubarry is riveting in the lead role, and I loved the way it's her character who ultimately saves her child. It plays out very differently from the previous versions; in the 1951 version I especially enjoy the bunch of mobsters banding together to find the killer, but this version is the most moving.

It's a dark storyline, to be sure, yet so well-acted and compelling that it's very much worth watching. This was my second time to see the film in about 15 months' time, and I was just as absorbed on this viewing as I was when I first saw it in 2021.

THE BLACK VAMPIRE, which runs 90 minutes, was directed by Roman Vinoly Barreto, who also directed THE BEAST MUST DIE. The fine black and white photography was by Anibal Gonzalez Paz.

I watched Flicker Alley's Blu-ray; the picture and sound were excellent.

As is always the case with Flicker Alley releases, the physical set itself is handsomely produced, with reversible cover art, discs in striking contrasting colors, and a glossy 24-page illustrated booklet containing an essay by the always-incisive Imogen Sara Smith.

The extras are impressive. They include an introduction by Eddie Muller; a commentary track by Fernando Martin Pena; an interview with Daniel Vinoly, son of the film's director; and a detailed 44-minute featurette, "The Three Faces of M," comparing the three versions of the story, featuring Eddie Muller, Alan K. Rode, Imogen Sara Smith, Beth Accomando, and more. There are references in the comments of both Rode and Accomando to screenings of the 1951 version and this 1953 version in Palm Springs, and as it happens, I was at both screenings.

Both THE BLACK VAMPIRE and Flicker Alley's release are highly recommended.

Thanks to Flicker Alley for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray/DVD set.

The set may be purchased through the Flicker Alley website as well as through retailers such as Amazon.

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