Review by Keri O’Shea
Jess Franco was (and is) ready to turn his hand to just about anything, so it should come as little surprise to find that he did, back in 1970, make a film all about the turbulent history of 17th Century Britain. In many ways, The Bloody Judge is rather an anomalous Franco film: it evidently has a budget, for one thing, the locations, sets and costumes are generally really good and it’s…linear, never devolving into the soft-focus confusion which, well, I rather like, but doesn’t usually do much for the plot. That said, the Hand of Jess is still at play here. Once you’ve seen the lovely Maria Rohm engaged in some frankly unorthodox lady torture, you’ll know you’re home. If anything, the slight schizophrenia at the heart of the film which sees it trying to be both a historical epic and a panoply of buxom wenches weakens its impact overall, but unusually, we get to hear from Franco (and star Christopher Lee) in a documentary included in the extras, and it makes the reasons for this a lot clearer.
The film takes place in the year 1685, the time of the so-called ‘Bloody Assizes’ here in this green and pleasant land: the king, James II, was at risk of being overthrown by the Duke of Monmouth and his supporters, and so he meted out very tough justice against any known or suspected Monmouth sympathisers via the Assize Courts and, in particular, one Judge Jeffreys, played here with customary gravitas by Christopher Lee. Jeffreys was renowned for his loyalty to the Crown and his readiness to hang traitors. In this version of the story, he also has to deal with prisoners accused of witchcraft. A young woman called Alicia Grey (Margaret Lee) is brought before him on this charge, so he orders a ‘thorough examination’ (carried out by Franco regular Howard Vernon, in possibly the world’s largest belt) which determines her guilt, natch. Alicia’s sister Mary (Rohm) petitions for her release, but it’s no good: Jeffreys will not be moved. However, their paths are destined to cross again, when she beings a relationship with the son of a powerful man and throws in her lot with the rebels. Intrigue, violence and vengeance of course ensue.
The success of Witchfinder General, made in 1968, spawned a host of films which hoped to do as well out of similar subject matter and historical settings, and I think it’s fair to say that The Bloody Judge is one of those films. It feels similar in lots of ways: the immoveable and cruel figure doling out torment and execution, the background of political upheaval, and the troubled love affair which links both of these together seem oddly familiar…this isn’t to say that he Bloody Judge is a failure, just that its influences are pretty transparent. It is definitely interesting to see Franco doing a straight film, as well: he may be playing fast and loose with historical accuracy by suggesting that the English ever burned witches, for instance (and he ain’t on his own there) but there’s lots here to commend him. It makes you wonder how differently his career might have panned out if he’d always had access to these kinds of budgets and actors. Maybe his eccentricities have been at least partly born out of sheer necessity when trying to make films on next to no money. Perhaps in a parallel universe somewhere, Stanley Kubrick has gone down in history as a hack and Franco is being revered in Film Studies classes around the globe…
I’ve never seen Christopher Lee turn in a bad performance and he’s as reliable as ever here, really getting into the opportunity to portray a historical figure. His interest in historical accuracy led to some grumbles about some of the inclusions in the film, i.e. the nudity which crept in, but on listening to Franco in the ‘Bloody Jess’ documentary included on the disc, it seems that the bewilderingly pan-European nature of the project may be at least partly to blame for the twists and turns. (It could also be that what we are seeing here is a print comprising of many different prints, some more ‘clothed’ than others. Certainly the film changes to German language at a few points, which suggests a few sources have been used.) According to Franco, every new producer hailing from a different European country who arrived on set put pressure on him to make various inclusions. This is why we go from historical drama, to a bit of soft core, to torture horror, and back to historical drama again, which makes the tone of the film a bit bewildering.
Still, decent performances, decent locations (actually Spain and Portugal) and an interesting historical setting make The Bloody Judge a worthwhile film overall. Rohm and Lee light up the screen when they’re on it, and there’s enough going on to be entertaining.
The Mediumrare Entertainment release comes with extras in the shape of the theatrical trailer, deleted and alternative scenes, chapters, and what was originally a Blue Underground documentary featuring interviews with both Christopher Lee and Jess Franco (who have worked on seven films together). I’d say the documentary is as worthwhile as the film itself, as it’s a pleasure to hear both men describing their experiences on-set, and Franco’s disparagement for the multitude of stupid re-titles his films have been given over the years (The Bloody Judge became Night of the Blood Monster in the US, for pity’s sake) would certainly strike a chord with many of us here at Brutal As Hell, as we’re still seeing a lot of this; it seems not much has changed in the last forty-odd years, eh?
The Bloody Judge will be released by Mediumrare on January 21st, 2013.