Review of Spirits of the Dead (1968) by Kevin R — 24 Sep 2012

The heart is the seat of emotions and passion.

Spirits of the Dead delivers three wonderful short stories. The first short story tells the tale of a princess who falls in love with a man that dies trying to save his horses from a fire. How will she deal with his death? The second story depicts a man confessing to a murder he conducted in a dream. The final tale depicts an actor who will do anything to succeed.

"Is it blood?".

"No. Fire.".

Federico Fellini (8 1/2 and La Strada), Louis Malle (Elevator to the Gallows and Atlantic City), and Roger Vadim (Barbarella and God Created Woman) each deliver a segment of Spirits of the Dead. The storylines for each segment is wonderful. It actually reminded me of A Clockwork Orange in the way the characters are presented, developed, and ultimately delivered. The cast delivers awesome performances and includes Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Alain Delon, and Terence Stamp.

"Drunkness makes man a beast.".

I came across this film on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and had to DVR it based on the wonderful cast and the fall season. I adored each of these films and thought they contained wonderful plots and brilliant characters. I strongly recommend seeing this underrated gem, especially as Halloween approaches.

"Curiosity, the need to know...".

Grade: A.