The Company of Wolves (1985)

The tangled forest is misty with mystery, the thatched cottages are cute and quaint, and the dashing rogues are devious charmers, but this revision of "Little Red Riding Hood" is not your usual fairy tale. In the troubled dreams of an adolescent girl in the hormonal rush of puberty, it becomes a veritable werewolf story with lush storybook imagery, gothic horror flourishes, and decidedly sexual implications. Director Neil Jordan, who collaborated with author Angela Carter in this 1985 adaptation of her story, applies a knowing intelligence to the bittersweet tale. The often startling transformation effects may appear primitive compared to modern movies, but the delight is in the dark imagination, dense textures, and fantastical wonders of this dream world. Angela Lansbury is the story-spinning granny and David Warner the understanding woodsman father, and watch for a devilish cameo by a sinister and seductive Terence Stamp. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com essential video

Lovely concept, poor execution

The concept of lycanthropy as a metaphor for sexual initiation is an interesting one, full of implications to keep a graduate student writing for days on end. Unfortunately, this film fails to adapt the concept smoothly, and its jarring visuals (really, could we not find even a couple of wolves for shooting, instead of using Belgian sheepdogs?!) undermine its attempts at real art.

In the end, I couldn't decide if the confused scripting was a comment on the conflicting and tangled mythology of sex presented to most adolescents, or if it were simply a conflicting and tangled screenplay. In the end, it failed to move me.

With its intriguing premise, it should have been better than it was. August 27, 2008

...And Puppy Dog Tails...

If you think that all men are pigs, guess again! Nope, they're werewolves- voracious beasties that long to lure innocent girls from the path of chaste virtue. I've always known this to be true. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES takes us into a 12yo girl named Rosaleen's (Sarah Patterson) dreams of encroaching adulthood. We see her struggle between being a child and becoming a woman. This is all done with dream imagery, using metaphor and symbolism to illustrate Rosaleen's internal battle. We are transported into Rosaleen's mind, an ancient fairy-tale world full of superstition and dread. Granny (Angela Lansbury) tells her stories within dreams, meant to warn Rosaleen of the dangers of losing the innocence of youth. This warning is mostly about those charming, sly young men who make deals w/ the devil (Terrence Stamp) in order to get hairy and stalk unsuspecting maidens. Watch out Rosaleen, they have only one thing in mind! TCOW is sort of a companion to the GINGER SNAPS movies. This time we have the guys on the prowl, seeking to deflower the unwary and devour those who would try to stop them. I really enjoyed this film, and highly recommend it to those who like movies that are outside of the usual hollywood formula... P.S.- Sarah Patterson has returned to making movies after disappearing for so many years. Hopefully, she will stick around... June 7, 2008

Visually Stunning & Painfully Boring

A horror fairy-tale by Neil Jordan (Interview with a Vampire, In Dreams)
Everything about this movie was perfect.
The settings were nothing short of astounding,
the acting was excellent,
the dream-like atmosphere was thick & gorgeous,
the special effects were amazing (for the time anyway)
and yet I was bored to tears.
This flick was like dating a smoking-hot supermodel who has seen the world, but has nothing to say.

The short stories within a dream angle just didn't do it for me.
While a girl sleeps she dreams of a fairy-tale forest
(one in which everything is represented by dolls around her bedroom.)
Within this dream are 3 different fairy-tales concerning wolves,
as told by the girl (in her own dream?)& her dream-grandmother.
Very weird, but very visual. (even by todays standards)
But ultimately I found myself not caring what happens.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Scotch-tape your eyes open & main-line a near-fatal dosage of caffeine,
'cause it's gonna be a narcoleptic ride.
June 4, 2008

Greatest Werewolf Movie Ever

This is possibly the greatest werewolf movie ever made. I wouldn't call it horror, too cerebrel for that. Weaving many tales into the ultimate Little Red Riding Hood movie that is definately not for kiddies. April 27, 2008

Great movie but hard to hear

I like this movie better each time I see it. It is a slow-moving lush creepy dream of a story based on Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber. Its werewolves are very fake, which I think is intentional. It's really a coming-of-age story.
The DVD however has the same problemas my old video copy: I have trouble hearing all the dialogue: the voices are very soft and the music very loud. December 2, 2007

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