Acropolis Cinema presents a double feature of *Venus in Furs* and *The Other Side of the Mirror*, both by director Jess Franco. Co-presented by Severin Films and the Oscarbate Film Collective.

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*Venus in Furs* (Dir. Jess Franco, 1969, 86 min)

Violated and left for dead, a young woman’s vengeful spirit traverses space and time to seek retribution against her cold-blooded killers, a sinister group of libertines led by Klaus Kinski. Attempting to discover the truth behind her resurrection, a young jazz player begins to fall for this revenge-seeking specter, with the hope he doesn’t befall a similar fate as her and her murderers.

Rising from the psychedelic shadows of the late 60’s, *Venus in Furs* appeared to fit right alongside certain dosed AIP titles like *The Trip* and *Psych-Out*; however, the filmmaker’s mad vision stretched beyond the groovy bounds of those films, and emerged as a definitive statement for exploitation cinema at large. Utilizing an array of kaleidoscopic visuals and a blistering score, *Venus in Furs* provides the perfect gateway into the world of Jess Franco.

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*The Other Side of the Mirror* (Dir. Jess Franco, 1973, 100 min)

Melissa, a young woman living in a large seaside mansion with her father and aunt, decides one day to marry. She rushes home to tell her father the good news, yet after telling him, she returns home later on to discover (through the reflection of a large ominous mirror) that her father has hung himself. Distraught and heartbroken, she breaks off the marriage and decides to join a touring group of musicians to escape her tragic home. However, as time creeps on, she begins to notice ghostly happenings anytime she stares directly into a mirror, plunging her further into nightmarish conflict with forces from the other side of reality.

A crowning achievement of Franco’s astonishing mid-70’s run, *The Other Side of the Mirror* remains a fairly classically constructed affair for the director, albeit infused with the sort of cinematic somnambulism that remained signature throughout his entire career. Anticipating moments and scenes that would later appear in the films of David Lynch (*Lost Highway* and *Inland Empire*, in particular), *The Other Side of the Mirror* points to the rarely acknowledged but undeniable influence Franco had over many of today’s greatest and most forward-thinking filmmakers.

TRT: 186 min

In person: Will Morris and John Dickson (Oscarbate Film)

This is an 18+ event

Presented by Acropolis Cinema, Oscarbate and Severin Films

Francomania: A Jess Franco Double Bill

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2220 Arts + Archives

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