The Company of Wolves (Special Edition) [DVD] [1984]

You can feel this dream within a dream within a dream was created by intensely imaginative people. To be honest, if it wasn't for the ending, I would've probably rated this a 3...but I admire the boldness the film follows its aesthetic. The way it chases Rosaleen down a dreamscape of theater props, ghostly lighting, and hungry wolves.Quite bizarrely, if you liked the recent horror movie The VVitch, you might actually like this too. It's a whole lot cheesier, but they share a feminist-tinged heart. The film recasts werewolves as a force of nature where women can find destruction and empowerment. As a werewolf says:"I don't come from Hell -- I come from the forest."Admittedly, it's a little heavy handed with all that sometimes, but there is such a sleepy, relaxed feel to the whole enterprise. It's as though the characters couldn't be bothered with you anymore than the people in your own dreams. They bob and weave between stories and realities (and heck, chronologies. A car shows up out of nowhere), everything feeling part of some fairy-tale....except those bright, very real wolf eyes.The big flaw of this movie though is it's hamstrung by its budget. Just a little more on some of the effects could've made a big difference (the first werewolf transformation is silly, and I'm not sure if that's intentional). The actors are for the most part serviceable, but some of the supporting cast are...ok, let's be honest, atrocious. And the much more talented actors like Angela Lansbury or David Warner are given so little to work with. But thankfully, Sarah Patterson is perfect as Rosaleen -- calm, intelligent, and not entirely uninterested in wolves.

"They say the Prince of Darkness is a gentleman, and as it happens, they are right."THE COMPANY OF WOLVES is one of the strangest films I have ever seen. I have seen it listed as horror, gothic horror, and fantasy, but it is really a fairy tale, or rather a series of fairy tales, woven together into a curious sort of anthology, and a very beautiful one at that. Very loosely described, it is the story of Rosaleen (Sarah Patterson), a contemporary teenage girl on the cusp of womanhood, whose fears and desires play out in a series of dreams in which wolves and werewolves figure prominently. The wolves initially seem to represent threat and danger, including the danger to the beautiful Rosaleen presented by predatious men; then her own burgeoning physical desires, which alarm and confuse and titilate her; then, they take on more subtle and complex themes involving alienation, loneliness and the idea of being "in, but not of" -- the werewolf, we are reminded, walks in both the human and animal worlds, but belongs entirely to neither. Of course, some of the dream-stories don't seem to make much sense at all, but COMPANY is that kind of a movie. Some of it is intentionally obvious, and some of it is intentionally subtle, nebulous or open to interpretation. Symbology is everywhere, and I'm pretty sure Angela Carter, who co-wrote the script with director Neil Jordan as an adaptation of her own published work, didn't care if you understood all of it or not. In that sense, it is utterly dreamlike, which works for and against it depending upon your taste.COMPANY has a double conceit. As Rosaleen dreams, she enters a fairy-tale world in which she lives in a stylized English village from days of yore, lying deep within an enchanted forest. Those who live in the village consider themselves safe so long as they "stay on the path," while those who "stray from the path" will either get lost or devoured by the wolves which lurk in the forest. Her Father (David Warner) is hunting the wolves; meanwhile, a frisky neighbor's kid, the Amarous Boy (Shane Johnstone), is trying his luck with Rosaleen, who is both deeply attracted to, and badly frightened by, the idea of sex and intimacy. At the same time, she is told tales by her assertive, lecture-prone Granny (Angela Lansbury), who warns her about "wolves who are hairy on the inside,"and tells tales to her own Mother (Tusse Silberg) and to a Huntsman (Micha Bergese) she encounters on the path. As Rosaleen is clad in a red riding hood and always going to Grandmother's house, you can be pretty sure she will encounter a Big Bad, too, though the outcome of her meeting may surprise you.As I said above, the tales and plot points of the movie each contain warnings, morals, fantasies, fears and so on, many of which pertain to burgeoning sexuality and the confusion, curiosity, excitement, repulsion and danger it brings. As I stated above, some are easier to decipher than others. Among the more subtle are one, which features an uncredited Terrence Stamp as the Devil, and seems to be about the perils of growing up too fast. Another, about a "Traveling Man" who deserts his bride on their wedding night ("Answering the call of nature") and then returns years later and turns into a werewolf, seems to be about male hypocrisy vis-a-vis sexual fealty. Others, like Rosaleen's encounters with the Amorous Boy and the Huntsman, or the one about the poor pregnant girl who comes back to take vengeance on the snobbish lover who spurned her, are petty blatant in tone.Although there is plenty of acting power in this movie, the performances are mostly restrained, and the real star is the production design. Anton Furst creates a haunting, beautiful, stylized, curiously functional village that belongs to every era from the Middle Ages to the Age of Reason simultaneously, and produces a brooding primeval forest full of hulking trees, Alice in Wonderland-style toadstools, and anachronistic animals (frogs and pythons -- in winter, no less). In one memorable sequence, he also produces a nightmare scape of life-sized dolls through which Rosaleen's bitchy sister is hunted and terrorized. Although the images are dreamlike, every structure, every stone, every tool and piece of clothing looks absolutely real and not like props and set dressing at all. It's little wonder Furst was later hired by Stanley Kubrick for FULL METAL JACKET based on his work on this film alone, and it makes me sad, watching it, too see how real film and practical effects can evoke an atmosphere that digital cameras and CGI simply cannot touch.COMPANY is not a riveting film. It is slow, and in some places boring. Not every one of the tales works narratively speaking. There are small scenes which don't seem to have any point, as if they slipped past the editor, and the surreality and dream-like quality of everything, combined with the stories-within-stories-within-a-story format, make the film as confusing, at points, as a real dream. However, though it is not riveting, it is compelling, and not just visually. There are scenes in the film that are haunting, and there is wisdom in the stories, as well as a female perspective on the idea of nascent sexuality and the attractions and dangers that men present. The mantra of Granny to Rosaleen is "stay on the path," but that is not the spiritual message of the film, and while men are presented in many ways as menacing, deceptive and dangerous, the Huntsman's reply to Granny -- "I am not from hell, I am from the forest!" pretty much sums up Angela Carter's outlook on the XY chromosome set. We fellas may be beasts, but we ain't all bad.

Film Review: If you're a fan of dark fairytales, then this is a movie that you should absolutely look up. This is the textbook example of how one of these films is done correctly. It's very surreal and dreamlike, and they have a LOT of fun with the visuals. And if you're a fan of 80's special effects (especially gore effects on par with The Thing and An American Werewolf in London) then you'll especially love this!Product Review: This is the first time I've bought a physical copy of the film, but I've looked up the different versions that one can get before I made my decision. If you're a fan of buying physical copies of movies for the sake of all the special features, and you also live in the US like me, you're gonna be SOL when it comes to this movie. In the first DVD release the only special features were apparently a trailer and a still image gallery. The bluray here loses both of those but gains a commentary track with the director of the film, which is the very reason why I bought it. Compare that to the steelbook box with behind the scenes footage, interviews and commentary that Europe got, it really feels like we missed out in the US.The bluray box is a little thick compared to my other boxes, which honestly made me a little nervous that I accidentally bought a movie that I can't play. It IS region B, but I can get it to play on my computer tower just fine (I play the majority of my movies on my computer rather than my playstation 4). The picture quality is about as clear as possible, the reds and blues really pop. My only REAL issue with the physical product itself is that the box has no text on the spine. It's just straight black. All I can say is "really?", because now there's nothing to tell it apart on my movie shelf aside from the box thickness and the blank black space. Feel free to take that as a nitpick, but it's one of the most obvious things.

This is one of my all time favourite films, I’ve only given this release 4 stars based on the actual Blu-Ray product itself.I already have the 2005 Special Edition DVD, this release omits some bonus features (trailer & stills gallery) and a fantastic printed 20 page Dossier. The artwork is nearly the same but the top right corner on the front has ITV very prominently placed and ruining the image (in my opinion), the spine has no wording at all, once placed on a shelf you cannot see any title.The audio is good and the Directors audio commentary is the same as the DVD release, which I would recommend listening to.The picture image is a little clearer than the DVD but it highlights the flaws from the original source, little white flecks (I presume that comes from dust on the original negative) that were visible on the DVD stand out even more.It seems a shame to rerelease this fantastic movie on Blu-Ray without cleaning up the original source, taking away some bonus features and not even printing it name on the spine.On the plus side, it’s currently a great low price, the picture fills the screen for wide screen TVs, and it runs full length at 1:35.17 mins (the 2005 DVD is only 1:31.19 mins).If you don’t already own this movie it’s a great purchase, if you already have the previous Special Edition DVD it’s not worth the upgrade to Blu-Ray.

This is a beautifully executed and well-made film, which presents a dream about werewolves in a dark and foreboding medieval setting. As a piece of cinematic art, I found this to be a fascinating movie. It offers what is, on the hand, a macabre and claustrophobic interpretation of the Germanic fairytale 'Red Riding Hood'; and, on the other hand, it explores in an intriguing manner the sexual awakenings of a teenage girl. All of this appears, at first sight, as an engaging movie experience - yet the film fails to tell the story in an exciting or entertaining way, and on the whole the characterisation is quite poor. As such, the potential of this movie is never realised. While I found aspects of it to be enjoyable, bits and pieces were rather dull and boring. On this basis, I suggest the following: If you're after an action-packed werewolf movie, then look for something else. If, however, you're after a surreal portrayal of a Brothers Grimm tale, then you'll probably like this film.For me, I enjoyed the visual experience offered here - especially the dark forests, in which unknown wonders exist. Additionally, the special effects - particularly the werewolf transformation sequences - were excellent. Sarah Patterson performs well, as a teenage girl who's 'coming of age'. Viewed on a scene-by-scene basis, this film is highly interesting. But taken as a whole, it's overall narrative is lacking. In this sense, it's too 'arty' for mainstream appeal. Had it engaged more with the werewolf threat, or perhaps the sexual awakening of the protagonist, it might have worked. But it too often moves away from the central plot - especially as we're presented with secondary stories within the dream itself. This, I think, demonstrates directorial inexperience ... and, indeed, it was made early in Neil Jordan's career.There's much that's great about "A Company of Wolves". But there's also plenty that's not. This imbalance results in a movie that will likely divide audiences. I think it's worth watching ... But, for me, it's a missed opportunity at creating an epic werewolf film.

An eclectic cast of actresses and actors that stars the gorgeous Sarah Patterson in the leading role as Rosaleen, plus two actors who performed in the 1970s prison based sitcom "Porridge", Brian Glover ("I read a book once, green it was"), and Graham Crowden (the prison doctor), also includes Angela Lansbury whose best performance came in the original "Manchurian Candidate" alongside Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey, headline in this decent part-fairytale part-horror story.It has a rather stagey look but there are elements of eeriness, suspense, with a touch of eroticism that keeps the viewer engaged throughout. However, when I first saw this film on channel 4 back in the 1980s, I seem to remember it being stronger in all the above descriptions. Maybe because I was much younger back then the film just seemed to be harder hitting than now.Despite the film being categorised as an 18, I think that a 15 certificate would have been suitable. As such I think "The Company of Wolves" would almost be a good introduction to horror films for younger people as it was to me all those years ago.Picture quality was good though I think the audio could have been beefed up a little, not by much but made slightly louder. Extras include a commentary from Director Neil Jordan, a theatrical trailer, stills gallery plus Behind the Scenes Dossier.A good film for teens transitioning into horror movie interests.

Only watch this movie if you like German Shepherds, this has nothing to do with werewolves at all, what a waste, nothing happens in the whole movie, very boring, I do not know where the 4 or 5 stars are coming from, as a big movie fan, I am horrified to think that others would give the movie 4 or 5 stars.

I bought : THE COMPANY OF WOLVES D,V,D because I love anything with a hint of the ethereal and with a touch of majic about it and this particular tale of little red riding hood does just that. it really is {SOMETHING TO GET YOUR TEETH INTO}