64. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES

64. THE COMPANY OF WOLVES
(1984)
Directed by Neil Jordan

Angela Carter, a woman of great talent and imagination, passed into death back in 1992 but not before leaving us with some amazing books. The early novel "The Magic Toyshop" and the later novel "Nights at the Circus" are highly regarded but her little masterpiece is a collection of short stories called "The Bloody Chamber". Three of these stories ("The Werewolf", "The Company of Wolves" and "Wolf-Alice") are the basis for this movie collaboration with director Neil Jordan. At it's core is the old Little Red Riding Hood fable all dressed up in a new red cloak. Angela Carter enjoyed empowering the female characters of old fairy tales and in the process was able to infuse the familiar stories with new and often erotically charged meaning. I strongly suggest you create a space on your bookshelf for "The Bloody Chamber" but if you'd like to begin with a visual introduction to Angela's world then by all means watch this exceptional film which manages to capture some of the book's dark spirit. Neil Jordan would go on to direct other movies of interest, including the visually rich but mildly disappointing "Interview with a Vampire" (1994).