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Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~
review by Kelly Gates

Bridal of Rose Initial Pressing
DVD Review April 3, 2002
Revised January 9, 2003 for -scape-

I finally got the full length Malice Mizer movie Bridal of Rose in the mail today. Note that this is The full length uncut film not to be mistaken for Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku Bara no Denshou.

This is the first pressing of the DVD. The case is a white amaray dvd case unlike previous Malice Mizer DVD releases which were regular jewel cases. The cover is different from the standard and features all 4 members rather than the image of Yu~ki. Inside, is a replica pendant of that worn by Mana in the film. The disk also has about 5 minutes of behind the scenes footage of the movie shooting done in the same style as that of the Beast of Blood 'making of'; The Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku single plays along with the behind the scenes clips.

I thought the movie was good and entertaining, but definitely not the best thing i've ever seen. Bridal of Rose is basically Malice Mizer doing their own rendition of classic Dracula. Klaha takes the role of the antagonist, some sort of European businessman with his bride to be, Cecille, being the damsel in distress as the film progresses. Yu~ki is the Earl Dracula ( count dracula ). Kozi is a lone vampire. Mana has perhaps the strangest role of all, he's a nun/ Yu~ki's vampire aid/ sex show owner/ whorehouse madame. His role and relationships with other characters are not always made clear. The film uses a combination of asian and british actors.

The movie was shot in silent film style with dialogue text whenever necessary. The cinematography was very stylistic but seemed to overly use too many camera and special effects sequences, which were put together sloppily in places. It seems emphasis was put more on outer appearance or visual style rather than telling a story. This may or may not hinder the experience, depending on the type of viewer you may be. The music was all done by Malice Mizer, of course, but they only used a handful of songs; All of which were on the same album, Bara no Seidou. So basically throughout the 80 minute movie you hear the same few songs repeating them self over and over. On occasion songs were rearranged to be shortened or lengthened to suit specific scenes.

The text dialogue was in Kanji and English, but the translation was bootleg quality. This is sad because this is not a bootleg version! These things don't really take away from the movie unless you're taking it way too seriously; however, if you're not a fan of Malice Mizer ( or early italian horror films lol ) you probably wouldn't enjoy Bridal of Rose.

There are a few funny things to point out in the film. Klaha's fiance in the movie is named Cecil. I think they meant Cecille. In one scene in Drucala's castle, you can see an electrical outlet. Whenever Kozi bites somebody, he looks like he's having a violent orgasm. During close ups of Klaha riding a horse, its just his head moving back and forth ( its hilarious because of his serious facial expression ). The popular platform shoes ,infamous in VK, are worn by the band members in the movie. They kinda clash with the rest of the costumes, but then again it wouldn't be Malice Mizer without them : ) The band members seemed to take the production of the movie and the acting seriously and make a good effort. Its interesting to see the band members do other things besides play their instruments and short on stage skits. As a movie, it falls short and leaves much to be desired but as a full production with Mailce Mizer, its quite enjoyable.

My personal opinion is that the Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku PV was perfect, perhaps because of its moderation. It took the best scenes and meshed them together. Having one lone song helps the flow of the PV. ( note that the PV is not on the disc, I'm just comparing it to the movie ) This makes me wonder about Gackt's upcoming movie with Hyde and how it will compare. I'm sure it will probably feel more natural and be similar to "Soundtrack" with Sugizo of Luna Sea.

I bought the movie at cdjapan.co.jp the day it came out. I'm not so sure it was worth $65 ( including the $11 shipping!!! ) but it makes a good collectible if you're a fan. The disc is region 2 ( japanese dvd players, japanese ps2, or modded american players only, c'mon you guys know the drill/rant ) and makes interesting use of Dolby Digital surround. This is the sort of movie i'd only watch a hand full of times, but is perfect for halloween. Perhaps a rendition of Les Miserables would have been better but who knows..... don't you think that Klaha would make the perfect Javert? (yes, i know, im a geek)

kellyotaku