Your Soul (1964)
Dir: José Mojica Marins
Cast: José Mojica Marins, Magda Mei, Valéria
Vasquez, Robinson Aielo
Not Rated, Approx: 81 Minutes
Fantoma DVD
entertaining, this philosophic
horror film is a must see!
masterpiece. Jose Mojica Marins (aka Coffin Joe) directs and stars as Ze do Caixao (Jose of the Grave), an
atheistic undertaker who terrorizes a small Brazilian town. In tone and style this film most resembles the Tales From
the Crypt comics of the 50s and has also been compared to the works of Luis Bunuel.
stance on the subject). He believes only in his own freedom and sees the townspeople as weak for being slaves to
their own superstitions and religious beliefs. Ze is similar to Nietzsche's Zarathustra in that he is beyond seeing good
and evil, only maximizing the potential of his own personal freedom. He sees himself as better than the others;
therefore his actions are justified in his eyes.
most tiring things that I see in contemporary films is how they retread the same areas spouting the same message in
the same way. Not that some aren't sincere (and some are quite good) but some overall themes are continually
done in the same matter to the point of exhaustion. I know by now that racism is bad (put simply) yet countless films
will come out reiterating the same idea with no new twist or idea. This is where Marins shines, not that these atheistic
themes of personal freedom and believing only in what you can see are new by any stretch but they are approached
with a stunning sincerity. It has the genuine feel of someone discovering and coming to terms with a specific way of
thinking. Through the almost child like clarity of the philosophy the viewer is given free reign to interpret and
evaluate the message. It's plain to see the merits of his thoughts (through the foolish behavior of the townfolks) but
equally represented are his flaws (prophetic curses coming to light etc.). Through this manner of storytelling the
viewer is forced to evaluate their own beliefs free of the pretensions of most 'art' films.
terrorizing the small Brazilian town of Sao Paulo. When he finds that his wife can not give him a child he immediately
disposes of her in a most sinister way (he gags her and turns a poisonous spider on her, all the while watching
gleefully). He then turns his attention to his only friend's wife. Unfortunately for his friend, Ze does not value the
convention of friendship and offs him without a second thought. When his wife finds out she resists Ze, who then
proceeds to rape her. When she finds she is pregnant she kills herself and curses Ze, stating that he will never be
able to continue his bloodline. Ze is determined to continue his bloodline; since he believes only in life a child is the
only way for him to continue after he dies.
the clientele. When one man stands up to him he promptly has his fingers severed with a broken bottle (this is
shown in lingering, gory detail). Ze does appreciate the man's bravery and says that he'll pay for the man's
treatment.
concrete religious views. Unfortunately, she is trying to walk through the cemetery to her aunt's house on The Day of
the Dead. None of the town people are willing to escort her, so Ze seizes the opportunity and goes with the young
woman. When he walks back alone though, his beliefs are put to the test as he begins to hear sounds (possibly
voices) and see things. The film climaxes with a resoundingly satisfying and thought provoking conclusion.
programs, comic books, and popular songs. Marins' portrayal of Joe has led to several other films that involve the
character but only one other that actually continues his story (This Night I'll Posses Your Corpse). Marins
envisions the story as a trilogy though, and has proposed a third part to it. Unfortunately it has never been able to
get through the development stages (though, not from lack of trying on Marins' part). In his excellent book Mondo
Macabro, Pete Tombs describes the plot of the third tale:
figure emerges and leads him to the shore of a huge yellow lake. In fact, they are inside the human body. Ze enters
the testicles and through intercourse passes to the female womb where he witnesses "the wedding of the King and
the Queen - the beginning of life..."
Marins a true autuer. Marins predates Wes Craven's New Nightmare in his treatment of the nightmare of Ze as a
cultural icon (actually there are many parallels between Ze and Freddy Krueger). Several films of his deal with the
effects of a horror icon and horror in general on society. Most interestingly is his creation that is a polar opposite to
Ze, a Christ-like character called Finis Hominis (translates to 'the end of man'). Finis Hominis was once again played
by Marins. Instead of covering himself head to toe like Ze, For Finis Marins presented himself naked, hiding nothing
from the world around him. Finis was featured in two films (Finis Hominis and Quando os Dueses Adormecem -
When the Gods Fall Asleep). Finis escapes from an asylum and begins a quest to awaken the joy of life in people
of people who no longer see the importance of God in the world. He announces in the film, "the true miracle is the
existence of mankind." Both films follow a similar storyline and conclude with Finis returning to the asylum. So if "At
Midnight" doesn't give you enough to chew on, Marins' body of work should do the trick.
genre fans. Most can be found at Cinebizarre though. Recently though, Image Entertainment has presented genre
fans with a special treasure - deluxe editions of three of Marins' most well known films! Included are At Midnight I'll
Take Your Soul, This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse, and Awakening of the Beast. All three of these are
superb packages and come with my highest recommendations. They all contain transfers that look as good as they
ever will (letterboxed 1.66:1 in Portuguese with optional English subs), trailers for all three films, a Coffin Joe comic
reproduction, and most amazingly a recent interview with Marins' on the making of the feature presented!
review by Dr. Spector 2/9/02
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