A scientist stricken with an insatiable hunger for blood dominates this strikingly atmospheric drama. Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones), a wealthy and respected African-American anthropologist, is assigned a new assistant, an intelligent but unstable man named George Meda (Bill Gunn). One drunken night, George stabs Hess with a dagger from the ancient African tribe of Myrthia and then kills himself. The Myrthians were cursed with a thirst for human blood, and, by the time George's wife, Ganja
(Marlene Clark), comes looking for him, Hess has developed a similar addiction to blood. Hess and Ganja fall in love, and they soon marry, but Hess infects his new bride with the Myrthian curse, which gives them eternal life, but at a terrible price. Actor, playwright, and novelist Bill Gunn was hired to write and direct a low-budget black vampire movie, but instead he delivered a thoughtful, impressionistic film that uses addiction to blood as a metaphor for African-American cultural and spiritual identity (and never once uses the word "vampire"). Ganja and Hess proved too deliberately paced and self-consciously surreal for the producers, who chopped it to 83 minutes, removed Sam Waymon's superb musical score, and retitled it Blood Couple. This mangled version was for many years the only one available, and it appeared under six different titles on home video before Bill Gunn's original version was restored for DVD release in 1998. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Disjointed, without much in the way of a plot-line, jarring audio track and murky visuals make this one bizarre flick.
December 10, 2011
W. Williams
A very strange and unusual art house type exploitation film. This is a film that needed to sink in to appreciate. I couldnt make up my mind after veiwing it. I have to be honest and say that while i was watching it i was a bit disappointed. I didnt realize this was more art house than exploitation.But as i thought
about it after veiwing it, i really like it. I think a second veiwing is much needed. But it will be a bit before i do that. Its very much on the slow side. But the actors are superb. Especialy Bill Gunn- the director- who plays the mentally unbalanced assistant. The score is odd too. Containing blues, sound effects and African chants. This film is not about story. Thats pretty much irrelivant, it seems to me. But this film seems to center more on mood and emotions. Its a very strange film. But one that sticks with you.
Ive heard and read alot about this film over the years. But what i didnt know is the film that i was hearing and reading about isnt the true version. I really would still like to see the version that was bastardized by the release company for drive-in and grindhouse theatres.
Ganja and Hess is ultimatly a film that is up for all kinds of interpretation.
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