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{{short description|2007 film}}
{{Short description|2007 film by Katja von Garnier}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
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* [[Emma E. Hickox]]}}
* [[Emma E. Hickox]]}}
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures]]
* Daniel Bobker Productions
* Daniel Bobker Productions
* [[Lakeshore Entertainment]]}}
* [[Lakeshore Entertainment]]}}
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
| distributor = {{Plainlist|
* [[Entertainment Film Distributors]] {{small|(UK)}}
* [[Entertainment Film Distributors]] {{small|(United Kingdom)}}
* [[MGM Distribution Co.]] {{small|(US)}}}}
* [[MGM Distribution Co.]] {{small|(United States)}}
* [[Media Pro Pictures]] {{small|(Romania)}}<ref name="mojo" />}}
| released = {{Film date|2007|01|26|US|2007|02|09|UK|2007|11|11|Germany}}
| released = {{Film date|2007|01|26|US|2007|02|09|UK|2007|11|11|Germany}}
| runtime = 98 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 98:14--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/blood-and-chocolate-2007-2 | title=''BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE'' (12A) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 30, 2007 | accessdate=April 8, 2015}}</ref>
| runtime = 98 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 98:14--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/blood-and-chocolate-2007-2 | title=''BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE'' (12A) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 30, 2007 | access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>
| country = {{Plainlist|
| country = {{Plainlist|
* United States
* United States
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| gross = $6.3 million<ref name="mojo" />
| gross = $6.3 million<ref name="mojo" />
}}
}}
'''''Blood & Chocolate''''' is a 2007 [[Fantasy film|fantasy]]-[[horror film]] directed by [[Katja von Garnier]]. It was written by [[Ehren Kruger]] and [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher B. Landon]] and is loosely inspired by [[Annette Curtis Klause]]'s 1997 [[young adult fiction|young adult]] [[Blood and Chocolate (novel)|novel of the same name]].
'''''Blood & Chocolate''''' is a 2007 [[fantasy film|fantasy]]-[[horror film]] directed by [[Katja von Garnier]]. It was written by [[Ehren Kruger]] and [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher B. Landon]] and is loosely inspired by [[Annette Curtis Klause]]'s 1997 [[young adult fiction|young adult]] [[Blood and Chocolate (novel)|novel of the same name]].


An [[international co-production]] between the United States, Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom, ''Blood & Chocolate'' was both a commercial<ref>{{cite web |title=Blood and Chocolate (2007) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_and_chocolate/ |accessdate=23 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and critical failure.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Catsoulis |first1=Jeannette |title=Blood & Chocolate - Film - Review |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/movies/27bloo.html |website=The New York Times |accessdate=23 December 2019 |date=27 January 2007}}</ref>
An [[international co-production]] between the United States, Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom, ''Blood & Chocolate'' was both a commercial<ref>{{cite web |title=Blood and Chocolate (2007) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |date=January 26, 2007 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_and_chocolate/ |access-date=23 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and critical failure.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Catsoulis |first1=Jeannette |title=Blood & Chocolate - Film - Review |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/movies/27bloo.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=23 December 2019 |date=27 January 2007}}</ref>


==Plot==
==Plot==
{{Long plot|date=March 2020}}
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
Vivian ([[Agnes Bruckner]]) is a 19-year-old [[werewolf]] born in [[Bucharest, Romania]] to Romanian parents, who later emigrated to America. When Vivian was nine years old, her parents and two siblings are murdered by two hunters who then burn down their family house.
19-year-old [[werewolf]] Vivian was born in [[Bucharest, Romania|Bucharest]] to Romanian parents who emigrated to America. Her parents and two siblings were murdered when she was nine.


Orphaned, Vivian moves back to Bucharest to live with her aunt, Astrid who also owns a chocolate store in Bucharest, Romania ([[Katja Riemann]]) Astrid is the former mate of the werewolf pack's leader, Gabriel ([[Olivier Martinez]]) to Astrid's distress, Gabriel leaves her after seven years to choose a new mate, in accordance with pack law but once in a while Gabriel returns to sleep with Astrid. Resulting with Astrid remaining painfully in love with Gabriel. Vivian is disgusted by his actions stating to Gabriel "you come for one day and she cries for a month". Gabriel reveals that he wants the reluctant Vivian as his mate. This is due to a prophecy foretold of a woman who will bring about a "new age of hope" for the wolf pack. Gabriel believes Vivian is that woman.
Orphaned, she lives in Bucharest with her aunt Astrid who owns a chocolate store. Astrid is the former mate of the werewolf pack leader Gabriel who, in accordance with pack law, leaves her after seven years for a new mate. Once in a while he returns to sleep with Astrid, who remains painfully in love with him. Vivian is disgusted but Gabriel wants her as his mate, believing her to be the prophesied woman to bring about a "new age of hope" for the pack.


During one of her many late night strolls through the city Vivian breaks into a secured church where she encounters graphic novelist Aiden, who also broke into the church to draw figure studies for the covers of his novels. Aiden is also researching Vivian's kind, the Loups-Garoux (werewolves) for his latest novel. Although Aiden is human Vivian begins a romantic relationship with him. Aiden reveals to Vivian that he can never go home to America; because he his wanted for assaulting, in self-defense, his military father. To escape being prosecuted he fled to Europe and began writing novels to which he does not put his name on. Vivian tells Aiden that her family died in America, but does not reveal why and what she is.
Vivian begins a romantic relationship with graphic novelist Aiden who is researching werewolves. Aiden has fled America where he is wanted for assaulting his father. Vivian does not reveal that she is a werewolf.


Their romance is closely monitored by Vivian's cousin Rafe ([[Bryan Dick]]) and his friends Ulf ([[Chris Geere]]) Gregor ([[Tom Harper (actor)|Tom Harper]]) Finn ([[John Kerr (actor)|John Kerr]]) and Willem (Jack Wilson) together known as the "Five". Due to being Gabriel's son Rafe along with the Five often breaks the pack rules but Gabriel discreetly overlooks Rafe's behavior though occasionally threatens to punish him. Rafe displays micro-aggression towards Vivian; due to Gabriel's intentions for her. Rafe is still angry with Gabriel for leaving his mother, Astrid for another mate. During a visit to the chocolatier shop where Vivian works Rafe sees a drawing that Aiden has made of Vivian, in which she is referred to as the "Wolf Girl". Believing that she is telling Aiden all of their pack's secrets and that she may become a danger to the pack, Rafe tells Gabriel about Aiden. Gabriel then tells Rafe to use any means, bribery or threatening, to make Aiden leave the city or he will die.
Their romance is monitored by Gabriel's son Rafe and his friends Ulf, Gregor, Finn, and Willem, together known as the "Five". Rafe is angry with Gabriel for leaving his mother, Astrid, and with Vivian due to Gabriel's intentions towards her. Seeing a drawing Aiden has done of Vivian calling her "Wolf Girl", he tells Rafe she may be a danger to the pack. Gabriel tells Rafe to make Aiden leave the city or he will die.


Rafe lures Aiden to an abandoned church with the ruse that Vivian wants to reconnect and attempts to scare him away. When this doesn't work, Rafe attacks Aiden, but Aiden defends himself and forces Rafe to back onto a table where he hits his head. Rafe angrily yells and leaps at Aiden while displaying his piercing two colored eyes. After fighting, Aiden attempts to run away but Rafe blocks his path and changes into a wolf. Attempting to bite Aiden, Rafe instead bites into a silver pendant around Aiden's neck. Resulting with Rafe backing off while sneezing. Aiden realizes the myths of the Loup-Garoux are real. Aiden grabs the silver pendant and charges at Rafe, both falling off a balcony railing onto the church floor. Aiden regains consciousness and sees Rafe dying, from the silver pendant on top his neck, in human form. Aiden grabs his silver pendant off of Rafe's body and leaves the church.
In an abandoned church Rafe fails to scare Aiden away and attacks him. He changes into a wolf and, attempting to bite Aiden, he bites into Aiden's silver pendant and quickly backs off. Aiden, realizing the werewolf myths are real, charges at Rafe holding the silver pendant and both fall from the balcony to the church floor. Regaining consciousness, Aiden sees Rafe dying in human form, with the silver pendant stuck in his neck. Grabbing his pendant, Aiden leaves the church.


Afterwards, Aiden confronts Vivian about her true identity and tempts her to hold the silver pendant. Aiden tells Vivian that he killed Rafe. Aiden yells at Vivian for not telling him the truth and exposing him to danger. Vivian does not immediately tell Astrid about Rafe's death. Meanwhile, the Five, who had been searching for the missing Rafe, discovers his body at the abandon church. They take Rafe's body to Gabriel. A saddened Gabriel reveals the news to Astrid while Vivian watches. Aiden is eventually captured, while trying to leave the city by train, by two Loups-Garoux posing as police officers.
Aiden confronts Vivian, daring her to hold the silver pendant. He tells her he killed Rafe and berates her for not confiding the truth and exposing him to danger. The Five discover Rafe's body in the church and take him to Gabriel, who breaks the news to Astrid while Vivian watches. Aiden is captured trying to leave the city.


The pack gathers in the forest where Gabriel presents Aiden as Rafe's killer and their intended prey. Vivian immediately accuses Gabriel of knowingly sending Rafe to his death over her. Gabriel retorts that Vivian has betrayed the pack and their secrets. Gabriel forces Vivian to wish Aiden well by kiss and has Vivian placed in the back of a car to be dealt with later. Gabriel cuts Aiden's wrist and snatches off his silver pendant. Gabriel tells Aiden that if he makes it to the river at the edge of the forest he will be safe and then forces him to run. Aiden sees the Loups-Garoux pack's eyes glow yellow as he runs into the forest. Vivian escapes from the car and runs into the forest as a wolf to save Aiden. Aiden makes it to the river by confusing the pack, using his blood to spread his scent and making it harder for them to track him. Gabriel, angry that Aiden has escaped, attempts to follow him to kill him anyway. Vivian protects Aiden by fighting Gabriel but almost loses until Gabriel falls off bank of the river. Not recognizing Vivian in wolf form, Aiden strikes her with a silver knife. Vivian, slowly morphing back to human form, starts to bleed, quickly requiring an antidote to silver poisoning or else she will die.
In the forest Gabriel presents Aiden to the pack as their prey, telling Aiden he will be free if he makes it to the river at the edge of the forest. Vivian escapes her confinement and runs into the forest as a wolf to save Aiden. Aiden makes it to the river. Gabriel attempts to follow to kill him anyway but Vivian fights Gabriel, who falls into the river. Not recognizing Vivian in wolf form, Aiden stabs her with a silver knife. Vivian starts to bleed, slowly morphing back to human form. She needs an antidote to silver poisoning quickly or she will die.


Vivian takes Aiden to an abandoned film company building, she tells Aiden that the film is made of silver and once it absorbs into the bloodstream it stays there. Which guarantees no one will look for them there. Vivian tells Aiden that her family was killed because two hunters followed her wolf tracks back to their cabin. Vivian has felt guilty ever since then and fears what Aiden would think of her. Aiden tempts Vivian with his blood telling her that she can control the wolf. Later, Astrid arrives at the building with a gun to kill Aiden. Vivian pleads with Astrid not kill Aiden, telling her that Aiden is her first love and she should understand what it's like to lose a soulmate. Astrid relents and gives Vivian her gun for protection. Vivian tells Astrid that they are going to the pharmacist for an antidote and then leave the city.
Vivian takes Aiden to an abandoned film company building, telling Aiden the residual silver from the film guarantees no one will look for them there. She tells him of her guilt that her family was killed by hunters who followed her wolf tracks to their cabin. Aiden says she can control the wolf. Astrid arrives with a gun to kill Aiden; Vivian pleads with her, saying she should understand what it's like to lose a soulmate. Astrid relents and gives Vivian the gun. Vivian tells Astrid they will get the antidote from the pharmacist and then leave the city.


The pharmacist provides Vivian with the antidote but also alerts Gabriel. After being chased, Vivian tells Aiden to save himself and then is captured by the pack herself. She is held in a cage and taunted by the rest of the Five while Gabriel attempts to manipulate her to his way of thinking. Meanwhile, Aiden forces the pharmacist at gun point to give him all of his antidotes, silver dust and bullets. Aiden comes to Vivian's rescue and, in the end, Vivian kills Gabriel and helps the remaining members of the Five to escape the building fire while telling them "may you know the new age of hope when you see it".
The pharmacist gives Vivian the antidote but also alerts Gabriel. Vivian tells Aiden to save himself and is captured by the pack. Aiden forces the pharmacist at gun point to give him all of his antidotes, silver dust, and silver bullets. He rescues Vivian, who kills Gabriel and helps the Five escape the now burning building, telling them "may you know the new age of hope when you see it".


To prevent themselves from being captured again, Vivian suggest they take Gabriel's car. Aiden and Vivian drive out the city towards Paris, passing other Loups-Garoux, who bare their necks in respect; believing that it is Gabriel in the car.
They take Gabriel's car out of the city towards Paris, passing other werewolves who stop along the side of the road and bare their necks in respect, which identifies Vivian (and Aiden) as the new Alpha pair for the pack.


==Cast==
==Cast==
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==Production==
==Production==
Beginning in 1997, a series of five directors entered into talks to direct ''Blood & Chocolate'' before Katja von Garnier finally decided to work on the film in January 2005. Larry Williams and his wife, [[Leslie Libman]], [[Po-Chih Leong]], [[Sanji Senaka]], and [[Rupert Wainwright]] were all considered. Throughout these talks, ''Blood and Chocolate'' author, [[Annette Curtis Klause]], was not kept up-to-date by the film's producers. Rather, she obtained information about film's progression from online sources.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/01/author-update-annette-curtis-klause.html | title = Interview with author Annette Curtis Klause }}</ref>
Beginning in 1997, a series of five directors entered into talks to direct ''Blood & Chocolate'' before Katja von Garnier finally decided to work on the film in January 2005. Larry Williams and his wife, [[Leslie Libman]], [[Po-Chih Leong]], [[Sanji Senaka]], and [[Rupert Wainwright]] were all considered. Throughout these talks, ''Blood and Chocolate'' author, [[Annette Curtis Klause]], was not kept up-to-date by the film's producers. Rather, she obtained information about film's progression from online sources.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/01/author-update-annette-curtis-klause.html | title = Interview with author Annette Curtis Klause | access-date = October 3, 2006 | archive-date = July 8, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708032643/http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/01/author-update-annette-curtis-klause.html | url-status = dead }}</ref>


The book was originally adapted into a script by [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher Landon]], whose father, [[Michael Landon]], had a leading role in the film ''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]'' (1957).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://katja-von-garnier.de/deutsch/film_blood_and_chocolate.htm | title = ''Blood and Chocolate'' at director's site (de icon) }}</ref>
The book was originally adapted into a script by [[Christopher Landon (filmmaker)|Christopher Landon]], whose father, [[Michael Landon]], had a leading role in the film ''[[I Was a Teenage Werewolf]]'' (1957).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://katja-von-garnier.de/deutsch/film_blood_and_chocolate.htm | title = ''Blood and Chocolate'' at director's site (de icon) }}</ref>
Line 116: Line 117:
# "Eu Te Iubesc Prea Mult" - [[Nicolae Guta]]
# "Eu Te Iubesc Prea Mult" - [[Nicolae Guta]]
# "[[Stand My Ground]]" - [[Within Temptation]]
# "[[Stand My Ground]]" - [[Within Temptation]]

==Variation from novel==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2018}}The film has significant differences from the plot and characters presented in [[Annette Curtis Klause]]'s 1997 [[young adult fiction|young adult]] [[Blood and Chocolate (novel)|novel of the same name]].

In the film, Vivian and Aiden are portrayed older than their characters in the novel, and meet under different circumstances. In the novel, they both attend the same high school, and Vivian seeks Aiden out after reading a poem he wrote about werewolves.

In the film, Gabriel is portrayed as an aggressive antagonist, ruling by force and fear. In the novel, he is a new addition to the pack, and wins his mantle of leadership in the Ordeal according to the Old Way.

Additionally, the relationship between Gabriel and Vivian in the novel is vastly different from how it is depicted in the film, and the nature of the Loups-Garoux is more bloodthirsty and vengeful towards humans in the film.

Several other details are distinctly different in the film adaptation. Vivian's background story is changed, as well as the fate of her family.


==Release==
==Release==
===Box office===
===Box office===
''Blood & Chocolate'' opened on January 26, 2007 in 1,200 theaters. The film earned $2,074,300 during its opening weekend, ranking sixteenth at the domestic box office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2007&wknd=04&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for January 26–28, 2007 | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=January 29, 2007 | accessdate=April 8, 2015}}</ref> By the end of its run, a little over two months later, the film had grossed $3,526,847 domestically and $2,784,270 overseas for a worldwide total of $6,311,117.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bloodandchocolate.htm | title=Blood and Chocolate (2007) | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=March 30, 2007 | accessdate=April 8, 2015}}</ref>
''Blood & Chocolate'' opened on January 26, 2007 in 1,200 theaters. The film earned $2,074,300 during its opening weekend, ranking sixteenth at the domestic box office.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2007&wknd=04&p=.htm | title=Weekend Box Office Results for January 26–28, 2007 | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=January 29, 2007 | access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref> By the end of its run, a little over two months later, the film had grossed $3,526,847 domestically and $2,784,270 overseas for a worldwide total of $6,311,117.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bloodandchocolate.htm | title=Blood and Chocolate (2007) | work=[[Box Office Mojo]] | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] | date=March 30, 2007 | access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>


===Critical reception===
===Critical reception===
''Blood & Chocolate'' was panned by critics. On review-aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an 11% rating based on 74 reviews, with a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] of 3.6/10. The site's Critics Consensus reads: "Cheap CG effects and laughable dialogue make ''Blood and Chocolate'' worse than the usual werewolf flick".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_and_chocolate/ | title=Blood & Chocolate | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Fandango (company)|Fandango Media]] | accessdate=July 9, 2019}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a 33 out of 100 rating from 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-and-chocolate | title=Blood and Chocolate | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | accessdate=April 8, 2015}}</ref>
''Blood & Chocolate'' was panned by critics. On review-aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an 11% rating based on 74 reviews, with a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] of 3.6/10. The site's Critics Consensus reads: "Cheap CG effects and laughable dialogue make ''Blood and Chocolate'' worse than the usual werewolf flick".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blood_and_chocolate/ | title=Blood & Chocolate | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date=January 26, 2007 | publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | access-date=July 9, 2019}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a 33 out of 100 rating from 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/blood-and-chocolate | title=Blood and Chocolate | work=[[Metacritic]] | publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] | access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>


''[[The New York Times]]'' critic Jeannette Catsoulis gave a negative review, saying the film is "uninvolving and cliché-ridden (even shape-shifters, it seems, deserve a falling-in-love montage), ''Blood & Chocolate'' is ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' with fewer manners and more exotic dentition. Cribbing shamelessly from [[Joel Schumacher]]'s 1987 vampire classic, ''[[The Lost Boys]]'', the director, Katja von Garnier, perches her pack on roofs and in rafters—an aerial lifestyle that works for bats but seems a bit of a stretch for wolves."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Catsoulis |first1=Jeannette |title=Yes, She Has a Sweet Tooth, but She's a Major Carnivore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/movies/27bloo.html |website=The New York Times |publisher=The New York Times |accessdate=13 June 2018 |archivedate=January 27, 2007}}</ref>
''[[The New York Times]]'' critic Jeannette Catsoulis gave a negative review, saying the film is "uninvolving and cliché-ridden (even shape-shifters, it seems, deserve a falling-in-love montage), ''Blood & Chocolate'' is ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' with fewer manners and more exotic dentition. Cribbing shamelessly from [[Joel Schumacher]]'s 1987 vampire classic, ''[[The Lost Boys]]'', the director, Katja von Garnier, perches her pack on roofs and in rafters—an aerial lifestyle that works for bats but seems a bit of a stretch for wolves."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Catsoulis |first1=Jeannette |title=Yes, She Has a Sweet Tooth, but She's a Major Carnivore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/movies/27bloo.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 27, 2007 |access-date=13 June 2018 }}</ref>


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.mydarkestsecrets.com/}}
* {{official website|http://www.mydarkestsecrets.com/}}{{dead link|date=June 2021}}
* {{IMDb title|0397044}}
* {{IMDb title|0397044}}
* {{mojo title|bloodandchocolate}}
* {{mojo title|bloodandchocolate}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|blood_and_chocolate}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|blood_and_chocolate}}
* {{metacritic film|blood-and-chocolate}}
* {{Metacritic film}}


{{Katja von Garnier}}
{{Katja von Garnier}}
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Latest revision as of 22:39, 26 September 2024

Blood & Chocolate
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKatja von Garnier
Written by
Based onBlood and Chocolate
by Annette Curtis Klause
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrendan Galvin
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26) (US)
  • February 9, 2007 (2007-02-09) (UK)
  • November 11, 2007 (2007-11-11) (Germany)
Running time
98 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
  • Romania
  • United Kingdom
Languages
  • English
  • German
  • Romanian
Budget$15 million
Box office$6.3 million[1]

Blood & Chocolate is a 2007 fantasy-horror film directed by Katja von Garnier. It was written by Ehren Kruger and Christopher B. Landon and is loosely inspired by Annette Curtis Klause's 1997 young adult novel of the same name.

An international co-production between the United States, Germany, Romania, and the United Kingdom, Blood & Chocolate was both a commercial[3] and critical failure.[4]

Plot

[edit]

19-year-old werewolf Vivian was born in Bucharest to Romanian parents who emigrated to America. Her parents and two siblings were murdered when she was nine.

Orphaned, she lives in Bucharest with her aunt Astrid who owns a chocolate store. Astrid is the former mate of the werewolf pack leader Gabriel who, in accordance with pack law, leaves her after seven years for a new mate. Once in a while he returns to sleep with Astrid, who remains painfully in love with him. Vivian is disgusted but Gabriel wants her as his mate, believing her to be the prophesied woman to bring about a "new age of hope" for the pack.

Vivian begins a romantic relationship with graphic novelist Aiden who is researching werewolves. Aiden has fled America where he is wanted for assaulting his father. Vivian does not reveal that she is a werewolf.

Their romance is monitored by Gabriel's son Rafe and his friends Ulf, Gregor, Finn, and Willem, together known as the "Five". Rafe is angry with Gabriel for leaving his mother, Astrid, and with Vivian due to Gabriel's intentions towards her. Seeing a drawing Aiden has done of Vivian calling her "Wolf Girl", he tells Rafe she may be a danger to the pack. Gabriel tells Rafe to make Aiden leave the city or he will die.

In an abandoned church Rafe fails to scare Aiden away and attacks him. He changes into a wolf and, attempting to bite Aiden, he bites into Aiden's silver pendant and quickly backs off. Aiden, realizing the werewolf myths are real, charges at Rafe holding the silver pendant and both fall from the balcony to the church floor. Regaining consciousness, Aiden sees Rafe dying in human form, with the silver pendant stuck in his neck. Grabbing his pendant, Aiden leaves the church.

Aiden confronts Vivian, daring her to hold the silver pendant. He tells her he killed Rafe and berates her for not confiding the truth and exposing him to danger. The Five discover Rafe's body in the church and take him to Gabriel, who breaks the news to Astrid while Vivian watches. Aiden is captured trying to leave the city.

In the forest Gabriel presents Aiden to the pack as their prey, telling Aiden he will be free if he makes it to the river at the edge of the forest. Vivian escapes her confinement and runs into the forest as a wolf to save Aiden. Aiden makes it to the river. Gabriel attempts to follow to kill him anyway but Vivian fights Gabriel, who falls into the river. Not recognizing Vivian in wolf form, Aiden stabs her with a silver knife. Vivian starts to bleed, slowly morphing back to human form. She needs an antidote to silver poisoning quickly or she will die.

Vivian takes Aiden to an abandoned film company building, telling Aiden the residual silver from the film guarantees no one will look for them there. She tells him of her guilt that her family was killed by hunters who followed her wolf tracks to their cabin. Aiden says she can control the wolf. Astrid arrives with a gun to kill Aiden; Vivian pleads with her, saying she should understand what it's like to lose a soulmate. Astrid relents and gives Vivian the gun. Vivian tells Astrid they will get the antidote from the pharmacist and then leave the city.

The pharmacist gives Vivian the antidote but also alerts Gabriel. Vivian tells Aiden to save himself and is captured by the pack. Aiden forces the pharmacist at gun point to give him all of his antidotes, silver dust, and silver bullets. He rescues Vivian, who kills Gabriel and helps the Five escape the now burning building, telling them "may you know the new age of hope when you see it".

They take Gabriel's car out of the city towards Paris, passing other werewolves who stop along the side of the road and bare their necks in respect, which identifies Vivian (and Aiden) as the new Alpha pair for the pack.

Cast

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Production

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Beginning in 1997, a series of five directors entered into talks to direct Blood & Chocolate before Katja von Garnier finally decided to work on the film in January 2005. Larry Williams and his wife, Leslie Libman, Po-Chih Leong, Sanji Senaka, and Rupert Wainwright were all considered. Throughout these talks, Blood and Chocolate author, Annette Curtis Klause, was not kept up-to-date by the film's producers. Rather, she obtained information about film's progression from online sources.[5]

The book was originally adapted into a script by Christopher Landon, whose father, Michael Landon, had a leading role in the film I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).[6]

Principal photography was set in the historic section of Bucharest and at MediaPro Studios in Buftea. However, the film failed to accurately represent the city of Bucharest. For example, the film's Piata Romana (Romana Square) is actually the Curtea Veche yard (Old Court), and the film's Biserica Silvestru (Silvestru Church, located in downtown Bucharest) is actually a church in Stirbey Palace, Buftea, which is located tens of kilometers west of Bucharest.

Music

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Main article: Blood & Chocolate: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek. The soundtrack consists of 15 songs, none of which are featured in the film.

Songs featured in the film
  1. "Garab" - Rachid Taha
  2. "Let Yourself Go Wild" - Jasmin Tabatabai
  3. "Velvet Hills" - Katja Riemann
  4. "You Know the Truth" - Aurah
  5. "Cash Machine" - Hard-Fi
  6. "Amor Fati" - Aurah
  7. "Silence Summons You" - The Sofa Club
  8. "Eu Te Iubesc Prea Mult" - Nicolae Guta
  9. "Stand My Ground" - Within Temptation

Release

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Box office

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Blood & Chocolate opened on January 26, 2007 in 1,200 theaters. The film earned $2,074,300 during its opening weekend, ranking sixteenth at the domestic box office.[7] By the end of its run, a little over two months later, the film had grossed $3,526,847 domestically and $2,784,270 overseas for a worldwide total of $6,311,117.[1]

Critical reception

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Blood & Chocolate was panned by critics. On review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 11% rating based on 74 reviews, with a weighted average of 3.6/10. The site's Critics Consensus reads: "Cheap CG effects and laughable dialogue make Blood and Chocolate worse than the usual werewolf flick".[8] On Metacritic, it has a 33 out of 100 rating from 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9]

The New York Times critic Jeannette Catsoulis gave a negative review, saying the film is "uninvolving and cliché-ridden (even shape-shifters, it seems, deserve a falling-in-love montage), Blood & Chocolate is Romeo and Juliet with fewer manners and more exotic dentition. Cribbing shamelessly from Joel Schumacher's 1987 vampire classic, The Lost Boys, the director, Katja von Garnier, perches her pack on roofs and in rafters—an aerial lifestyle that works for bats but seems a bit of a stretch for wolves."[10]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c "Blood and Chocolate (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. March 30, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  2. ^ "BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 30, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  3. ^ "Blood and Chocolate (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. January 26, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (January 27, 2007). "Blood & Chocolate - Film - Review". The New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Interview with author Annette Curtis Klause". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  6. ^ "Blood and Chocolate at director's site (de icon)".
  7. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for January 26–28, 2007". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. January 29, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  8. ^ "Blood & Chocolate". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. January 26, 2007. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  9. ^ "Blood and Chocolate". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (January 27, 2007). "Yes, She Has a Sweet Tooth, but She's a Major Carnivore". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
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