A young sailor finds himself trapped in the labyrinthine mansion of his occultist uncle, along with a number of eccentric and mysterious relatives who all seem to be harboring a dark secret.
Director Harry Kümel’s 1972 film “Malpertuis,” based on Jean Ray’s 1943 novel of the same name, is enigmatic and disorienting. The director, perhaps best known for his 1971 vampire film “Daughters of Darkness,” conjures a dreamlike atmosphere as young sailor Jan (Mathieu Carriére) disembarks from his ship in search of his home. He’s not alone; a pair of men with bad intentions follow him. Kümel’s film hesitates to reveal its mysteries.
Jan’s fruitless search leads him to a crowded red-light district bathed in crimson. At a club, he is knocked cold in a brawl and awakens in his uncle’s mysterious, labyrinthine mansion, Malpertuis. There, his ornery, bedridden Uncle Cassavius (played by cinema legend Orson Welles) hovers close to death while the inhabitants of Malpertuis, Jan’s relatives, eagerly wait to inherit Cassavius’s vast fortune. The inheritance, however, comes at a steep cost.
Though accompanied by foreboding imagery and an ominous score, “Malpertuis” is not your typical dark house movie. While the cast does eventually start getting picked off, this is more about the unusual, unnerving atmosphere. At nearly two hours, the film runs longer than most of its kind, but the pacing keeps it consistently absorbing. Kümel maintains the hypnotic bizarreness throughout, creating a mood that lingers long after the final shot.
Radiance Films’ Blu-ray™, sourced from a new 4K restoration overseen by Kümel, offers impressive audio and video quality. The only disappointment is the lack of a true 4K disc.
This limited edition release comes stacked with extra features. Highlights include an audio commentary by Kümel and assistant director Françoise Levie, numerous interviews (both newly recorded and archival), and featurettes. Also included is the film’s original Cannes cut (in standard definition) and one of the director’s early short films — “The Warden of the Tomb.” The included Cannes cut represents an earlier version of the film that is not the director’s preferred version — a point he elaborates on in his newly recorded interview. An 80-page booklet with writing about the film rounds out this limited edition.
“Malpertuis” won’t appeal to everyone, but those willing to surrender to its weirdness will find much to admire in Kümel’s work. Overall, this is another standout release from Radiance.
Now available on a Limited Edition Blu-ray™ from RADIANCE
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