{"id":32217,"date":"2025-10-13T10:04:51","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=32217"},"modified":"2025-10-13T10:04:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T17:04:51","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review-malpertuis-1971","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=32217","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! Blu-ray Review: MALPERTUIS (1971)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films will\nbe available to purchase on October 15th<\/sup>, 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are cult films known for their surreal and unique\nqualities, and there are cult titles in which the story behind the making of\nthe picture is just as bizarre. Such is the case with the arthouse horror\neffort Malpertuis<\/em> aka The Legend of Doom House<\/em>, an international\nco-production from Belgium, France and West Germany and adaptation of a popular\nbook by Jean Ray. It was helmed by Belgian rising star director Harry K\u00fcmel.\nAnd, the production boasted a relatively healthy budget (thanks to the involvement\nof United Artists) as well as a strong cast. This was a much buzzed about film\nwhen it premiered at Cannes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But at the festival, the director revealed that there were\nbehind-the-scenes issues and that he didn\u2019t approve of the version being shown\nto audiences. He stated that an editor assigned to the production by United\nArtists had chopped it up, presenting the story in a flat and bland way. Not\nonly that, but the filmmaker was, at the same time, working on his own cut of\nthe movie for release in the Netherlands. His edition would correct what he\nconsidered were the numerous issues with the studio version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, the response to the film at Cannes was poor and it ended\nup being a big flop. By the time K\u00fcmel completed his proper version of the\nstory and released it in the Netherlands six months later, the majority of\nmovie fans had moved on. But over the years, the fan base of Malpertuis<\/em>\nhas grown and K\u00fcmel\u2019s longer cut has turned into a genuine cult item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, Radiance Films is, for the first time ever, presenting\nthe movie as a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray. The disc contains the director\u2019s\n125-minute Flemish cut, as well as the 99-minute Cannes version (which appears\non the disc as an extra). The elements have been given a 4K restoration for\nthis presentation, which was supervised by Harry K\u00fcmel and the release contains\na ton of bonus material that shed light on what happened during production, and\nthe various obstacles the director faced. If you appreciate arthouse horror,\nthen this is likely a disc you\u2019ll want to pick up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As mentioned, this is a surreal arthouse picture with horror\nelements, so it doesn\u2019t function like a typical genre or even narrative film.\nThe plot follows Jan (Mathieu Carri\u00e8re) a sailor who returns to his hometown to\nfind it, well, deserted. His childhood home has even been turned into a\nstorefront. After being knocked unconscious in a bar, he is greeted by sister\nNancy (Susan Hampshire). It looks like they’re in a ship\u2019s cabin, but it is\nrevealed that he has been taken to Malpertuis, the home of his uncle, Cassavius\n(Orson Welles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malpertuis is an isolated, dilapidated mansion where all the\nrooms are different and the estate is seemingly impossible to exit. Cassavius\nis about to die, and invites all his predatory relatives for a will reading. He\nexplains that his massive fortune will be spread among the attendees, but only\nif they spend the rest of their lives at Malpertuis and never leave. The group\nare shocked and begin hatching plans to get out (and with the money), while Jan\ndoes his best to adapt to the odd situation. But there is so much weirdness\noccurring it becomes difficult for the lead to comprehend what is going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is a clear beginning, middle and end to this story,\nbut it contains a great deal of surreal and interpretive scenes. It is almost\nlike watching an eerie dream unfold, with its lead character struggling to get\na grip on his surroundings. And that reaction is completely understandable.\nSome of the curious individuals besides those introduced include two other\nfemales in the family who look exactly like the sister (they are also played by\nSusan Hampshire). There is also an odd relative who lives in the walls named\nLampernisse (Jean-Pierre Cassel), a creepy taxidermist Philarette (Charles\nJanssens) who looks eager to make Jan into his next stuffed figure, as well as\nthe stuffy, greedy, yet also philandering Dideloo (Michel Bouquet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the characters are strange, the environment is every bit\nas odd. This is a visually impressive movie, from the eerie and completely\nempty street exteriors (including an eerily foggy and unwelcoming garden), to\nlong hallways lit by flames, a stairwell reminiscent of an eyeball, and a\nvariety of large rooms with completely different styles and looks. One even has\nlight that is cast from sources in a room actually painted on its walls. It all\nfeels unwelcome and like something right out of a nightmare. If you let\nyourself view it like you\u2019re seeing someone\u2019s unsettling dream and just watch\nthe individual try to find his way out, it\u2019s an engaging and impressive\nexperience. The images are striking and, as abnormal as it all is, I found the\nreveal effective and satisfying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another thing to note is that the longer version is, by far,\nthe better one. It allows more time to get into the rhythm of the film and\nexplains more about the characters that pays off at the end. The shorter\nedition does feel quicker and choppier, losing a lot of the atmosphere, and\nsomehow leaving viewers even more baffled by the events occurring. Even some of\nthe effects shots are different, more elaborate and memorable in the long cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The image quality on display isn’t reference material, but it is a big step up from earlier editions. This film has a layer of grain and isn\u2019t always perfectly sharp, but is consistent and keeping with the way the picture was lensed. The new restoration does make the colors and sets bolder and clearer, allowing for the eye to see far more of the incredible details in the rooms, including props and costumes. It\u2019s likely as good as this film will ever look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And there are far more extras on the disc than I was\nexpecting. The first is a director commentary with K\u00fcmel, along with Fran\u00e7oise\nLevie, who was on set as an assistant during the production (her father was\nalso one of the producers). The pair go over all of their memories of shooting\nthe film. One of the director\u2019s most asked questions was about working with\nWelles. K\u00fcmel makes it clear that while he liked Orson \u201cas a person\u201d, the\nperformer was very difficult on-set. He noted the actor\u2019s insecurities when\nothers in the same scenes were doing good work. Welles would frequently insist\non close-ups of himself when they weren\u2019t necessary, driving accomplished\ndirector of photography Gerry Fisher (Hamlet, Ned Kelly, Man in the\nWilderness, Juggernaut, Wolfen, Highlander, Black Rainbow, Exorcist III<\/em>) up\nthe wall. These are very amusing stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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K\u00fcmel also honestly talks about what occurred behind the\nscenes. United Artists assigned an editor to the picture while shooting, and\nafter a few days, K\u00fcmel realized that the new employee wasn\u2019t working. He\nadmits the editor was talented, but became upset that the crew member was\ntransforming his surrealist effort into a straightforward genre picture. His\nproducers wouldn\u2019t listen, until late in the production when K\u00fcmel cut some of\nthe film together himself. They agreed they had made a mistake, that his cut\nwas better, and agreed to pay him to create his own Flemish version for release\nin the Netherlands. The director also talks about the unfortunate premiere at\nCannes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K\u00fcmel also states how impressed he was by Susan Hampshire\nand her work taking on three parts in the film, mentioning that he also took a\nmeeting with Catherine Deneuve for the role early on. Ultimately, he was glad\nthat it ended up being Hampshire. The director even discusses elements of the\nfilm that he isn\u2019t crazy about, believing that he miscast one of the characters\nin the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also an interview with K\u00fcmel that goes into many of\nthese aspects of the film and more, including additional and fascinating tales\nabout his involvement in the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll also get a great 2005 documentary on the film that\ndetails K\u00fcmel\u2019s career leading up to this production. It features interview\nfootage with star Mathieu Carri\u00e8re and his unusual appearance in the picture.\nThe actor notes that he didn\u2019t even recognize himself while shooting his part.\nThe doc is strangely dismissive of K\u00fcmel\u2019s previous hit, Daughters of\nDarkness <\/em>(which will soon be receiving a release from Radiance Films as\nwell)<\/em>, but it does acknowledge the movie\u2019s effectiveness. The earlier\nfilm was intended as a homage and satire of European horror movies. Apparently,\nthere was a lot of heat and interest around K\u00fcmel at the time, and many\nperformers wanted to work with him, even though they weren\u2019t entirely certain\nif the hit film was an intentional riff on genre cliches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there is a nifty featurette on the casting of Welles and\nhow he became involved in the project. International productions often attempt\nto cast a known American in their movies to secure interest and a release in\nthat part of the world. While the producers initially thought that even asking\nWelles was absurd, the actor immediately agreed to their offer (he just ended\nup being very difficult when he arrived on shooting days). This extra includes\nrare outtakes of Welles from the shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, you\u2019ll get a special featurette on Susan\nHampshire. Also made in 2005, it includes an interview, screen tests and\ncontributions from cast and crew on the talented performer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If that wasn\u2019t enough, an archival interview from 1971\nBelgian television is included. Co-star Michel Bouquet and Harry K\u00fcmel talk\nabout Malpertuis <\/em>and the issues with the version shown at Cannes.\nBouquet is incredibly supportive of his director, stating that his cut is\nvastly superior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more. An archival interview with Jean Ray aka\nJean Flanders is included. He was the author of the novel and talks about his\nexperiences working with K\u00fcmel on this film andhow they came to know\neach other. In another brief bonus, K\u00fcmel visits some of the exterior locations\nused in the movie (the film was shot in Gent and Bruges, Belgium).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A well-regarded, black and white 37-minute short from K\u00fcmel\nis also included on the disc. It\u2019s an adaptation of a Franz Kafka play called The\nWarden of the Tomb<\/em> and is very impressive in its own right. A trailer for Malpertuis\n<\/em>is also included on the disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all comes with an 80-page booklet featuring writing on\nthe movie from multiple film experts, and a reversible sleeve featuring\noriginal and newly commissioned art for the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, this is an incredible package of an important and\nnoteworthy (as well as hard-to-find) feature film. Malpertuis <\/em>isn\u2019t\nnecessarily for slasher fans, but it is a well-mounted and creepy picture with\nhaunting imagery that stays with you long after the credits roll. This amazing\n\u201cLimited Edition” Blu-ray boasts an image upgrade over previous editions,\nand comes with hours of bonus features that help one understand not only the\nfilm, but what a challenging task it was to put it all together. This is yet\nanother phenomenal release from Radiance Films.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Radiance Films will be available to purchase on October 15th, 2025. There are cult films known for their surreal and unique qualities, and there are cult titles in which the story behind the making of the picture is just as bizarre. Such is the case with the arthouse horror effort […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":32222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[101,1851,2492,3073,6251,7798,12988,12989,12990,15491,16584,19397,24110],"class_list":["post-32217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-101","tag-arthouse","tag-belgium","tag-blu-ray-review","tag-drama","tag-france","tag-malpertuis","tag-malpertuis-blu-ray-review","tag-malpertuis-review","tag-orson-welles","tag-radiance-films","tag-surreal","tag-west-germany"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32217\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}