Just when I think Radiance Films can’t possibly find any more amazing, largely unknown gems, they drop this genre masterpiece featuring Orson Welles. Even better, director Harry Kümel’s 1971 spacey trip into gothic surrealism is presented here in a new 4K restoration in his definitive 125-minute Flemish cut. The original 100-minute Cannes cut is also presented as a curio, reportedly a hastily-assembled hack job required by partner studio United Artists and forever despised by Kümel.
Buy Malpertuis Blu-rayWelles plays the ailing patriarch of a large extended family who gathers his eccentric relatives at his sprawling and surreal gothic mansion before his impending death. He’s bedridden and fading fast, but still has his final ace to play as he informs his family of his peculiar will. He decrees that they will all inherit his massive wealth as long as they agree to remain at the estate for the rest of their lives, with the final two survivors required to marry. Upon his death, the games between family members begin, as they quickly tire of sitting around the creepy mansion but begin meeting grisly deaths whenever anyone attempts to leave.
Kümel leans on the peculiarities of his cast and the sensationally surreal production design to craft a stunner. He moves the principal plot along with crisp efficiency, while also leaving enough breathing room for the inherent weirdness of the scenario and the poor unfortunate souls populating it. Really the only time the narrative grinds to a halt is the best place for it: the Welles deathbed scenes. As detailed by Kümel in the bonus features, Welles was his typical boozy diva self on set, basically taking over direction of his scenes as he enforced his vision for the character, camera placement, and demotion of his perplexed international co-stars. It’s a hoot watching him hold the entire set hostage, but it also works perfectly for the domineering character asserting his will over his family.
Welles is obviously the big acting draw, but the cast is stacked with other notable stars including French titans Michel Bouquet and Jean-Pierre Cassel, as well as Emmy-winning English actress Susan Hampshire in three different roles. Other smaller parts are filled with intriguing character actors bringing unique flair to the project from all across Europe. The lead actor and protagonist of the film is Mathieu Carriere, who Kümel bitterly refers to in a new interview as “not much of a thespian.” His blandness actually isn’t much a detriment to the film since he’s playing an innocent outlier unfamiliar with the ways of the family and their spooky mansion. He’s also a calming contrast to the unhinged, scene-chewing Welles.
Radiance’s 3000-copy limited edition is the world Blu-ray premiere of the film, and arrives in an attention-grabbing sturdy slipcase roughly the depth of two DVD cases, looking more like a multi-season TV box set than a single film product. While the disc is in a standard Criterion-style case, it’s paired with an 80-page book stuffed with stills and essays about the film and Kümel’s career. The film received a 4K restoration in 2023 from the original negative as overseen by Kümel, and the results are spectacular, with brilliant color grading, full clarity even in the darkest scenes, and virtually no noticeable defects. Both the 1972 Cannes cut and a 1973 French director’s cut were scanned and utilized to reconstruct this new, definitive Flemish cut.
The disc contains a treasure trove of lengthy new and archival features about the film, as well as the complete Cannes cut viewable in English or French. Miraculously, one of the features includes multiple unedited takes of Welles’ scenes, allowing viewers to bask in the full majesty of his wine-soaked madness. Perhaps more surprisingly, Kümel is still totally sharp in his mid-80s, supplying a brand new 20-minute interview filled with his insights on the film. He’s also featured in an archival documentary about the film from 2005, and in a 1972 TV interview along with Bouquet and original novel writer Jean Ray. Hampshire also recounts her memories and challenges playing three roles in a 2005 interview. Other assorted features aren’t quite as essential, but the disc concludes with an early 37-minute Kümel film in black and white that lays some groundwork for Malpertuis, albeit with distinctly New Wave framing announcing its artiness.
After a wait of over five decades, Kümel’s vision is finally and brilliantly realized in this enthralling gothic triumph. Welles may have been a rogue element during its production, but there’s no denying the mystique he adds to the already mesmerizing film. Rounded out with a spectacular collection of new and archival bonus features, Radiance’s latest discovery is an absolute must buy.
