Malpertuis (1971)

Director:

Harry Kümel

Writers:

Jean Ferry (writer)
Jean Ray (novel)

Release Date:

28 June 1974 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Malpertuis is a labyrinth where characters issued from the Greek mythology are made prisoners by Cassavius (Orson Welles)...

Plot Keywords:

Prometheus | Alternative Reality | Story Within The Story | Fire | Architecture

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Orson Welles	...	Cassavius
Susan Hampshire	...	Nancy / Euryale / Alice / Nurse
Michel Bouquet	...	Dideloo
Mathieu Carrière	...	Jan
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Lampernisse
Daniel Pilon	...	Mathias Crook
Walter Rilla	...	Eigengott
Dora van der Groen	...	Sylvie Dideloo
Charles Janssens	...	Philarette
Sylvie Vartan	...	Bets
Jet Naessens	...	Eleonora
Cara Van Wersch	...	Rosalie
Jenny Van Santvoort	...	Elodie
Fanny Winkler	...	Mother Griboin
Robert Lussac	...	Griboin (as Bob Storm)

Also Known As:

Malpertuis: Histoire d'une maison maudite (Belgium: French title)
Malpertuis: The Legend of Doom House
The Legend of Doom House (USA)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

France | Belgium | West Germany

Language:

Dutch

Color:

Color (Gevacolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | UK:18

Company:

Artémis Productions

Beautiful work of Art a dreamlike voyage beyond time and space

I have just viewed, for the first time, this incredible film on a very poor quality video tape, released by MPV, Motion Pictures on Video in 1987 and running ninety minutes. Having only ever read about this work in an encyclopedia of Horror cinema, nothing could have prepared me for this intense, captivating vision which induced feelings of great humbleness, childlike wonderment and joy in this adult viewer. Film as art, beautiful, haunting, arresting the senses like little else. The only other comparable works i have witnessed to use colour and lighting to create such a rich and complete composed effect, as is in evidence throughout this sublime and surreal trip, are the films of : Michael Powell and Martin Scorsese. The Red Shoes and Tales of Hoffman, Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Or David Lynch's Blue Velvet and David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch. Or Dario Argento's Suspiria and Inferno. All of whom, bar Michael Powell, must surely have been influenced by Malpertuis. This then is a heart felt plea to Anchor Bay / Blue Underground / Criterion Collection to do whatever is necessary to track down this lost treasure, to the ends of the earth if required, and make it available on the highest quality dvd release possible. I understand there exists at least two versions, great, make it a double disc affair track down Harry Kümel for a commentary track and make this and many other lovers of the moving image, very very happy. My score an assured 10 / 10