Malpertuis
Licensor Information
Cinematek
Directed by: Harry Kümel
Featuring: Orson Welles, Susan Hampshire, Michel Bouquet, Charles Janssens, Mathieu Carrière, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Walter Rilla, Dora van der Groen, Daniel Pilon, Sylvie Vartan
Jan (Mathieu Carrière, Police Python 357), a sailor newly arrived onshore, is unsure about returning to land but makes the journey to visit his childhood home only to find it no longer there. He goes to Bar Venus and joins his friends but an altercation leaves him knocked out cold. He wakes up in Malpertuis, a gothic mansion presided over by his uncle, Cassavius (Orson Welles). All the inhabitants of Malpertuis are waiting for Cassavius to die and the opportunity to inherit his vast fortune. But Cassavius wishes anyone who inherits to stay there forever. Jan investigates as those who leave meet with mysterious deaths. Harry Kümel’s (Daughters of Darkness) phantasmagoria is a Matryoshka doll of fantastic ideas, realised with stunning photography by Gerry Fisher (The Exorcist III) and scored by Georges Delerue (Contempt). Newly restored and overseen by Kümel, it is released on Blu-ray for the first time in the world.
Details by Film
Malpertuis
Director's CutYear: 1971
Time: 125
Aspect Ratios
1.85:1
Audio
Dutch PCM Mono 1.0
Malpertuis
Cannes CutYear: 1971
Time: 104
Aspect Ratios
1.85:1
Audio
English Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
French Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Streaming Options
No streaming options currently available for this title in your region.
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Disc:
BD-50 (1 Disc)
Total: 1 Disc
Regions:
A/B/C (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Audio Options:
Dutch PCM Mono 1.0
English Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
French Dolby Digital Mono 2.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Audio Commentary, Interview, Documentary, Featurette, Television Program, Alternate Version, Short Film, Theatrical Trailer, Book
- Audio commentary by Harry Kümel and assistant director Françoise Levie (2005)
- New interview with Harry Kümel (2025, 20 mins)
- New interview with author and gothic horror expert Jonathan Rigby (2025, 26 mins)
- Malpertuis Archive - an archival documentary on the making of the film featuring Kümel, actor Mathieu Carrière and director of photography Gerry Fisher among others (2005, 37 mins)
- Orson Welles Uncut - a featurette on the casting of Welles, including rare outtakes of the actor (2005, 26 mins)
- Susan Hampshire: one actress, three parts - an archival interview with the actress, including screen tests and contributions from cast and crew (2005, 12 mins)
- Archival interview with Michel Bouquet and Harry Kümel from Belgian television (1971, 14 mins)
- Jean Ray, John Flanders 1887 - 1964 - an archival interview with the source novelist and co-writer of Malpertuis (2005, 8 mins)
- Malpertuis Revisited - Harry Kümel revisits locations from the film (2005, 4 mins)
- Malpertuis: The Cannes cut - the rejected version of the film which premiered in Cannes, viewable in French or English (100 mins, SD)
- The Warden of the Tomb - Kümel’s early film based on Franz Kafka’s play (1965, 37 mins)
- Trailer
- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound booklet featuring new writing by Lucas Balbo, Maria J. Pérez Cuervo, David Flint, Willow Catelyn Maclay, Jonathan Owen
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