Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 26, 2025

To read various summaries of the 1943 novel Malpertuis, one might reasonably come to the conclusion the tome may have at least in some ways presaged such later efforts as American Gods , wherein "classic" (or even Classical) divinities are offered in (relatively?) human form. The original book evidently dealt with Greek gods being more or less imprisoned in human form by a magician, and if there are remnants of that idea admittedly still running through this now pretty infamous film adaptation, they may frankly be subsumed by so much else general weirdness that the very conceit almost fades into the background. Malpertuis had a rather rocky history as a feature, a history which is dealt with in some detail here in a really commendably rich assortment of supplemental material (both on disc and in terms of some of the packaging extras), with the result being that this version of the film is, kind of like Frankenstein's monster, cobbled together from leftover parts (see the video section below for some more information in that regard).

It's almost pointless to even describe the "plot" (such as it is) of Malpertuis, other than to indicate its focal character Jan (Mathieu Carrière) is a sailor who finds, Thomas Wolfe style, you can't go home again, though even that formulation seems to be undercut by the film's screenplay, which then finds Jan mysteriously transported to the titular mansion, which belongs to his Uncle Cassavius (Orson Welles) and which also houses his sister Nancy (Susan Hampshire, in just one of five roles she plays). Since Jan is both bewildered by and seemingly knowledgeable about his environs, things are already off to an unavoidably ambiguous start, something that certainly continues throughout an often baffling, circuitous "narrative".

The upshot of viewing Malpertuis is like seeing a kind of Gilliam-esque procession of visual excesses and bizarre characterizations. What it all means is anyone's guess (and at least director's Harry Kümel commentary and some of the other supplements provide some general guideposts), but Malpertuis is a bizarrely hypnotic experience that should certainly appeal to cult film lovers. To quote the very opening line Malpertuis rather cheekily offers (in an allusion to Alice in Wonderland), "It's pretty, but it's a bit difficult to understand".

Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots 1 through 15 are from the director's cut. Screenshots 16 through 19 are from the original cut made for Cannes.

Malpertuis is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

Malpertuis was restored in 2023 from the original negative and magnetic sound by the Royal Belgian Film Archive - Cinematek, with the support of 'A Season of Classic Films', an initiative of ACE - Association of European Cinematheques, which is part of the Creative MEDIA programme of the European Commission. The film exists in two versions, one presented at Cannes in 1972 by the producer and a French director's cut version made in 1973.
,br> Both version were scanned and used to reconstruct the Flemish version. The digital restoration was carried out in 4K. Color grading was carried out under the supervision of director [oops, looks like they forgot to credit Harry Kümel].

In some literal fine print at the bottom of the page is even more information:

Malpertuis was hastily edited by Richard Marden at the suggestion of United Artists in order to premier the film at the Cannes Film Festival. Kümel was unhappy with the process, and it was agreed that Marden would continue with the English and French version (the Cannes cut), while Kümel would edit the Dutch / Flemish version using remains of the negative and internegative made from the Cannes cut. Due to this process, the final version of the filme dited by Kümel himself, exhibits a number of technical downsides like the freeze frames in order for the edit to match the audio. Kümel worked intensely on the edit and sound mix for six months.

A slight redaction of the information immediately above is also offered on disc in the Play Menu. Getting past all of this interesting information, how does everything look? Things are frankly variable in both versions of the film offered on this disc. I'd probably argue that in terms of general consistency in overall clarity and grain structure, the Cannes edit probably comes out best, though its palette is considerably less dynamic than Kümel's own cut, and there's quite a bit of damage on tap at times. The director's version, here offered as the "main" feature, has been very aggressively graded (as Kümel gets into in some of the supplements), with both blues and reds really being quite a bit more vibrant in this version. That said, perhaps due to the limitations of the source(s) Kümel was left with, there's much wider variability in terms of clarity, fine detail levels and especially grain structure (which can almost approach a 16mm appearance at times). Even with the grading choices, the color timing of the director's cut struck me as slightly odd looking at times, almost like a restoration effort based off of a CRI. It's nowhere near that severe, to be clear, it's just slightly off kilter looking on occasion.

Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Malpertuis features an LPCM Mono track in Dutch, which means virtually everyone (including unfortunately the stentorian Orson Welles) is dubbed. While that, along with the above mentioned need for freeze frames, adds up to that oft mentioned "loose sync", in terms of overall sound quality there's really not much to warrant any major concern. There's a bit of background hiss and a pretty thin quality to the high end, but both score and sound effects are delivered without any issues. Dialogue including some voiceover is delivered clearly and cleanly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Harry Kümel and Francoise Levie


• Harry Kümel (HD; 19:43) is a new interview with the director.


• Jonathan Rigby (HD; 26:00) offers a lot of information and context in what may be the overall best starting place for those unacquainted with the film or its source novel.


• Malpertuis Archive (HD*; 3&:22) is a 2005 documentary by Erik Martens about the film which offers a ton of fantastic background on the actual production.


• Orson Welles Uncut (HD*; 25:54) offers interviews with the cast and crew and outtakes of Welles. This features Welles' actual voice.


• Susan Hampshire: One Actress, Three Parts (HD*; 11:43) is a 2005 piece with an interview with Hampshire as well as some screen tests and other comments by Harry Kümel and Gerry Fisher.


• Michel Bouquet and Harry Kümel (HD*; 13:36) is an archival television interview from 1971. Subtitled in English.


• Jean Ray, John Flanders 1887 - 1964 (HD*; 7:53) is a fascinating archival interview with the novel's author. Subtitled in English.


• Malpertuis Revisited (HD*; 4:54) features Harry Kümel revisiting some of the film's locations in 2005.


• Malpertuis: The Cannes Cut (HD; 1:43:52) is a really interesting "original" cut that was hastily edited for exhibition at the Cannes Film Festival, though Harry Kümel had nothing to do with it and disavowed it (hence the cut offered as the ostensible main feature on this disc). This cut utilizes different takes and also offers Orson Welles' original voice in the English version, with the French actors being dubbed. This is available with either English or French audio (in Dolby Digital Mono). It's described here as being offered as a "curio", but it's really rather intriguing on its own terms.
• Trailer (HD; 3:35)


• The Warden of the Tomb (HD; 36:43) is an early 1965 short film from Harry Kümel which adapts a 1917 play by Franz Kafka. This has several similarities to Malpertuis, though it's in black and white. Subtitled in English.

This is a very handsomely packaged release from Radiance, with newly commissioned artwork. The slipbox and rather elegant looking perfect bound booklet have very striking cover art. The booklet has five really well written and informative essays, along with the typical supply of stills. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve. Radiance's traditional accoutrements like an Obi strip are included.

Malpertuis Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another release where even a lot of the supplements can't shy completely away from some of the "messier" aspects of the film, but where those supplements are in fact so appealing that they kind of help to make up for any mess in the film. Malpertuis is completely gonzo from the get go, and my hunch is it should certainly appeal to anyone who likes Gilliam adjacent material. Technical merits are generally solid, especially when considering the history and context of the source elements, but it's the supplements that may really make this release stand out for some. Recommended.