La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2026

It's quite possible that the name Jean-Pierre Mocky doesn't ring any significant bells on this side of the pond for one reason or the other, but if Mocky arguably never attained the worldwide (or at least United States) renown that some of his contemporaries did, he was curiously adjacent to a whole host of legends and movements. Radiance is offering a chance to see Mocky as performer, writer and/or director in two simultaneous releases on Blu-ray, this 1959 effort and 1970's Solo. The films together along with some really interesting supplements may help to introduce this fascinating figure who was the very model of a modern multi-hyphenate.

Longtime readers of my reviews know that I went down a Frances Farmer rabbit hole fairly early in my journalistic life, something that then introduced me to cinematic treatments of mental illness and institutional "care". La Tête contre les murs according to some of the supplements on this disc was the first French film to delve into these issues a la The Snake Pit or the much later One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or indeed Frances itself. Mocky portrays François Gérane, who basically runs afoul of his father and is committed, in a kind of gender reversal of some of the (largely fictional) depictions in the Jessica Lange / Kim Stanley feature.

François unsurprisingly finds out that other inmates at the asylum are, like him, far from crazy, including an epileptic named Heurtevent ("French Frank Sinatra" Charles Aznavour in an acclaimed performance). Repeated escape attempts probably brand François as something of a progenitor for Randle McMurphy, and rather presciently in that regard (at least in terms of depictions in the two above linked later films) the horrors of lobotomy hover menacingly, if not quite as overtly as in Cuckoo's Nest or Frances.

There's therefore some of the same "Ernest Thesiger" Mad Doctor quality to the psychiatrists in this film that also pervades Frances and Cuckoo's Nest, albeit with a gender switch and slight career differentiation in the latter film. Probably unavoidably given the basic trajectory of the narrative, there's also a similar nihilism on display here that presages both Cuckoo's Nest and Frances in particular. (It's kind of interesting to chart the course of supporting character psychiatrists from relatively "helpful" in The Snake Pit to downright adversarial in later films.) A very striking Anouk Aimée is on hand as the ostensible love interest, though of course romance is hard when one partner is locked away in the looney bin (in a supplement on this disc Mocky details having a pretty ardent crush on Aimée during the filming). The result is a disturbing, emotionally devastating, portrait that certainly deserves a wider audience.

La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

La Tête contre les murs is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. A prefatory text card announces a 4K restoration, and the insert booklet contains a bit more information:

La Tête contre les murs was restored in 4K by the Éclair Classics laboratory with support from the CNC and supervised by Mocky Delicious Products.

Without punning too horribly, this is in fact a pretty delicious looking transfer that ably reproduces the at times noir inflected chiaroscuro cinematography of Eugen Schüfftan quite admirably. There's really nicely modulated gray scale throughout the presentation, and blacks are impressively deep. Contrast is consistently inviting and densities secure, with some slight fluctuations in both with regard to some outdoor location footage. Detailing is precise looking throughout. There's arguably just a bit of crush in some of the darkest scenes, but it's really pretty minimal. The restoration has removed any egregious damage or other signs of age related wear and tear. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

La Tête contre les murs features a problem free LPCM Mono track in the original French. I'm going to offer a tenuous mea culpa about some previous remarks about Maurice Jarre contributing anachronistic (if pretty iconic) scores at times, because really interesting work on this film is one of the pluses of the audio presentation, especially some of the brass voicings. The sound design isn't especially layered, but outdoor material does offer some passing ambient effects and all dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented. Optional English subtitles are available.

La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Jean-Pierre Mocky (HD; 10:00) reminisces in this 2008 interview. He's obviously incredibly accomplished, but both here and in supplements on Solo he may come off as a bit self aggrandizing, though charmingly so. Subtitled in English.


• Georges Franju and Charles Aznavour (HD; 11:40) are presented in 1958 television interviews. Subtitled in English.


• Éric Le Roy (HD; 26:08) is a former assistant to Mocky and offers some interesting information about the production.

Radiance's insert booklet offers a chapter from Raymond Durgnat's book on Franju, the fascinating documentarian who directed this film. Radiance's typical packaging accoutrements like a reversible sleeve and Obi strip are also included.

La Tête contre les murs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While some aspects of this story probably can't help but come off as somewhat hackneyed to contemporary sensibilities exposed to all sorts of films and television properties about horrifying mental institutions, there's a really solid emotional component here, especially with regard to a rather amazing performance by Aznavour. Technical merits are excellent and the supplements enjoyable. Highly recommended.