The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 8, 2026

Maurice Tourneur's "The Devil's Hand" (1943) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include Pierre-Henri Gilbert's documentary "Continental: French Cinema in The Devil's Hand?"; new audio commentary by critic James Oliver; and new video essay by critic Samm Deighan. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I lost everything in Monte Carlo.

In a remote corner of the French Alps, at a secluded inn, several guests gather around the bar, drinking and trying to predict how long it will take for the terrible winter weather to settle so they can return to civilization. All of their guesses are pessimistic because a massive avalanche has effectively erased the only road in the area.

But several hours after the avalanche, while the weather continues to deteriorate, a one-handed man, visibly spooked by distant gunshots, emerges from the thick shadows of the night and enters the inn. Two patrolling cops searching for a fugitive stop by, too, but quickly leave. After calming down, the one-handed man then reluctantly reveals to the suspicious owner and guests of the inn that his name is Roland Brissot (Pierre Fresnay) and that he is an artist, and that his fate is linked to the severed hand in the black box he has brought with him. Then, having dramatically changed the mood in the room, Brissot shares a most unusual story.

Not too long ago, Brissot was a struggling artist who fell in love with a girl named Irene (Josseline Gael). She was indescribably beautiful and classy, the type of girl a man would happily marry, tirelessly cherish, and protect until his last breath. However, Irene was also the type of girl who did not find poor men attractive. In a moment of desperation and under the influence of alcohol, to win her heart, Brissot then obtained the severed hand, a property of the Devil (Pierre Palau), and later used its magic powers to paint some of the greatest paintings France has ever seen, instantly improving his chances of marrying Irene. When Irene eventually became his wife, Brissot attempted to sell the severed hand at a loss -- the only way one could permanently get rid of it -- but suddenly realized that he had been trapped. The severed hand had been with so many gullible sinners that it had reached its lowest price, one sou, and could no longer be resold at a loss. In yet another moment of desperation, Brissot then made an already bad deal even worse. When the Devil offered to take back the severed hand at a rapidly rising price and release his soul, Brissot agreed, not realizing that this time he had been set up to lose both.

The final portion of Brissot’s story features two major twists, both typically overanalyzed and used by mainstream critics to redefine it as a single political statement targeting France, its leadership, and identity under Nazi occupation. However, while Brissot’s story has elements enabling political parallels, and its resolution clearly telegraphs a message about perseverance in the face of great evil, it is not as narrow and period-specific as argued by mainstream critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, the exact opposite is true. It is a universal story, a variation of the same timeless, great story that other films from the 1940s, like All That Money Can Buy and Alias Nick Beal, were reintroducing, too.

Maurice Tourneur worked with an original screenplay by Jean-Paul Le Chanois, who had adapted Gerard de Nerval’s novella La Main du Diable. In English-speaking markets, Tourneur’s film has been distributed under two different titles: The Devil’s Hand and Carnival of Sinners.

*Eureka Entertainment’s release presents a restoration of The Devil’s Hand, completed on behalf of the French studio Gaumont, which made its debut in France in 2010.

The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Devil's Hand arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release features a restoration of the film that was prepared on behalf of the French studio Gaumont, which made its high-definition debut in France in 2010. I would describe it as good. However, while virtually all visuals boast very pleasing delineation, clarity, and depth, certain areas of the film, especially from its first half, could have benefitted from additional stabilization enhancements. Indeed, quite often, in the bottom part of the frame, it is easy to notice very light flicker/shakiness and even light weaving. The effects are not distracting, but there are modern digital tools that can easily eliminate them. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Grain exposure can be somewhat uneven, but this is to be expected given the age of the film and the surviving materials. The grayscale is good. In fact, I wish to mention that this release as properly set gamma levels that display correctly all blacks, grays, and whites. This is not the case on this French release. Image stability is good. Lastly, the surface of the visuals is not plagued by any distracting age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The narration and all exchanges are clear and easy to follow. There are no obvious stability issues, either. However, there are small yet noticeable fluctuations affecting dynamic strength and variety. This is largely an unavoidable development on the majority of older films from the 1930s and 1940s, and especially the ones for which the surviving elements are not in top condition. So, if you notice thinning and some dynamic inconsistencies, you should not link them to questionable restoration work. The English translation is excellent. Also, the size of the English subtitles is perfect.

The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Continental: French Cinema in The Devil's Hand? - this archival documentary, produced by Pierre-Henri Gilbert, takes a closer look at the establishment and output of Continental Films and its relationship with Joseph Goebbels, as well as its relationship with famous directors like Henri-Georges Clouzot (Le Corbeau) and Maurice Tourneur, who made The Devil's Hand. The documentary features interviews with screenwriter Jean Cosmos (On Guard), documentarian and restorer Serge Bromberg (Lobster Films), and film historian Pierre Billard, amongst others. In French, with English subtitles. (47 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic James Oliver.

• The Devil's in the Details - this new video essay was created by critic Samm Deighan. (19 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on director Maurice Tourneur by French cinema expert Barry Nevin, as well as technical credits.

The Devil's Hand Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Devil's Hand is effective and remembered for the same reasons All That Money Can Buy and Alias Nick Beal are. It is well-acted and produces a fine, thought-provoking variation of the same timeless story. This variation has a few elements enabling political parallels, but they do not transform it into a single political statement targeting France, its leadership, and identity under Nazi occupation, as mainstream critics have argued. Eureka Entertainment's release presents an old but good restoration of The Devil's Hand, prepared on behalf of French studio Gaumont. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.