THE DEVIL’S HAND

****

Directed by Maurice Tourneur.

Starring Pierre Fresnay, Josseline Gaёl, Noёl Roquevert.

Horror, France, 80 Minutes, Certificate PG.

Released on Limited Edition Blu-ray by Eureka Entertainment on March 16th

When talking about classic French horror, the usual suspects of LES DIABOLIQUES and LES YEUX SANS VISAGE are always brought up in the conversation. Not that there is anything wrong with that but there is an untapped vein of cinema that is still waiting to be rediscovered by today’s audience. Kudos once more goes to Eureka Entertainment for their recent work in highlighting and releasing several examples of lesser known European genre cinema and for now placing Marice Tourneur’s THE DEVIL’S HAND firmly under the spotlight with this nicely presented Blu-ray edition. Produced in 1943 at the height of Nazi occupation, this vintage film still stands out as a singular and atmospheric take on dealing with the devil with a generous helping of atmosphere and memorable imagery as well as retaining a certain Gallic charm.

Based on romantic poet Gérard de Nerval’s 1927 novel, this zippy film wastes no time in getting down to business. Beginning at a packed out and avalanche stricken hotel in the Alps, the guests find themselves disturbed by the arrival of the one handed Roland. Carrying a box by his side at all times, the troubled man tells his captive audience of how he came to end up here and the sinister circumstances that seemed to have taken place since his arrival. Years before, Roland was a broke and struggling artist before he came upon the opportunity to acquire a distinctive talisman. In the shape of a crooked hand the disembodied appendage immediately turns his fortunes around both professionally and romantically, but like all Faustian deals there is a catch where he must sell the cursed hand before his death to avoid eternal damnation. Such a simple task is made impossible by a cruel set of circumstances which has driven Roland across the continent and to the edge of his sanity.

Maurice Tourneur (father of Jacques Tourneur, who directed the classic CAT PEOPLE one year before in 1942) presents the tale through a lens that often dips into surrealism and the impressionistic with its often striking imagery. As the film zips along this is never more apparent than towards the film's climax when Roland attends a fateful dinner where all the guests are decked out in costume and oversized carnival masks. The nightmarish edge of the film is nicely maintained up until this point when it reaches this still unsettling crescendo, marking the film out as well as any of its more celebrated genre stablemates from its home country and even the ubiquitous works that were being produced in the USA at the time.

This particular release of the film has a lot to recommend it for both longtime admirers and newcomers unfamiliar with its singular charms. As well as the film being presented in a 1080p HD restoration there is a side helping of extras that help place the context of the film within the extraordinary circumstances in which it was made. The documentary LA CONTINENTAL delves into the production company Continental Films, placed in France by Joseph Goebbels to help further the Nazi propaganda cause, only to be undermined by the studios producers and directors and surprisingly sympathetic studio head. No doubt this aspect of history is already familiar to anyone who watched Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, but this 45 minute documentary helps illuminate the matter even further with crystal clear clarity. 

Other extras include an audio commentary from critic James Oliver, a video essay from Samm Deighan that examines French cinema under occupation in detail that further drives the point home that it is a small miracle that this film, and a number of others managed to slip through the fascist net that nearly strangled the country in so many other ways. These educational supplements expertly complement a film that still entertains and beguiles. Although some details of the story may be more than familiar to audiences of today this is still a film that deserves more exposure and to be rediscovered, especially in this excellent release.

Iain MacLeod