Acclaimed as one of cinema's finest anti-war movies, Abel Gance's rousing indictment of warfare is as powerful and relevant today as it was on its original release in 1938 Having experienced the horror of the First World War, idealistic poet Jean Diaz (Victor Francen, A Farewell to Arms) turns to technology in a bid to prevent further barbarity. But a meddling and unscrupulous bureaucracy allows Jean's plans to be hijacked as Europe slides towards another great conflict. Using his epic 1919 silent version of the film as a template, Gance pits mankind's romanticism against its capacity for savagery. Originally released on the eve of the Second World War (and the same year as Jean Renoir's La Grande Illusion), J'accuse urges us to honour the memory of the fallen by learning the lessons of a catastrophic past. Special Features: Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition New audio commentary by Paul Cuff Stills and special collections gallery Illustrated booklet with full film credits, reviews and a new essay by Paul Cuff
When the terminally ill Count Hervé de Kerloquen (Pierre Brasseur, Goto, Isle of Love) vanishes without trace, his heirs are told that they have to wait five years before he can be declared legally dead, forcing them to devise ways of paying for the upkeep of the vast family château in the meantime. While they set about transforming the place into an elaborate son et lumière tourist attraction, they are beset by a series of tragic accidents if that's really what they are The little-known third feature by the great French maverick Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face, Judex) is a delightfully playful romp through Agatha Christie territory, whose script (written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac of Les Diaboliques and Vertigo fame) is mischievously aware of the hoariest old murder-mystery clichés and gleefully exploits as many of them as possible. They're equally aware of the detective story's antecedents in the Gothic novel, a connection that Franju is only too happy to emphasise visually at every opportunity thanks to his magnificent main location. A young Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Conformist, Amour) is amongst the Kerloquen heirs. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of the feature, restored by Gaumont Uncompressed French Mono 1.0 PCM Audio Optional English subtitles Vintage production featurette from 1960, shot on location and including interviews with Georges Franju and actors Pascale Audret, Pierre Brasseur, Marianne Koch, Dany Saval and Jean-Louis Trintignant Original theatrical trailer Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Booklet featuring new writing on the film by Chris Fujiwara
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