Malpertuis (1971)

A sailor stops by his old town, realizes his family's home had been removed, attempts to find his sister, gets stuck in a bar fight over a dance hall girl, gets hit across the skull knocking him unconscious, awakening in the home of his bedridden uncle, Cassavius(Orson Welles). The sailor is Jan, portrayed by blonde headed, blue-eyed, scrawny Mathieu Carrière(Born for Hell), and he, at first, just wishes to leave but his demanding uncle has something of importance to tell him regarding a will which could prove profitable if he decides not to leave. Within the house are an eccentric group of oddballs, all attempting to appease their master, hoping to leave Malpertuis once Cassavius kicks the bucket. Even still, Jan has no desire to stay until a ravishing red head, Euryale(Susan Hampshire who plays multiple roles, presenting an astonishing range, making three specific characters completely unique and different, a multi-faceted performance that deserves praise), his cousin, arrives, throwing his life into torment. The proposition in Cassavius' will is for those inside Malpertuis to remain until one couple survives, gaining the inheritance. Relatives and hired help, the greedy vultures they are, remain, awaiting for the chance to gain the giant piggy-bank and property entitled if they can outlast their peers. Meanwhile, Jan decides to trek through the halls, mysterious rooms, and spiral staircases of Malpertuis, a massive ring containing an army of keys, hoping to unlock the secrets of the place, hoping to understand Cassavius. Along the way, Jan discovers that Malpertuis may be much, much more than just a mansion, and those people within it's walls could be more than they appear. The film incorporates dream logic which has you wondering what Jan might experience next. We are, in a sense, on the same surreal journey as Jan is, experiencing what he does, bombarded by unpredictable behavior, always yearning to learn more. Lots of symbolism, and director Harry Kümel(Daughters of Darkness)establishes the importance of faces..through the multiple characters portrayed by Hampshire(..as not only Euryale, the one Jan desires and seemingly can not touch, but also his beloved sister, Nancy, and a lusting Alice who openly engages him for sexual favors, longing to be "human", despite what she "really is"), we realize that what we are seeing isn't a real world as we know it. The mansion itself(..the astonishing spiral staircases and endless rooms/halls)is a veritable maze, about as maddening as the unusual characters which inhabits it's domain. We keep discovering, like Jan, new things regarding the characters that remain in Malpertuis, and what their true relation to him(..in a dream, faces of people that exist often derive from those you have contacted in real life). Harry Kümel's visual style is magnificent and his camera vividly captures the nuances of this remarkable habitat observing what Jan sees. Everything from the art direction(..every room produces a different kind of mood, and yields a startling color/atmosphere all it's own)to the editing(..the way Kümel is able to feature three Hampshires in one single room is awe-inspiring), everything's first-rate, developed with top-notch skill. Color me impressed because I hadn't ever heard of it's existence until just recently, and I'm thankful I had an opportunity to see it. I watched the director's cut, dubbed into French with English subtitles. Orson Welles, entirely in bed, commands the screen moving very little..it's simply amazing how much presence he had. Hampshire is positively divine, her beauty hypnotic at times. The twists at the end(..who these people are is revealed not once, but twice)really dazzle, but the pace slowly develops so many might grow impatient, but I couldn't wait to see what was gonna come next.

Harry Kümel's ambitious & courageous film version of Jean Ray's complex novel was offered one big chance to prove itself internationally and to instantly become a genre classic at the annual Cannes Film Festival in 1972. Sadly enough, the shown version – which later got rejected by the director – didn't impress any audiences then and by the time Kümel came trotting along with his very own (and much better) re-edited version of the film, containing over twenty minutes of extra footage, nobody really cared to see it anymore. Now that's a real pity, because in this restored version "Malpertuis" is a truly brilliant work of Gothic art and unquestionably one of the greatest movies ever made in Belgium. A lot more than in the international-orientated versions, the emphasis now lies on obscure mystery and claustrophobic set designs. Both versions are so incredibly different that the common plot summaries of the international Cannes version, which can be found in newspaper articles and movie websites, actually reveal the mysterious denouement of Kümel's ultimate re-edited version! Those reviews immediately explain what odd types of characters are living in the Malpertuis mansion whereas, in the 'correct' version, it is kept secret to the young protagonist Jan as well as to the viewer. I'm desperately trying not to include any spoilers in this user-comment while the same essential plot twists can be read everywhere over the internet… Evidently this film didn't appeal to anyone in Cannes! You can clearly see where it's going right away and thus the sophisticated and enormously stylish hints that are given to unravel the mystery yourself become completely pointless.The legendary Orson Welles stars in one of his last glorious roles, as the mighty and fearsome, albeit bed-ridden patriarch of the immense Malpertuis mansion who gathered an eccentric collection of people to announce his last will to. Among them is young sailor Jan, who swore that he would never set foot in Malpertuis ever again and he constantly tries to convince his sister Nancy to do the same. Quentin Cassavius' testament claims that there's a gigantic family fortune to divide, only none of the persons present is allowed to leave the mansion and the last remaining man and woman have to get married. Jan is determined to stay around as soon as he falls in love with the mysteriously beautiful Euryale, but other members of the pact that try to escape the domain are found dead soon after, causing hostility and unrest among the remaining members. Harry Kümel builds up the tension and unfolds the mystery like a genuine master, and all this without showing the slightest bit of graphic violence. Instead, he portrays the ominous mansion like an inescapable surreal dimension with endless dark corridors and spiral staircases. Secondary scenery, like paintings on the wall and statues in the grim attic, magnificently add to the wondrous Gothic atmosphere. Meanwhile, the constant elaboration of patterns and intrigues between the many supportive characters lead the story to one of the most grotesque and devastating climaxes in cinema ever. Of course, you'll only be truly enchanted by this climax if you haven't seen the English/French versions or read any plot descriptions before you watch it. Orson Welles and Mathieu Carrière are great but the true star is Susan Hampshire, playing no less than three different and very complex characters. Harry Kümel's "Malpertuis" is a small masterpiece, combining visual artwork with extraordinary plotting. An absolute must!

Yes, Malpertuis is extremely impressive, in my opinion the best Euro-horror movie! I read the Jean Ray book - which is by far my favorite horror writer - and the adaptation by Harry Kumel, altough not extremely tight to the novel, is quite decent.Sadly, this movie is nearly impossible to find...

Based on a novel by Jean Ray, Malpertuis is a "haunted" house, unescapable by those who live in it. Characters hiding their true nature, disguised as a "family" to which sailor Jean-Jacques returns unwillingly. Susan Hampshire plays 3 different characters beautifully, and Orson Welles is the perfect actor to play the dominating shadow. The film has an unreal, nightmarish atmosphere, and goes far beyond the scope of the book. Malpertuis is a labyrinth whose secrets are kept behind locked doors, and reveals itself as the film reaches its climax. We come to realize that the mind has as many labyrinths as the house itself. Full of mythology, dimly lit and spooky as dreams use to be ("what is life but a dream?"), Malpertuis is a cult. Jung would have loved it.