Product: Malpertuis ( Malpertuis: Histoire d'une maison maudite ) ( Malpertuis: The Legend of Doom House ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Belgium ]
Rating: 5.0
Think Bava meets Pasolini...
This gorgeous art-house shocker is a winner, but I'm one of the few who prefer the 1971 theatrical cut to the 2002 directors cut. (Thankfully, both are included here.)Why, you may ask? Didn't the director restore all the missing footage and present the film as intended to be seen? Well, sort of. He also REMOVED certain shots and dialogue that were in the original, mostly the more campy, fantastical bits. This is similar to what happened when Picnic At Hanging Rock was restored - the director took a look and said, "Whoops! Kitsch!!! Cut it!" Now, however embarrassed you may be about past work, why edit a restored version and present it shorter, or at least incomplete?Sylvie Vartan's song and dance number in the club Venus is butchered here, intercut with dialogue.A lot of the new version's editing and fades seem a bit abrupt and unpolished, why not bring in the best in editing for such a prestigious project?Another peeve, why present the "uncut" restored director's cut in DUTCH, when it was shot in English sync-sound? We are even shown behind the scenes footage of the cast doing their scenes in English, which makes it weirder.Well, at any rate, the director's cut looks gorgeous, much better than the theatrical version on disc 2, sadly. I do agree with the new, more slower pacing... and the added scenes all work brillantly. If only they had just added them in English and not messed with the rest of the film.