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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Eyes Without a Face' or 'Les Yeux Sans Visage' or 'The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus' or 'House of Dr. Rasanoff' or 'Occhi senza volto')

directed by Georges Franju
France / Italy 1960

Inspiring countless horror filmmakers since it's 1960 release, Eyes Without a Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage) is the critically acclaimed film from Georges Franju. Disfigured in a car crash, Christine Génessier (Edith Scob) is forced to live wearing a mask, but her father Doctor Génessier (Pierre Brasseur) believes that he has the surgical skills necessary to replace her face, all he needs is a young woman whose face he can successfully graft onto his daughter. But as these surgical procedures fail and more women vanish from the streets, the police start investigating the disappearances… Beautifully shot in black and white, Eyes Without a Face is a remarkable work that draws on visual poetry and surrealism as well as surgical horror, to create a cinematic masterpiece.

***

Pierre Brasseur (Head Against the Wall) is Dr. Génessier, a brilliant and obsessive plastic surgeon driven by the need to restore his daughter s disfigured face and push the boundaries of his field. Aided by his loyal assistant Alida Valli (Suspiria), who lures young women to his secluded chateau in pursuit of his dark quest.

Eyes Without a Face is at once cruel and tender, highlighting Georges Franju's unique blend of pulp, horror and poetry. In the decades since its release it has been a major influence on filmmakers as diverse as Jesús Franco, John Carpenter and, more recently, Pedro Almodóvar...

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 2nd, 1960 - Paris, France

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Review: Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Collector 4K UHD Edition:

  

Standard 4K UHD Edition:

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Runtime 1:29:55.083         
Video

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 43,219,495,474 bytes

Feature: 21,892,552,704 bytes

Video Bitrate: 28.99 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

1.66:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD

Disc Size: 48,500,712,226 bytes

Feature: 47,254,233,024 bytes

Video Bitrate: 51.97 Mbps

Codec: HEVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Bitrate 4K UHD:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio French 1561 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1561 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -27dB

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Umbrella

 

1.66:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD

Disc Size: 48,500,712,226 bytes

Feature: 47,254,233,024 bytes

Video Bitrate: 51.97 Mbps

Codec: HEVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• NEW! Audio Commentary with actor and writer Graham Duff
• NEW! Video Essay by writer Dr. Lindsay Hallum (12:33)
• Blood of the Beasts (Le Sang des bêtes) - Georges Franju's 1949 documentary about Paris slaughterhouses (23:02)
• "For Her Eyes Only" 2014 interview with actress Edith Scob by L.P. Hugo (17:19)
• "Les Fleurs maladives de Georges Franju" 2009 overview of Georges Franju's career by Pierre-Henri Gibert (48:16)
Monsieur et Madame Curie (Georges Franju, 1956) (14:16)
• Trailer (3:51)
A 48 page book with behind-the-scenes, experiences and art including essays from Stephen Thrower, Nadine Whitney and Jack Sargeant
Original poster artwork rigid case
Original poster artwork slipcase
8 replica lobby cards
A3 reversible poster


4K Ultra HD Release Date: November 15th, 2024

Black 4K Ultra HD inside custom Case

Chapters 10

 

Collector's 4K UHD edition:

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Umbrella 4K UHD (January 2025): Umbrella have transferred Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K UHD HDR Dolby Vision feature film". So this does have an HDR pass although I found it more on the passive scale. This comes in a Collector's edition 4K UHD or a standard 4K UHD edition with the same a/v transfer. We compared the Criterion and BFI Blu-rays back in 2015, HERE and to some 2160P captures below. The resulting image is quite fetching - pure contrast - bright whites and deep black levels - add to a pristine looking appearance. There is some softness but overall we have a pleasing uptick in detail, textures exist and the viewing must be considered closest to theatrical for home theatre expression. It looked marvelous on my system.  

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: We have added 66 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages recently: Winchester '73 (NO HDR applied to disc), The Grifters, The Mother and the Whore(NO HDR applied to disc), The Devil's Girls (software uniformly simulated HDR), Requiem For a Vampire (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Block Island Sound (software uniformly simulated HDR), Bug (software uniformly simulated HDR), North By Northwest (software uniformly simulated HDR), Paper Moon, Bob le Flambeur (NO HDR applied to disc) Play Misty for Me (software uniformly simulated HDR), Signs (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Simple Plan (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fright, The Tenant (software uniformly simulated HDR), Gummo, Demon Pond, Happiness, Cheeky (software uniformly simulated HDR), Produced By Val Lewton , The Long Good Friday, The Ladykillers (software uniformly simulated HDR), Torso (software uniformly simulated HDR), All of Us Strangers, Last Year at Marienbad (NO HDR applied to disc), Peril & Distress (And Soon the Darkness / Sudden Terror) (NO HDR applied to disc.)

On their 4K UHD and Blu-ray, Umbrella use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. Eyes Without a Face has very few aggressive moments (two of which are exercised against poor Alida Valli's 'Louise'.) The 'face lift' / 'skin graft' sequence is in silence with only the sounds of the surgical tools eerily breaking the haunting quiet. The effective score was by the great Maurice Jarre (Is Paris Burning?, The Train, Gambit, Crossed Swords, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds The Tin Drum, The Man Who Would Be King, The Black Marble, The Damned etc.) and adds to the film's moods with appropriate restraint or subversive, almost haunting, percussion. Many of the most tense sequences are devoid of music. Jarre has arranged his scores used in the film into the "Georges Franju Suite" which he recorded for the "Maurice Jarre Conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road" CD. The lossless audio is quite well-transferred and adds to the film's creepier qualities. Umbrella offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE 4K UHD and Blu-ray.

The Umbrella 4K UHD and Blu-ray offer a new commentary with actor and writer Graham Duff. He discusses surrealism and horror cinema, how "vision" a strong theme ('Louise' - Valli - wiping away the raining windscreen in the opening, ) how much of the film  suggests film noir, costume choices, disfigurement and surgical procedures shown, performances etc.. It's an excellent commentary. Aside from a trailer the rest of the extras are solely on the second disc Blu-ray. We get a new dozen-minute video essay by writer Dr. Lindsay Hallam. Hallam is co-Programme Leader of the BA Film course. She teaches across many modules, in the areas of film theory, film history, and film production with Horror and Cult cinema being of interest. She discusses Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face as a "mad science" genre film moving seamlessly to art - discussion of fantastique and surrealism are observant. Blood of the Beasts (Le Sang des bêtes) is Georges Franju's 1949, 23-minute, "ultra-realism" documentary with pastoral scenes from the outskirts of Paris that are contrasted with stark footage from slaughterhouses. Most of the rest were on the previous Blu-ray editions; For Her Eyes Only is an interesting 17-minute interview with Edith Scob from 2014. We also get Franju's 1953 short Monsieur et Madame Curie: a 1/4 hour study of the life and work of the Curies, told through the words of Marie Curie. Les Fleurs maladives de Georges Franju is Pierre-Henri Gibert's 2009, 45-minute overview of Franju's career. There are duplicate theatrical trailers on both the Blu-ray and the 4K UHD disc. The 'Collector's Edition' package contains a 48 page book with behind-the-scenes, experiences and art including essays from Stephen Thrower (Flowers of Perversion, Volume 2: The Delirious Cinema of Jesús Franco), Nadine Whitney and Jack Sargeant (Flesh and Excess: On Underground Film,) original poster artwork rigid case (see below) and an original poster artwork slipcase, eight replica lobby cards and an A3 reversible poster.

Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face is based on the novel of the same name by former journalist-turned-film publicist and screenwriter, Jean Redon. It had a very limited initial theatrical run, but since has been recognized for its poetic, Jean Cocteau-esque, qualities, its unique approach to the horror genre and strong influence on many filmmakers - actually being cited as "as one of the most influential horror films of all time". One example would be Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In (2011), which also features a mad scientist who performs skin grafts and surgeries on an unwilling victim and use of a mask. There are haunting film-noir elements that elicit comparisons to Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1955 French psychological horror thriller Les Diaboliques. Eyes Without a Face follows an obsessed, immoral, plastic surgeon who is determined to perform a face transplant on his daughter, who was disfigured in a car accident... caused by his error. We have the kidnapping and murder of young women to perform heterograft surgery upon and a burgeoning police investigation. Certainly ahead of its time and fearlessly pushing the envelope, Eyes Without a Face, caused seven audience members to faint at the 1960 Edinburgh Film Festival. Eugen Schüfftan's (The Hustler) stunning cinematography lends the creepy chateau a life of its own, and Edith Scob (Judex) is quite remarkable as the scarred beauty. The Umbrella 4K UHD is such a huge keeper and delightful surprise to be released in this coveted format. New commentary, new video essay, booklet and more of a pure classic in the best video presentation available. Very strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

 

Standard 4K UHD edition:

 

 


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Subtitle Sample - Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD

 

 


1) Criterion - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 


1) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray TOP

2) Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 


1) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP

2) Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 


1) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray TOP

2) Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 


1) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP

2) Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD BOTTOM

 

 


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More full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K Ultra HD Captures for Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 

 
Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Collector 4K UHD Edition:

  

Standard 4K UHD Edition:

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Umbrella - Region FREE - 4K UHD


 


 

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