NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (May 2023): Kino have transferred René Clément's Joy House (Les Félins) to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "2K Restoration by Gaumont". Back in 2008, we compared Image Entertainment and Koch Lorber DVDs of Joy House HERE. Both SD transfer were quite poor with unconverted PAL-sourced, bare bones, interlaced, contrast-boosted packages. The higher 1080P resolution image is quite pale and dark. This is not ideal but the transfer is over 7X that of the 2008 DVDs. So the HD presentation is imperfect (the density of the source print may be compromised) but is consistent and actually you get used to the faded contrast as it is quite consistent throughout.

NOTE: We have added 76 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in both the options of English and French languages. I listened to the English. Joy House has few aggressive moments with the mob chasing down Delon's 'Marc' in the beginning and some violence in the conclusion. The eerie, mysterious, score is by Argentinean Lalo Schifrin (famous as the guy behind the Mission: Impossible theme as well as impressive scores for Man on a Swing, Joe Kidd, Rollercoaster, Charley Varrick, The Amityville Horror, The Nude Bomb, Day of the Animals, Hit!, The Manitou, Tango and many other films). This includes the Theme From Joy House (Just Call Me Love Bird) written by Lalo Schifrin and Peggy Lee. It sounds a shade scattered but clean in the lossless transfer. Kino offer optional English - translation and SDH - subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson. They discuss the details behind the two tracks and how this was shot. Howard sees similarities with Joy House in Frankenheimer's Seconds - made two years later - and 52 Pick-up. They talk about the cast and crew including cinematographer Henri Decaë, Jane Fonda (her first French film), high praise for Lola Albright, the source novels' author Day Keene, how that Clément made the film without a script and much more. It's at their usual high standard of informative and entertaining. Excellent job. There are also a handful of trailers including one for Joy House. The package has a reversible sleeve (see below.)

René Clément's Joy House was a thriller based on a Day Keene novel published in 1954. A curious ménage-a-trois forms with the sexy protagonists; anti-hero / pawn Delon - mysterious, controlling, widow Lola Albright and sensual Fonda - the actress essentially trying to find distance from Hollywood and her "father’s long shadow". Perversity wanders on the surface of Joy House - beautiful, lone settings, steamy atmosphere of Siren Aunt and luscious, prancing, niece with a desperate, attractive con-man trying to find his bearings. It's a shame that this may be the height of the digital image but Joy House is a cool ride and the Kino Blu-ray offers the revealing commentary. I will be keeping this one. Recommended!

Gary Tooze