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

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (July 2026): Masters of Cinema have transferred Maurice Tourneur's The Devil’s Hand to Blu-ray. The HD presentation, sourced from a restoration by Gaumont Film Company, delivers a strong and film-like image for a 1943 black-and-white production. Fine detail is well-preserved, particularly in close-ups of faces, fabric textures, and set dressings, allowing viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship in lighting and production design. The transfer maintains a pleasing organic grain structure. Cinematographer Armand Thirard (Seven Days... Seven Nights, Deadlier Than the Male, ...And God Created Woman, Diabolique, The Wages of Fear, Devil's Daughter, The Murderer Lives at Number 21, Stormy Waters, Hotel du Nord,) creates striking chiaroscuro lighting and deep shadows that heighten the expressionistic atmosphere. The giant hand motif dominates posters and key imagery, looming with grotesque power. Overall, this is a very satisfying HD presentation that makes the film look better than it likely ever has on home video.

NOTE: We have added 94 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Masters of Cinema use a linear PCM mono track in the original French language. Dialogue is clear and well-balanced, with voices sitting naturally in the mix. Roger Dumas’s (Cecile is Dead) score comes through effectively - romantic yet faintly menacing, weaving through the narrative to enhance the fatalistic tone without overpowering the action. Dynamics are modest (as expected from a 1940s mono track), but the audio supports the film’s atmospheric needs well. There is some minor background hiss typical of the era, but it remains non-intrusive. The track never sounds thin or brittle. Masters of Cinema offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray offers a solid supplemental package that is thoughtful and well-curated rather than exhaustive. The centerpiece is a new audio commentary by film critic James Oliver, which provides valuable background on Maurice Tourneur’s career, the unusual production circumstances under occupation, and explores themes of fate, temptation, and moral consequence. It is informative and engaging for both newcomers and fans. Complementing this is the new 20-minute video essay “The Devil in the Details" by film historian Samm Deighan (The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema,) which examines the film’s literary and folkloric roots - particularly the Faustian elements - and its connection to the anxieties of wartime France. Rounding out the features is the archival documentary “La Continental” (3/4 of an hour) on Continental Films and French cinema during the occupation, presented with newly translated English subtitles. The limited edition packaging features a sturdy O-card slipcase with striking new artwork by John Dunn, and the release includes a collector’s booklet with new writing on Maurice Tourneur by French cinema expert Barry Nevin (Jacques Feyder: Gender, Class and Colonialism on Film.)

Maurice Tourneur's The Devil’s Hand is a haunting, elegantly crafted French horror-fantasy that stands as one of the most atmospheric and thematically resonant films produced in occupied France during World War II. Released on April 21st, 1943, by the German-controlled Continental Films, it adapts (loosely) Gérard de Nerval’s 1927/1832 story involving a cursed hand. The film blends Faustian tragedy, psychological horror, and subtle allegory into a visually poetic whole, directed with the refined pictorial sensibility Tourneur (1929's The Mysterious Island,) honed during his long Hollywood career in the silent era. The story is framed by a classic “stranger in an inn” setup. During a snowstorm that isolates a mountain hotel near abbey ruins, the one-handed painter Roland Brissot (Pierre Fresnay - Le Corbeau, The Murderer Lives at Number 21, La Grande Illusion, The Man Who Knew Too Much,) arrives clutching a small casket. After it is stolen during a blackout, he recounts his tale to the curious (and increasingly hostile) guests. Motifs include the alienated body part (echoing The Hands of Orlac), the diabolization of women (Irène unwittingly aids the Devil), and the tension between artistic gift and moral cost. The pacing is deliberate after an energetic opening; Tourneur avoids excess, letting the moral and psychological horror emerge through suggestion and atmosphere rather than overt shocks. In sum, La Main du diable is more than a simple devil’s bargain tale. It is a visually sophisticated, thematically layered work that uses horror to probe timeless questions of ambition, identity, and the cost of easy success - questions that resonated powerfully in occupied France and continue to feel relevant today. Tourneur’s refined direction and the film’s atmospheric restraint make it a standout in the history of European horror. Though Maurice Tourneur was an influential early director, many might know his son Jacques better as a master of genre films like Night of the Demon, Out of the Past, The Leopard Man, I Walked with a Zombie, and the original, 1942, Cat People. The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray of Maurice Tourneur's The Devil’s Hand is an easy recommendation for fans of classic European cinema, poetic horror, or anyone discovering the film for the first time. It’s a handsome, worthwhile upgrade that does justice to a fascinating and underseen wartime gem. Absolutely recommended.

Gary Tooze