Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno

Acclaimed French director Henri-Georges Clouzot (The Wages of Fear, Diabolique) was given carte-blanche by Columbia Pictures in 1964 to make a dream project, a portrait of obsessive jealousy revolving around a paranoid husband who becomes maniacally controlling of his beautiful young wife. Unfortunately, the production collapsed due to Clouzot's endless experiments, increasingly demanding direction, and countless reshoots, which pushed the film beyond schedule and over budget, and drove the leading man to quit in exasperation. Serge Bromberg (who also narrates) and Ruxandra Medrea's documentary Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno offers a peek into this movie that never was, captured through a rich collection of camera tests and rushes, including some completed scenes (but no soundtrack), and interviews with surviving cast and crew members. Interspersed throughout are readings from the script, with Bérénice Bejo and Jacques Gamblin in the lead roles originally filled by Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani. Not so much a reconstruction as a behind-the-scenes look at the fragments of a visionary's unformed art, the documentary's chronicling of Clouzot's own obsession to control every detail as things snowballed out of control is equally fascinating. An amazing slice of motion picture history and a compelling documentary in its own right, this will be of interest primarily to serious fans of foreign cinema. Presented in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo edition, extras include an introduction by Bromberg, the companion documentary 'They Saw Inferno' (with more interviews and unseen footage from the unfinished feature), and an image gallery. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Feb. 6, 2018—Arrow, 96 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 2009's Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on the Blu-ray disc. Extras include the 'making-of' documentary 'They Saw Inferno' (60 min.), 'Lucy Mazdon on Henri-Georges Clouzot and Inferno' with film scholar Mazdon (22 min.), an interview with producer Serge Bromberg (18 min.), an intro by Bromberg (9 min.), and a stills gallery. Bottom line: this documentary aimed at cinephiles sparkles on Blu-ray.]