Bluebeard's Castle (1963) (Blu-ray) (UK Import mit deutscher Tonspur)

Discover a ‘lost’ masterpiece from acclaimed director Michael Powell (The Red Shoes and Peeping Tom), with this stunning adaptation of Béla Bartok’s expressionist opera.

Starring Norman Foster as the murderous Bluebeard and Ana Raquel Satre as his doomed wife, Judith, this boldly original production was made for West German television in 1963. Combining outstanding performances with spectacular production designs (by Academy Award-winner Hein Heckroth), Powell concocts a daring and inventive interpretation of this haunting work, equal to the creative innovation of the iconic The Tales of Hoffmann.

Unavailable for many years, Bluebeard’s Castle has been painstakingly restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, and is presented here – on its 60th anniversary - in its original 1963 version and the revised 1978 edition featuring limited English surtitles added by Powell.

Specials

Newly restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation in association with The Ashbrittle Film Foundation and presented in High Definition
Optional audio track of the English translation commissioned by Michael Powell and sung by Norman Foster and Ana Raquel Satre
Newly recorded interview with film scholar Ian Christie (2023, 21 mins)
Picture business: Michael Powell at Dartmouth (1980, 16 mins): A short documentary depicting Powell's time as Artist in Residence at Dartmouth College in 1980
An image gallery of production designs by Hein Heckroth
Optional English subtitles
Fully illustrated booklet featuring writing by Michael Powell, Bertrand Tavernier, Ian Christie and Lillian Crawford.

Rezensionen

„Unterstützt von dem genialen Hein Heckroth, dessen Experimente mit dem Werk einiger der größten Theaterregisseure – Peter Brook, Strehler, Chéreau – gleichgestellt sind, schafft Powell auf einem einzigen Set ein gewundenes, unberechenbares Labyrinth – ein mentales Labyrinth.​ Du fühlst dich, als ob du in die Emotionen der Charaktere eintauchst, so wie du David Niven in in A Matter of Life and Death durchdrungen hast.​ Dieses Labyrinth stimmt perfekt mit Bartoks Musik überein.​" (Bertrand Tavernier)