Eyes Without a Face

Georges Franju

France

1960

90 minutes

Black and White

1.66:1

French

Watch Film for $5

260

Synopsis

Secluded in the French countryside, a brilliant, obsessive doctor attempts a radical plastic surgery to restore the beauty of his daughter’s disfigured face—but at a horrifying price. At once ghastly and lyrical, Eyes Without a Face is a true rarity of horror cinema and has influenced countless films. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Georges Franju’s classic in a long-awaited, fully restored DVD edition.

Cast

Doctor GénessierPierre Brasseur
LouiseAlida Valli
Christiane GénessierEdith Scob
Jacques VernonFrancois Guerin
Edna GrübergJuliette Mayniel
Detective ParotAlexandre Rignault
Paulette MérodonBeatrice Altariba
The pound employeeCharles Blavette
Second police detectiveClaude Brasseur

Credits

DirectorGeorges Franju
ProducerJules Borkon
Based on the novel byJean Redon
ScreenplayPierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon and Claude Sautet
DialoguePierre Gascar
MusicMaurice Jarre
Production managerPierre Laurent
CinematographyEugen Schüfftan
SetsAuguste Capelier
Assistant directorClaude Sautet
CameramanRobert Schneider
MakeupGeorges Klein
Special effectsHenri Assola
EditingGilbert Natot
SoundAntoine Archimbaud

Disc Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • Blood of the Beasts (Le Sang des bêtes), Georges Franju’s 1949 short documentary about the slaughterhouses of Paris
  • Archival interviews with Franju on horror, cinema, and the making of Blood of the Beasts
  • Excerpt from Les Grands-pères du crime, a documentary featuring Eyes Without a Face writers Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac (Diabolique, Vertigo)
  • Theatrical trailers
  • Stills gallery of rare production photos and promotional material
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Plus: new essays by novelist Patrick McGrath and writer and film historian David Kalat

From the Current

Eyes Without a Face: The Unreal Reality

by David Kalat Oct 18, 2004

There is a moment in Eyes Without a Face—you’ll know it when you see it—when, according to L’Express, “the spectators dropped like flies.” At the Edinburgh Film Festival, seven viewers actually fainted, prompting director Georges Franju to crow undiplomatically . . .

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Available Editions

Eyes Without a Face Criterion DVD Add to Cart

DVD

1 Disc

SRP: $29.95

Criterion Store price

$23.96