La main du diable

A good old fashioned deal with the devil.

Maurice Tourneur at the age of 70 has still got what it takes to tell this story (within an expertly executed frame) about a passionate but talentless young painter's deal with the devil. It begins in horror and regrettably ends in a conventionally manipulated plot, but it is nevertheless completely absorbing and satisfying in its conclusion.

A mão do diabo estreava há 80 anos na França. Mais um filme da Continental que saiu debaixo do nariz dos nazis de Vichy sem notarem a crítica aos colaboracionistas, facho é burro feito uma porta mesmo, é assim até hoje. Box Versátil Obras-primas do Terror volume 9.

Tourneur utilises filmmaking skills honed in the silent era to develop a standard, fantastical moral tale into a visually arresting gem of a production, featuring plenty of neat special effects and subtly creepy shadows. Pierre Fresnay is superb as ever, Dumas' music is a triumph and the richly-costumed finale is bonkers in the very best kind of way.

The devil is such a lying cheat, Brissot should have held a knife in his left hand when he met the little man

So much to love, yet to doesn't touch the greatness of it's inspirations. Not enough torment. La main du diable [Carnival of Sinners] (1943) is still another feather in Maurice Tourneur's cap. Intriguing, and even shocking bits through-out.