When he learns his days are numbered, old count Hervé de Kéraudren decides to hide in a secret alcove and to die there, just to annoy his heirs. As a result of his body not being found the latter will have to wait for five years until they can inherit the count's money.
The actors, for the most part, are not big names and may not be recognizable to American audiences. Star Pierre Brasseur had previously appeared in Georges Franju's "Eyes Without a Face". His co-star, Pascale Audret, was less well-known in film, but happens to be the mother of Julie Dreyfus, who appeared in the Quentin Tarantino films "Kill Bill" and "Inglourious Basterds".
The marketing folks describe the plot as a delightfully playful romp through Agatha Christie territory, which is quite accurate with some nods to "Ten Little Indians", among others. Some critics have said it is a "rehash" of Christie, though this is not quite fair as the references are tongue-in-cheek. The script comes to us from the writing team of Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, of "Les Diaboliques" and "Vertigo" fame.
If you know Franju, you obviously know "Eyes Without a Face" and have probably seen "Judex". But this one might have escaped you. Indeed, reviews at the time were not favorable and it seems to have gone into obscurity. Current reviews do still warn that the characters are generally flat, and the film really earns its merits on the plot and direction rather than from any deeper message or connection. Perhaps due to Franju's posthumous reputation, "Spotlight" is viewed more favorably today than ever before (and rightly so).
The Arrow Video Blu-ray is a bit light on material, which is unfortunate because they really scooped up a great title here that would have been a nice fit for Criterion. But we do get a vintage production featurette from 1960, shot on location and including interviews with Georges Franju and actors Pascale Audret, Pierre Brasseur, Marianne Koch, Dany Saval and Jean-Louis Trintignant. An audio commentary or video essay would have been icing on the cake, but sometimes just having the cake is enough.
