The Bride Wore Black is now available via a limited 3000 copy run from Twilight Time
Right off the bat, I want to be clear that I’m not the most qualified person to be writing this review. Though familiar with the French New Wave and famed French directors such as Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard, and The Bride Wore Black’s own Francois Truffaut, I’m certainly no student of the movement or a broad sampler of these giants’ oeuvres. This isn’t because of lack of interest or appreciation, but rather just that I haven’t gotten around to studying them more in depth yet. I’m a voracious film consumer, so I always dream that a new, expansive film watching project is just around the corner.
All that being said, The Bride Wore Black is pure entertainment, accessible to anyone, and I couldn’t be more excited to have had the opportunity to experience it. Truffaut is a master storyteller, and as I learned through soaking in the extras on this wonderful Twilight Time home video release, he was also a staunch Hitchcock supporter and even published a renowned book of interviews with that famed master of suspense. It is often argued that Bride Wore Black is somewhat of an homage to Hitchcock, and I can see that being the case as far as simple, elemental entertainment value and careful craft are concerned. The Bride Wore Black is meticulous, layered, and finely tuned, while also being endlessly entertaining.
We meet Julie Kohler (Jeanne Moreau) as she is attempting to jump out of a window and end her own life. In case you were looking for a tone setter. But quickly after that, we’re whisked off on a spree of veiled vengeance as this mourning bride embarks on a quest to kill the five men she believes responsible for the death of her beloved, newlywed, husband. As the story unfolds, and as Julie crosses more names off of her list, we learn even this basic plot information through flashback. The audience learns along with her victims, as Julie tells them who she is and why she came to kill them in their final, dying moments. There’s no internal monologue here, so the gorgeous and mournful (as well as remarkably versatile murderer) Julie is as much of a mystery to the audience as she is to her victims. Clothed always in black and white, (symbolic of, according to Julie Kirgo, Julie’s ongoing virginity, as well as the expanding darkness of her soul), insinuating her way into each man’s life through a knowing manipulation of their deepest desires, we get to know Julie through her actions and her revelations to her victims.
I won’t spoil the twists and turns for you, but I will note that Moreau’s portrayal of Julie is equal parts tragic and complex. You’ll find yourself rooting for her to cold-bloodedly murder a bunch of men who never did anything to you personally. This rooting for the murderer comes about in part due to the magic of the movies, with audiences being able to indulge in revenge fantasy from the comforts of a theater or a living room, but also in part due to Julie’s sheer brilliance at it. We like to see people being good at what they do on screen. And our rooting for such killers as Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers is due in part to the fact they they’re just so good at it. Perhaps those infamous onscreen killers have Truffaut and Moreau to thank for planting some of their cinematic roots here in The Bride Wore Black. Also owing more than a little bit to this wonderful film is pastiche maestro Quentin Tarantino, whose own “Bride” from the Kill Bill saga also has a paper list of names which are crossed off as she cuts her way to the top in her quest for vengeance against those who killed her husband at their very wedding. While all the excellent bonus material found in this Twilight Time release spends much time noting Truffaut’s own influences, most notably Hitchcock, they never got around to talking about some of the incredible influence that The Bride Wore Black seems to have had on thrillers which came after it. As a member of Generation X (I think), who grew up in the height of the slasher genre, and under the tutelage of Tarantino, I can’t help but fall in love with The Bride Wore Black for, aside from its own excellence, the plethora of films that took inspiration from it and have offered me untold years of entertainment as a result.
I would also be remiss to leave out the core femininity of The Bride Wore Black. The role of Julie as portrayed by Jeanne Moreau is a complex starring role, one which puts a woman in the place of power and allows gender dynamics and male behavioral patterns to be explored through the framework of a potboiling piece of entertainment. From the cheating lothario to the lonely bachelor to the loathsome politician, and even the seemingly less deserving of murder painter and artist, each victim has time to become a fleshed out character as Julie adopts the qualities they most desire in order to find her window and dispatch them.
Hollywood seems to be awakening with the speed of a sleeping giant to the viability of women-starring vehicles being viable box office projects, and folks like Reese Witherspoon are now founding entire production companies based on getting women-led projects off the ground. As an avid film fan, I can’t wait for modern Hollywood to follow the leads of the likes of Witherspoon, and take a page out of history from masters like Truffaut, and get some complex and compelling female-anchored movies out there to audiences who are desperate for something more diverse and reflective of the world we actually live in.
The Package
Being that Twilight Time places a heavy focus on film music, and a signature element of their home video releases is an isolated score track for each film, it shouldn’t surprise that much of this release focuses on the score by frequent Hitchcock collaborator and overall film music legend Bernard Hermann. The commentary track on the disc features film historians (and Twilight Time regulars) Nick Redman, Julie Kirgo (who also writes the must-read liner notes for TT releases), and Steven C. Smith. There’s a lot of time given to discussing Hermann’s work on the film, Hitchcock’s influence, and Truffaut’s own career up to this point, as well as his working and personal relationship with star Jeanne Moreau. As I mentioned, I’m no student of Truffaut or the French New Wave of which he was a part. So it was a true privilege to engage with this release and learn so much from such well informed and engaging experts.
The Bride Wore Black is so influential on (not to mention itself influenced by) beloved films and genres prevalent today that the film is ripe for rediscovery. I imagine young and old audiences alike being swept away by this piece of high entertainment. And this packed out and gorgeous disc could be a great stepping stone for that cultural rediscovery. I highly recommend the package.
Special Features
– English Language Dubbed Version — Isolated Music & Effects Track — Audio Commentary with Film Historians Julie Kirgo, Steven C. Smith, and Nick Redman — Original Theatrical Trailer
– INCLUDES BONUS CD: Conversation Piece: An Unvarnished Chat with Bernard Herrmann (79 mins)
And I’m Out.