Jeanne Moreau (Jules et Jim) stars as the titular bride, who after marrying her love sees him murdered on the steps outside the church. From here she enacts ruthless revenge on the group of men responsible.
Undoubtedly an influence on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, François Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Blackwas itself influenced by the director’s idol, Alfred Hitchcock. Adapting celebrated crime writer Cornell Woolrich (who was also the author of the short story which Hitchcock’s Rear Window is based on), Truffaut’s film is a deliciously entertaining tale that was one of the director’s biggest hits.
Alongside Moreau, the film boasts a sensational cast, including Michael Lonsdale, Jean-Claude Brialy, Charles Denner and Michel Bouquet among others, and features a score by the maestro, Bernard Herrman (Psycho).
Extras
High-Definition digital transfer
Original uncompressed French mono PCM audio
Archival interviews with François Truffaut (1968, 12 mins) and Jeanne Moreau (1969, 5 mins)
Appreciation by filmmaker Kent Jones (Hitchcock/Truffaut) (2023, 15 mins)
Barry Forshaw on Cornell Woolrich and the adaptation (2023, 9 mins)
Original trailer
Les surmenés (Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, 1958, 25 mins) - an early short written by Truffaut and starring Jean-Claude Brialy