The Bride Wore Black

A project that grew out of his lengthy interviews with Alfred Hitchcock (published in book form in 1967), director Francois Truffaut subjugates his more artistic tendencies in The Bride Wore Black (1968), a hypnotic revenge story that incorporates many of Hitch’s trademark cinematic tricks and is even set to a matching Bernard Hermann score. But the end result is more than a sycophantic homage; it’s an in vitro thriller that plays to the cheap seats and art crowds alike.

With no preamble, the story introduces us to Julie Kohler (Jeanne Moreau) as she murders the first of her five planned victims: Bliss, a self-confessed playboy who she shoves off a balcony during his own engagement party. Coral, a failed romantic, Morane, a callous politician, Delvaux, a common criminal, and Fergus, an arrogant artist are all next on her list of targets. The reason for Julie’s mercilessly methodical act of retribution springs from the tragic death of her husband on their wedding day, shot dead on the steps outside the church.

Adapted from a novel by Cornell Woolrich, Truffaut doesn’t bother with details. How Julie tracks down those responsible for her husband’s death isn’t explained and the film is all the better for it. There’s an economy of storytelling at work here that, much like Hitchcock, only includes the most crucial bits of information. In fact, Julie herself is a literal blank slate - her unquenchable need for revenge is all we need to know. Yet the audience themselves add in layers of depth and emotion, particularly during her final seduction of Fergus as she poses for his latest painting.

Truffaut’s visual style mimics the elegance of Vertigo and the meticulous editing of Rear Window, but lacks the spit and polish of a true Hollywood production. He gets much more mileage out of lead actress Jeanne Moreau (whose bad-ass attitude and general disposition were an obvious inspiration for Tarantino’s Kill Bill films) and Hermann’s musical score, which only points out how much Hitchcock truly owed to his composer.

The Bride Wore Black is devoid of the pretension those critical of French New Wave filmmakers like Truffaut and Godard might expect. In fact, it’s damn near the same level of intensity and excitement of Liam Neeson’s crowd-pleasing Taken series. Only Julie doesn’t even need a “special set of skills” to get the job done.

Twilight Time’s 3000-copy limited edition Blu-ray is an extraordinary package. The film itself looks and sounds terrific with an English dubbed version included along with the original French subtitles. Film historian Steven C. Smith is joined by TT regulars Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo for an informative audio commentary. And a bonus CD – Conversation Piece, An Unvarnished Chat with Bernard Hermann – is included as well. The notoriously grouchy composer lives up to his reputation, giving his young interviewers one hell of a time, but also giving out a good deal of priceless opinions on everything from his falling out with Hitchcock to advice for aspiring musicians.