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Eyes Without a Face
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (18th October 2025). |
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The Film
 "Eyes Without a Face" ("Les yeux sans visage") (1960) Dr. Génessier (played by Pierre Brasseur) is a noted physician who has made notable contributions in the area of skin grafting, though he is haunted by trauma and grief. It was in a car accident that his wife was killed and his daughter Christiane (played by Édith Scob) had her face severely burned. With the help of his assistant Louise (played by Alida Valli), they keep Christiane in isolation at home, where they would try to transplant a new face onto her. But the faces would have to come from fresh skin, and it would have to be taken from unwilling young female subjects… “Eyes Without a Face” is often considered a landmark film in horror and in French cinema, with its gruesome and disturbing subject matter and being released during the rise of the French New Wave. But director Georges Franju’s film was not met with many positive reactions, and some being harshly negative. Though over the years, the film has had major re-evaluations, with many calling it one of the greatest films of all time. But what made the film have its initial negative impact and what made critics and audiences change their minds? The film was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jean Redon, published in 1959 and the film rights quickly picked up by producer Jules Borkon, and offered to Franju as a co-production by France and Italy under Champs-Élysées Productions. The film was shot in and around Paris and have a predominantly French cast with some Italian cast members such as Valli in a main role. The production crew was predominantly French, though the cinematographer was German born Eugen Schüfftan who mostly worked in France since WWII and was also the cinematographer for Franju’s previous film “Head Against the Wall” from 1958. The film introduces an interesting twist from the opening sequence, with a woman driving in panic, but we quickly realize she is not the one in danger, but the one committing a crime, by dumping a dead body into a river. The first killing occurs before the opening credits start, and it sets the tone for the film that it would be going against convention. It would be told through the eyes (literally) by the so called villains, and the supposed monster in the story, is not a monster at all. The character of Dr. Génessier is wonderfully played by Brasseur, who is technically in the role of the mad scientist, though he does not play it in the mad science manner. Instead of the sights of a rambling genius, he is a man driven by guilt. Guilt that his wife was killed in the car he was driving and physically scarring his only daughter. He mostly plays the role in a restrained form, showing that he does not like what he has to do by experimenting with kidnapped innocent women, but not in an overt form. There are even moments where he shows sympathy, such as in the hospital when he comforts a scared young child. Even at home when he talks to Christiane, he only has one purpose and that is making sure that he does whatever it takes so she could have her face back and live a normal life again. Although that would be slightly impossible, as he already falsely identified the first victim with the missing face as his own daughter to the police, and Christiane would forever have to live in secret as someone else. It also goes against plausibility, but it seems odd that Christiane only had burns to her face and nowhere else. None on the neck, her hair being perfect, and none on her arms. Realistically she would have had burns on may other places of her body, but this would have made things much too complicated for the plot and this is a fictional work, after all. Valli’s portrayal of his assistant Louise is an interesting one as well, as she is sometimes less inclined to help the doctor with his plans, though she knows she is already far too deep to escape from what is happening. Usually a mad doctor character would have a male assistant who is sometimes portrayed in a crazier manner than the doctor is, but in this case it is a female, and one of incredible beauty. She plays the role humanely, with emotion rather than coldness, and with heart rather than insanity. For Scob, this was only her second feature film role, and she is usually seen on camera with a form fitted white mask on. Even with limited facial features with just the eyes being seen, she leaves a very strong impression as a young woman who is tormented that she is trapped in her own house, as well as not being able to see her fiancée Jacques (played by François Guérin) or tell him the truth. Interesting to note that the film seems to hint that he would be something of a knight in shining armor, but in fact that is another twist in the story by not making his character integral to the plot. While he is key into having the police notified, his character is slightly underused. He was after all an assistant to Génessier, but the character itself feels like he is pushed to the side fairly oddly. It's notable that the film has the surgery scene of the first face removal basically done in real time, with limited dialogue, and in gory detail. Obviously there are tricks at play such as the fake blood being dripped from the fake scalpel rather than from the actual face while slicing, and the removal of the face itself done in a clever shot to mostly cover up the bloody under layer of the victim’s face. Franju does not use dialogue or music to dampen the scene’s effect, but with real time and silence it heightens the impact of the act, and quite well. This was one of a few scenes which caused negative reactions from cinemagoers and critics feeling it was taking gore too far, and while it may be tame by today’s standards, it was a definite shocker for 1960, as the film was released the same year as two other seminal shockers, the mother (yes) of all slasher films “Psycho” from Alfred Hitchcock, and the serial killer film “Peeping Tom” by Michael Powell, with all three having some negative criticism for their content which only grew to influential positives in later years. Franju did not treat the subject matter to exploitation or horror, and France at the time did not particularly have a horror scene at all. Tropes like jump scares, eerie music, and a darkened atmosphere were not to be found. Instead he took more inspiration from fantasy features, with similarities to Jean Cocteau or even Georges Méliès and surrealism from the works of Luis Buñuel. The music score by Maurice Jarre is quite upbeat and is likely the opposite of what one would expect from a story featuring a mad doctor and a disfigured victim. The production was careful to make sure the film would be within censorship standards. Dr. Génessier’s treatment of caged animals for experimentation was downplayed to make sure that would not be seen on screen. The amount of blood on screen would be very little, and the burned face of Christiane would only be seen out of focus and never completely clearly. The climactic stabbing and mauling scenes were also done without too much graphic display. The film was first released theatrically in France in 1960 and it caused controversy with audience reactions to the skinning scene. (IMDB states January 11th, Wikipedia in English states March 2nd and Wikipedia in French states March 11th.) It was released across Europe that year and while it passed censors, it still caused a stir on its initial release with many negative reactions. The US release was a full two years later in 1962, in which the film was retitled to the exploitative title "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus", was shortened and paired as a double bill with “The Manster”, a low budget American body horror shot in Japan. Although the film was released at the rise of the French New Wave, it did not quite fit the term. The filmmaking techniques were much more lyrical and poetic in nature, and the horror aspect placed it in an entirely different category altogether. There were some positive notices from critics both French and abroad that saw the film from technical aspects and from the eyes (again) of storytelling techniques. It was a modern fable that looked at obsession and madness, while also having a few surprises. “Eyes Without a Face” would later grow to become Franju’s most well known and well respected work, and it has gone on to become a highly influential film. The Michael Myers mask in 1979's "Halloween" and its sequels are a clear nod. The character of Sukekiyo in the 1976 murder mystery “The Inugami Clan”, whose face was burned entirely and having to wear a full head covering mask was heavily inspired by the Christiane character. “The Skin I Live In” from 2001 takes many elements from “Eyes Without a Face” but goes even further with a disturbing tale of vengeance. There are also numerous films that have taken the face transplant idea further, from the absurdly fun “Face/Off” in action feature, or the recent New Zealand horror film “Grafted”. In 2018, the film was restored in 4K and a French 4K UHD was released in August of 2024. A few months later in December 2024, Umbrella Entertainment released the film in 4K UHD for a worldwide English-friendly first, and this was followed by further English-friendly releases by Criterion in North America and the BFI in the UK, both releasing in October 2025. More than sixty years later, the film continues to bring shocks to audiences as well as being a technical marvel with standout performances. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray + standard Blu-ray set
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10 / Dolby Vision grading for the 4K UHD and in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 on the standard Blu-ray. The 4K restoration was carried out by rightsholder Gaumont from the original negative. The film has always looked quite good in the digital age, with excellent transfers on DVD and Blu-ray formats over the years. The 4K restoration is quite good, showing the rich textures of the secluded home and the fine wardrobes, film grain being well defined, with good stability. There are minor moments of wobble that can be found especially in reel ends, though it is mostly unnoticeable. Film grain is kept intact and there are no major damage marks to spot. Although dark portions seem a bit darker, slightly losing detail that was seen in previous transfers. Blacks can sometimes look crushed, and greyscale is not particularly wide ranging considering that it is a black and white film with Dolby Vision grading. Bright portions are slightly brighter than previous HD transfers so there is a wider range between black and white levels overall. It will be interesting to compare the look to the upcoming Criterion and BFI transfers. Note that the Le chat and BFI releases also have Dolby Vision grading while the Criterion release is said to have SDR grading. The film's runtime is 89:55, and does not include any information about the restoration or the transfer.
Audio
French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono The original mono track is presented in lossless form. The restored audio sounds excellent, with dialogue being clear and easy to hear, well balanced against the music by Jarre and effects throughout. There are notable nearly silent moments, such as the first surgery scene having no music, and having minimal dialogue and effects. There are no issues of damage such as hiss or pops to be heard for a clean audio track. There are optional English subtitles for the main feature in a white font. They are well timed and easy to read.
Extras
DISC ONE (Blu-ray 4K) Audio Commentary with actor and writer Graham Duff (2024) This new and exclusive commentary with Graham Duff is an excellent one. He discusses all aspects of the film, from the oddly upbeat soundtrack cues by Marre, the influence of film noir in the visual style, the twists in the story, information about the cast and crew with career information and other film credits, behind the scenes trivia, films that were later influenced by the film, and much more. The commentary is well researched and is well spoken, with very few dead spots to be found. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (3:51) Presented here is the original French trailer which is taken from restored elements, so it looks just as clean and sharp as the main feature, though it is oddly in standard HD on the disc. Sound is also remastered, though there is a bit of crackle and pop at the end to be heard. The trailer, not in a remastered form is also embedded below. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.66:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with burned-in English subtitles DISC TWO (Blu-ray) Audio Commentary with actor and writer Graham Duff (2024) The audio commentary from the first disc is repeated here. in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Video Essay by writer Dr. Lindsay Hallum (12:33) This new and exclusive video essay looks at examples of mad science in the world of film, from the early silent films, the rise of horror films in the 1930s, the cruel human torture and experimentation atrocities in WWII, where the film stood in French cinema and horror of the period, and much more. It’s illustrated with scenes from various films and the picture quality depends on the clip that is shown. Again this extra is very well scripted and researched, and well spoken by Hallum. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in various ratios, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Blood of the Beasts (Le Sang des bêtes)" Georges Franju's 1949 documentary about Paris slaughterhouses (23:02) Franju’s documentary is quite a disturbing one, as it shows work in a Paris abattoir, with workers killing cows, horses, lambs, all in graphic display for the cameras. Slitting of throats, smashing heads, decapitation, dismemberment, skinning, and gutting are in full display. Franju was not out to display the killings as a way to disturb, but as a contrast to how different the world can seem from inside and outside the slaughterhouse doors. The men are doing their jobs in a planned and coordinated manner, all within regulations that have been in place for years. Meat will go to markets, and other parts will go towards other products such as glue or handbags. While the public may see meat in supermarkets or clothes and accessories made from animal products, the starting process of slaughtering the animals is a world that many may know happens, but have not been shown. The short is narrated in a droll style and none of the graphic killings appear for show. The short was shot on black and white film, as Franju thought that color would be far too disturbing for the audiences of the time, though black and white is quite disturbing already. The transfer seems to come from a standard definition source, upscaled to HD. It also seems like the transfer has a framerate issue, as there is a bit of stuttering to be found. Umbrella’s DVD release had the short in the PAL format but was sourced from NTSC and incorrectly transferred to PAL. It seems they took their PAL master and slowed it down from 25fps to 24fps, causing a slight jitter every second. There are also damage marks to be found and is not in the best of shape, with some blurriness and the greyscale not having a lot of detail in the darker portions. In addition, the opening credits are in windowboxed form. Sound is fair, though there is a bit of muffle to the narration. The burned-in subtitles are electronic and clear and easy to read. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with burned-in English subtitles "For Her Eyes Only" 2014 interview with actress Edith Scob by L.P. Hugo (17:19) This interview with Scob has her discussing her work on the film, from her meeting with Franju and working with him on the film, about the writers, her relationship with the other actors, the difficulty of performing with a mask on for most of the time, tests with different masks, and more. Note this was first released on the BFI Blu-ray of the film. The picture quality is slightly blurry here in comparison to the BFI Blu-ray release. Also unlike the BFI release which had optional subtitles, they are non-removable here. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Les Fleurs maladives de Georges Franju" 2009 documentary by Pierre-Henri Gibert (48:16) This is a fantastic documentary about Franju and his work, made up of interviews from actors, filmmakers, and others that knew him and had worked with him. Interviewed are Scob, Jean Piere Mocky, Robert Hossein, Claude Chabrol and many more as they discuss his works, the controversies, castings, his writing process, influences and much more. This was first released on Gaumont France's 2010 Blu-ray release of the film. Again this has non-removable subtitles on this release and there were a few typos especially with names and titles. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles "Monsieur et Madame Curie" 1956 short by Georges Franju (14:16) Shot in 1953 and ultimately screened in 1956, this is a short that uses diary entries by physicist Marie Curie on her work with husband Pierre, with actors performing in reenactments. The short has not been given a restoration, and it seems again here that it is upscaled from a standard definition source. The black and white image is slightly on the blurry side and damage marks are prevalent. Sound is a little weak, with some muffled dialogue for the narration. Again, the subtitles here are burned-in. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with burned-in English subtitles Trailer (3:51) The trailer which is also on the 4K disc is repeated here. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.66:1, in French Dolby Digital 2.0 with burned-in English subtitles As stated, the film was previously released on 4K UHD in France by Le chat qui fume in 2-disc and 3-disc forms. These share the 2009 documentary and the 2014 Scob interview found on the Umbrella release, but add some exclusive interviews and shorts. The 3-disc edition goes further by having a DVD with six short films by Franju, none of which are on this Umbrella release. The US Criterion 4K release has "Blood of the Beasts" and the French trailer which are on the Umbrella release, but adds some exclusive extras with a differing interview with Scob, some featurettes, and the US trailer for the film. The UK BFI release has the 2009 documentary, Scob interview, and the "Monsieur et Madame Curie" short also found on the Umbrella release, but also have two differing commentaries, a differing short, and an introduction. Each release has some great differing exclusives. The Umbrella release has a good selection, though their presentations with some having non-removable subtitles and some having a less than ideal looking transfer should be noted. Other notable clips: Filmmaker Mark Cousins' introduction for the film Mark Kermode's introduction for the film for the BFI Player Billy Idol's song "Eyes Without a Face", partially inspired by the film The French trailer with commentary by Sam Hamm, from Trailers from Hell! The US double bill trailer with "The Manster"
Packaging
The discs are packaged in a standard black UHD keep case with a reversible cover. The only difference is the Australian M rating logos are removed on the opposite side. It is also available with a limited slipcover exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop. It is also available in a Collector's Edition limited to 2000 copies exclusively at the Umbrella Web Shop which includes a 48 page book with behind-the-scenes, experiences and art including essays from Stephen Thrower, Nadine Whitney and Jack Sargeant, and original poster artwork rigid case, an original poster artwork slipcover, 8 replica lobby cards, and an A3 reversible poster. The booklet starts with the essay "Eyes Without a Face Meets the Critics" by Stephen Thrower, on the film's interesting release and reception. Next is the essay "The Law of the Father and the Death of the Daughter: Eyes Without a Face - Georges Franju's Dark Fairy Tale Fantastique" by Nadine Whitney, which is a great overview of the film. There is an essay on "Blood of the Beasts" by Jack Sargent. There is also a poster gallery, writer biographies, and credits. The eight artcards are printed on thick cards and have stills from the film. The poster is double sided, with one side having the keep case artwork while the opposite side has the slipcover artwork, both being based on original 1960 designs. The poster is folded and held in the keep case which has the slipcover. This, the book, and the artcards are housed in the rigid slipcase, which has unique artwork which is also based on an original 1960 design. 
Overall
"Eyes Without a Face" continues to be one of the most influential horror films of all time, by not being specific to the genre and including some unique twists, being fresh and enticing for audiences more than six decades later. Umbrella's UHD release is a great with a good transfer and a great selection of extras. Highly recommended.
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