Product Details

• Actors: Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michel Bouquet, Charles Denner, Claude Rich
• Directors: François Truffaut
• Writers: François Truffaut, Cornell Woolrich, Jean-Louis Richard
• Producers: Marcel Berbert, Oscar Lewenstein
• Format: Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: September 7, 1999
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792841433
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,235 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

François Truffaut's 1968 thriller was an attempt to reconcile the exclusive experience of the Hitchcockian hero with the expansiveness of Jean Renoir's view of flawed humanity. Jeanne Moreau stars as a newlywed whose husband is shot dead on the church steps following their wedding. The story then follows her systematic and relentless efforts to track down the men who were involved in the killing, murdering each one with a creative efficiency that Truffaut does not mean for us to take too seriously. The film's real point is the interesting tension between the audience's growing knowledge about and sympathy toward the guilty fellows, who really are rather ordinary people, and the narrative hook concerning the heroine's reinvention into a figure of insulated emotion and revenge. (Moreau's character resembles nothing so much as the pathological but vulnerable title character of Hitchcock's Marnie.) The Bride Wore Black (based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich) is not meant to be taken as an object lesson in irony, however. In the finest and most entertaining tradition of Hollywood movies (certainly most of Hitchcock's movies), one can watch Truffaut's film without giving a thought to anything other than its own smooth movement. Take a step back, however, and there are riches to be explored. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

An engrossing, enigmatic tale of passion and revenge, this 1969 Golden Globe(r) nominee* from François Truffaut and co-writer Jean Louis Richard is "cool, witty and disturbingly heartless" (Saturday Review). The bewitching Jeanne Moreau is "simultaneously stunning, chilling and altogether remarkable" (Boxoffice) as a woman who will stop at nothing to avenge her husband's death! Julie (Moreau), a beautiful young bride, has just married her childhood sweatheart and love of her life. But just moments after the ceremony, her beloved is murdered on the steps of thechurch. Emotionally distraught, Julie becomes obsessed with her bridegroom's death and begins a descent into madness as she relentlessly pursues the men responsible. One by one, Julie sees to their demise, and, with each murder more bone chilling and diabolically clever than the last, the question is not who will be next--but rather how they will meet their ghastly end. *Foreign Language Film

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shamelessly Entertaining Neo-Noir Masterpiece, February 27, 2004

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R. W. Rasband (Heber City, UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bride Wore Black (DVD)

"The Bride Wore Black" is another neo-noir classic from Francois Truffaut. It's adapted from the pulp novel masterpiece by Cornell Woolrich (aka William Irish.) Truffaut retains the story and the sense of doom of the book but pares down Woolrich's convoluted plot so that it is even darker. Jeanne Moreau is scary as the implacable Bride, who tracks down the five men she holds responsible for the death of her husband on their wedding day. (You can see the tremendous influence this film had on Tarantino's Kill Bill, Volume 1). This is an icy examination of the eternal war between men and women; the men are either sexual predators or spinless wimps, and the Bride is remorseless in exterminating them. The film has several setpieces that are obviously tributes to Hitchcock (like the high-rise building; and the wrongfully accused teacher.) There's even a musical score by Hitch's signature composer, Bernard Herrman. Truffaut ratchets up the tension to unbearable levels as we wait to see how the Bride will dispatch her next victim. Truffaut, the great humanist and friend of small children, occasionally peeks out, but mostly this film is a gripping ride on the dark side. It also has one of the gratest final scenes I've encountered in a movie. Just terrific.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to Hitchcock, Louise Brooks and women's legs!, January 8, 2002

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LazyLegs - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Bride Wore Black [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Master director Francois Truffaut and legendary actress Jeanne Moreau proves in this film a brunette can be more than a match and just as deadly as the most iciest of Hitchcock blondes, with the great Bernard Hermann delivering a turbulent, impending and breathtakingly haunting score which unfortunately is not out on soundtrack. Truffaut also pays tribute in hairstyle form to Louise Brooks, the 20's actress noted for her distinctive hairdo, which Moreau's character sports. This unforgettably haunting story full of symbolism plays out with the grand sweep and scope of almost Greek tragedy-mythic proportions, starring brunette Moreau as femme fatale extraordinaire Julie Kohler, an emotionally insulated and fascinating woman who descends upon her hapless victims like an exquisite bird of prey in larger-than-life vengeful goddess fashion (which we're not really meant to take all that seriously but is very effective)--she is at once meticulous, deliberate, detached and above all else, mesmerizing with her cold impassive beauty and emotionally/sexually untouchable aura. Her motley prey are a colorful assortment consisting of a wealthy playboy, a romantic loser, a smarmy politician, a mute gangster and a skirt-chasing artist. In highly dramatic and effective use of flashback we learn that Julie turns avenging angel when the love of her life is "assassinated" before her on the steps of a grand cathedral right after their wedding ceremony!--granted it's melodramatic and over-the-top but fits right in with the film's tragic gradeur. Throughout Moreau/Julie is dressed entirely in black and white but wears no other color--appropriate since her character sees the world now only in terms of black and white with no shades of gray, for even when learning these are not "bad" men (except perhaps the gangster) and what occurred was a purely hapless accident, there's no turning back in her unwavering resolve and vow to carry out her revenge.

The most fascinating scenes involve artist Fergus (the always excellent Charles Denner) whom Julie leaves cold at first but who soon becomes enthralled by her aloofness and suppressed sexuality, and in turn she shows signs of emotional and sexual awakening with his frank but pleasant personality and under his almost lovemaking/foreplay-like touch and caressess as he poses her--not surprising since obviously no man has gotten close to or touched her since her husband's death years ago, with the strong impression that she may even be a virgin! As the audience we hope Fergus can save Julie from her personal torment so she will find the happiness she so dearly deserves, but unfortunately the tragic past, her haunted memories and steely resolve win out over this new chance at love, life and happiness. Despite the killings she commits with such calculated and efficient dispatch, Julie is a sympathetic character because she's a principled murderess--she's not willing to hurt anyone but her targets or let anybody take the fall for her actions, as the scene dealing with the politician, his son and the son's schoolteacher compellingly displays her humanity. This is a fascinating character study of a troubled and complex female obviously inspired by Hitchcock's earlier "Marnie," but in this case Truffaut goes one step further with his version of an un-savable Marnie. A comment--throughout this film (as well as some of his others) Truffaut reveals what obviously is his leg fetish, as we the audience are subjected to numerous references as well as many voyeuristic and lingering shots of Moreau's legs!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truffaut's Hitchcock homage is better than the real thing!, February 7, 2001

By 

Jonathan P. Walters - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bride Wore Black (DVD)

Before buying this DVD I'd only seen the film twice before, both times on television and the last time some 13 years ago. I was pleased to fimd it had lost none of it's power to entertain.

Although it was well received, particularly by the art house crowd, when it was released it is now a largely ignored film. This is a pitty as it is superbly crafted and despite a somewhat absurd plot conconcerning a widowed bride avenging the assassination of her husband it does draw the viewer into it and you cannot help but wonder how it will all be resolved.

The Bride Wore Black was Francois Truffaut's second colour film and like his first, Fahrenhight 451(1966), he makes strong use of primery colours namly red, blue, white and black. In particular his decision to dress Julie Kohler(Jeanne Moreau) only in black and white is extreamely effective and each of her five victims is treated to a different creation in black or white and sometimes both; each designed to lure it's respective man to his fate. Jeanne Moreau gives an amazing performance in the title role for however alluring she appears to her victims(they all fall in love with her) her eyes are always filled with cold hatred for them.

This film is, above all, a tribute to the master of suspence himself Alfred Hitchcock; Bernard Herrmann's music and the slightly cold lighting together with the restrained style of acting combine to make a French version of an unmistakeable cocktail as deadly as the poisoned Arrack Julie gives to Bliss, her second victim. But The Bride Wore Black is a lot better than the films that Hitchcock was comming out with at around the time this was made namely "Torn Curtain"(1967) and "Topaz"(1969).

Although the DVD does not appear to have been digitally restored the original print from which it has been made is good and if you don't want to be distracted by subtitles you have the option to view the film with a dubbed English language soundtrack, although the American accents sound a bit strange eminating from all thoes French actors.

Although to modern audiences this may apear a bit camp this is a "must have" for any lover of French New Wave Cinema.