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SYNOPSIS
Directed by cinematic pioneer Maurice Tourneur (Cecile is Dead) and starring Pierre Fresnay (La Grande Illusion), The Devil’s Hand stands with Diabolique and Eyes Without a Face as one of the finest horror films ever produced in France.

Guests staying at an isolated mountain inn, cut off from the outside world by an avalanche, are astounded by the sudden arrival of Roland Brissot (Fresnay), a mysterious man with a prosthetic hand. He soon begins to regale the assembled patrons with his extraordinary story: once a struggling artist, his luck changed on the day that he bought an enchanted talisman in the shape of a hand, an artefact that supposedly bestows good fortune upon its owner. Overnight, he became talented, wealthy and contented – but he must sell the talisman at a loss before he dies, or else he will be damned to hell for all eternity…

A distinctly French twist on the likes of Faust and The Monkey’s Paw, The Devil’s Hand was adapted from the 1927 novel of the same name by Gérard de Nerval and produced under German occupation at the height of World War II. The Masters of Cinema Series presents this extraordinary film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn
Limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on director Maurice Tourneur by French cinema expert Barry Nevin
1080p HD presentation from a restoration by Gaumont Film Company
Original French mono audio
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New audio commentary by film critic James Oliver
The Devil in the Details – new video essay by film historian Samm Deighan
La Continental – archival documentary on Continental Films and French cinema under German occupation, presented with newly translated English subtitles

Wow, nice!

Wow, what a fine announcement. I've seen the film before, but as with the Musashi Miyamoto cycle, I'm as thrilled about it getting a high quality disc release as I would be about a brand new film. I hope Eureka! keeps up this pace all throughout 2026.

Papyrus font is truly diabolical

domino harvey wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 7:09 pmPapyrus font is truly diabolical

Maybe it’s a title reveal for the next Avatar.

Imported the Gaumont a month or so ago!

TMDaines wrote: Mon Jan 12, 2026 9:54 am Imported the Gaumont a month or so ago!

I also ordered it some time ago, but there were no English subtitles, contrary to what Amazon claimed. The information has since been corrected.

Don’t ever go by Amazon; they’re notoriously unreliable for subtitle info, as multiple complaints about the Potemkine Napoleon (resolutely French-only) recently underscored.

I generally try to find an actual scan of the back of the sleeve; these can sometimes be wrong too, but they’re far more likely to be accurate.

Finch wrote: Thu Jan 08, 2026 2:21 pm
A distinctly French twist on the likes of Faust and The Monkey’s Paw, The Devil’s Hand was adapted from the 1927 novel of the same name by Gérard de Nerval and produced under German occupation at the height of World War II. The Masters of Cinema Series presents this extraordinary film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

I hope the rest has been carefully checked. The Gérard de Nerval (1808-1855) short story was first published in 1832.