This film is currently unavailable
Bluebeard's Castle
Discover a ‘lost’ masterpiece from acclaimed director Michael Powell (The Red Shoes and Peeping Tom), with this stunning adaptation of Béla Bartok’s expressionist opera.
Director: Michael Powell
Overview
Starring Norman Foster as the murderous Bluebeard and Ana Raquel Satre as his doomed wife, Judith, this boldly original production was made for West German television in 1963. Combining outstanding performances with spectacular production designs (by Academy Award-winner Hein Heckroth), Powell concocts a daring and inventive interpretation of this haunting work, equal to the creative innovation of the iconic The Tales of Hoffmann. Unavailable for many years, Bluebeard’s Castle has been painstakingly restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation, and is presented here – on its 60th anniversary - in Powell's preferred, revised 1978 edition featuring limited English subtitles added by Powell.
Bluebeard’s Castle is performed in German and presented without English subtitles for the libretto. This was the choice of director Michael Powell who wanted audiences to be immersed in the film’s imagery and music. In 1978, Powell created limited English narrative subtitles that set the scene and provide context where he felt audiences might require additional information. Michael Powell’s original English subtitles have been reproduced by Randall Balsmeyer.
mild threat, sex references
Related
Dance Craze Dance Craze
Documentary 1981 89 mins Director: Joe Massot
Legendary concert film that brilliantly captures the cultural phenomenon that was the 2 Tone movement, and showcases the very best of the British Ska revival.
The Story of Lover's Rock The Story of Lover's Rock
Documentary 2011 100 mins Director: Menelik Shabazz
Menelik Shabazz (Burning an Illusion) shines a light on the music genre often dubbed ‘romantic reggae’; a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems.
The Edge of the World The Edge of the World
Drama 1937 75 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's daring, windswept story of the inhabitants of a remote island who find their way of life threatened by a rapidly industrialising world.
Reawakening Reawakening
Thriller 2024 90 mins Director: Virginia Gilbert
BAFTA-winner Jared Harris stars as a father wrestling with uncertainty when his daughter reappears a decade after vanishing.
A Night of Knowing Nothing A Night of Knowing Nothing
Drama-documentary 2021 99 mins Director: Payal Kapadia
All We Imagine as Light director Payal Kapadia’s bold and distinctive feature debut explores the political climate of contemporary India.
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut Caligula: The Ultimate Cut
Period drama 2023 178 mins Director: Tinto Brass
Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren star in one of the most controversial films in cinema history, presented here in an entirely new cut compiled from the original rushes.
All We Imagine as Light All We Imagine as Light
Romance 2024 118 mins Director: Payal Kapadia
Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix-winning portrait of three women is a transcendent tale of love and sisterhood.
The Universal Theory The Universal Theory
Thriller 2023 118 mins Director: Timm Kröger
The spirits of Lynch, Lang and Hitchcock haunt this cold war mystery-thriller with an awesome Alpine backdrop.
The Love Witch The Love Witch
Comedy 2016 121 mins Director: Anna Biller
A modern-day witch uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her, in Anna Biller's outrageous tribute to 1960s Technicolor melodramas.