Bluebeard's Castle / Herzog Blaubarts Burg (1963) [British Film Institute]

Director: Michael Powell
Writers: Béla Balázs
Stars: Norman Foster, Ana Raquel Satre

Film Distributor: BFI (British Film Institute)

A stunning and psychologically intense adaptation of Béla Bartók's one-act opera of the same name. The film tells the story of Judith, a young bride who marries the enigmatic Duke Bluebeard. As Judith explores her new husband's castle, she uncovers a series of locked doors, each containing a dark secret from Bluebeard's past. Judith's insistence on unlocking these doors leads to a confrontation with Bluebeard, who reveals his own troubled history and the depths of his despair. The film explores themes of love, obsession, and the destructive power of secrets, all set against the backdrop of a Gothic castle that mirrors the protagonists' inner turmoil.

Extras:
- Newly restored by the BFI National Archive and The Film Foundation in association with The Ashbrittle Film Foundation and presented in High Definition
- Optional audio track of the English translation commissioned by Michael Powell and sung by Norman Foster and Ana Raquel Satre
- Newly recorded interview with film scholar Ian Christie (2023, 21 mins)
- Picture business: Michael Powell at Dartmouth (1980, 16 mins): A short documentary depicting Powell's time as Artist in Residence at Dartmouth College in 1980
- An image gallery of production designs by Hein Heckroth