Based on a Cornell Woolrich novel, Francois Truffaut’s Mississippi Mermaid was poorly received when released in the United States in April of 1970. This second homage to Hitchcock that Truffaut produced (after The Bride Wore Black), deserves a second look by those who see it as a lesser entry in the filmmakers cannon.

The unbelievably handsome Jean-Paul Belmondo stars as Louis Mahé, a wealthy tobacco plantation owner on the African island of Réunion, awaiting the arrival of his mail-order bride. When Julie (Catherine Deneuve) steps off the steamer Mississippi, Louis doesn’t recognize her, and is taken aback by her beauty; she looks nothing like the photographs she had sent. Louis falls in love quickly, happily marries, and shows Julie off to his friends and staff. The couple spends some wonderful days together before Louis realizes that “Julie” was a fraud, having cleaned out his entire bank account of 27 million francs and fled; the “real” Julie mysteriously missing.

Truffaut always had a flair for storytelling, and there’s no greater example than when Louis learns of the deception. Jumping in his sports car, Louis races to the bank. Truffaut overlays that footage with Louis conversation with bank officials. This means we never actually see him in the bank, and we don’t have to. It really serves to keep things moving at a satisfying clip.

Just when you think Louis is ready to rid himself of the woman now revealed to be Marion Vergano, he seems to crumble at the mere sight of her. Having suffered a nervous breakdown Louis finds Marion working in a dance hall on the Riviera. Instead of seeking revenge as planned, he listens to her story of being orphaned and abused as a child—who knows what the truth was—and picked up the relationship as if they’d had a ridiculous quarrel.

Obsessive love allows Louis to forget all the wrongs that Marion has committed and resume his relationship with her. There also may be some degree of mental illness on both sides. Whatever the case, Mississippi Mermaid is a solid mixture of film noir and scenic romance. Both Belmondo and Deneuve were two of the most beautiful people acting in films in the 1960’s, and they are mesmerizing to watch. Both stars are playing against type: he’s a naïve innocent who didn’t care much about money, she, a ruthless schemer who will do whatever it takes to get the money she craves. The other actors feel almost inconsequential, though Nelly Borgeaud plays the role of the concerned sister whose questioning over her siblings whereabouts begins the unraveling of “Julie’s” con.

Presented in the film’s 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Twilight Time’s 1080p transfer offers a nice level of sharpness throughout much of the film, though there are a few inconsistences. Close-ups look very good, but some of the mid-level shots have slight edge blurriness. Skin tones are pretty good, but occasionally tilt a bit pink. Black levels are quite good, but the picture does have age-related dust and dirt specks throughout. The yellow English subtitles are very easy to read.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 sound mix provides well recorded dialogue. It’s mixed well with the Antoine Duhamel music cues and the sound effects. Any age related issues with pops, hisses, crackles, etc. have been cleaned up well.

The following extras are available:

  • Audio Commentary featuring Twilight Time’s Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman. The two share their thoughts on this film, as well as some other international films. This commentary is a bit more scene-for-scene than some of their others, but they still share some interesting observations.
  • Isolated Score Track: presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo.
  • Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:35)
  • MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (HD, 2:06)
  • Six-Page Booklet: contains a set of color stills, original poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s lively analysis of the film.

 

There are only 3,000 copies of this Blu-ray available. Those interested should go to www.screenarchives.com to see if product is still in stock. Information about the movie can also be found via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies. You can also place orders at Twilight Time’s recently launched website www.twilighttimemovies.com.