Upon first seeing this box set on the shelf of your local HMV, you might ask yourself “who in the world is Jean-Pierre Mocky?” Truth be told, as an actor, director and novelist with an unmistakable style, and whose work spanned over six decades, perhaps Mocky's name should be more well known. With this in mind, a company like Radiance is clearly the perfect home for the director's films.
Releasing three of Mocky's provocations on Blu-Ray for the first time outside of France, this box set offers us Mocky's cult horror sensation Litan, hooligan thriller Kill the Referee, and his Hitchcockian mystery Agent Trouble. Given Radiance's reputation, it should come as no surprise that these three films each come jam-packed with a delicious selection of special features, both archived from the original releases and made specially for this box set. As always, Radiance provide a jaw-dropping selection of extras that are fascinating to take a peek at. Unfortunately, Mocky's films themselves are where the quality of the set begins to drop.
First is his 1982 attempt at the folk horror genre, and Mocky's first true foray into the fantastic, Litan. Worried by a disturbing dream, Nora (Marie-José Nat) wakes to find her husband has gone missing during a trip to Litan. As the small European town hosts a festival of the dead a small string of murders take place against the backdrop, meaning that Nora not only has to find her husband but also has to ensure that they both make it out of the town with both their lives. Filled with surrealist imagery and marvellously shot by Edmond Richard (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), Mocky paints a wonderfully disturbing picture that you simply can't take your eyes off of. Equally, however, Mocky's writing and direction lack any real intrigue, leading to a movie that struggles to keep your attention. With shallow characters that we don't care about and stakes that lack any form of tension, Litan fails to grab the viewer from very early on. The visuals may have captured the essence of the story but Mocky himself never manages to. Rather than creating an interesting narrative, Mocky instead seems focused on placing random and quirky moments within his picture for the sake of it. Adding nothing to the film and coming across as disingenuous, the more arthouse elements of this flick seem a little like the filmmaker is trying too hard to come across as interesting, rather than making a genuinely good film.
Just in time for the Euro's, Mocky's second offering dives into the world of football hooliganism with the eye-catching title Kill the Referee. Like a mix between The Warriors and Green Street, Kill the Referee takes us through the night as a referee must outrun a gang of hooligans who blame one of his decisions for their team's loss. Similar to Litan, the quality of the visuals stands out against the rest of the picture. Again, shot by Edmond Richard, Kill the Referee boasts some beautiful use of colour which allows for the colours of the different football teams to stand out. A missed opportunity of the movie is that it feels like the gorgeous cinematography would allow for some great juxtaposition as the backdrop to the violent acts of the gangs. Instead, the gangs come across as squeaky clean as the film looks. To be fair, there are some moments in which they do seem genuinely dangerous but unfortunately, they end up seeming more goofy than threatening, for the most part. Given that this film was released during a rise in football hooliganism in Europe throughout the 1980s, it feels like a wasted opportunity, both for a genuine discussion around the topic or even as a fun piece of exploitation cinema. Instead, Mocky decides to do neither and the result is very disappointing.
The last addition to this box set is Mocky's Agent Trouble, a film that could potentially save Radiance's latest release after two lacklustre choices from Mocky's filmography. If you were to do even the slightest research on this film you'd find that one word keeps popping up – Hitchcockian. Agent Trouble opens the way every good thriller should do, with a blank canvas. Opening with a blank, white screen, the picture slowly fades in and it becomes clear that we are on a country road during a terrible snowstorm. When and where is unimportant, as the snow flattens everything for miles to come, leaving us completely unaware of why we are here. It is an impactful open that sets up an impressive scale that we haven't yet seen Mocky work on. Taking over from Edmond Richard, William Lubtchansky immediately impresses with his hypnotising visuals. A zoo, a museum, a hitman and a busload of dead tourists later, and the picture Mocky is painting has become clear. The end result is admittedly not as rewarding as one would hope from the opening and Mocky never does seem to find the right balance between the stories he is telling and his own personal style. However, Agent Trouble is undeniably a step up in quality from the two films it is packaged with in this box set. Sadly, it is a case of too little too late.
Jean-Pierre Mocky certainly has his fans and for his work to be more readily available outside of France for the first time is a reminder of the terrific work that Radiance are doing. For those already aware of his films this box set is sure to be a godsend and if his style is for you then this new release is perfect for you. On the other hand, if European, experimental arthouse is not your thing, if you have never heard of Jean-Pierre Mocky, and if you find yourself intrigued by this box set then it may be best to hold on to your money.
The Agitator: Three Provocations from the Wild World of Jean-Pierre Mocky may host special features galore and a fascinating look at French cinema that you may have never seen before, but the three films lack the quality that is expected from the forty-five pound price tag.
Special Features
- New 4K restorations of each film presented on three discs, made available on Blu-ray for the first time outside of France
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio
- Archival interview with Jean-Pierre Mocky about his relationship to the fantastic.
- Archival ‘Making of Litan' documentary from French television.
- Newly filmed interview with journalist and broadcaster Philippe Auclair on Kill the Referee.
- Interview with Mocky's assistant Eric Leroy on Kill the Referee.
- Television reportage from the set of Kill the Referee.
- Archival French TV interview with Jean-Pierre Mocky.
- Archival interview with Catherine Deneuve on Agent Trouble.
- Archival interview with Richard Bohringer on Agent Trouble.
- Interview with Eric Leroy on Agent Trouble.
- Interview with Olivia Mokiejewski on Agent Trouble.
- New and improved optional English subtitles.
- Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Time Tomorrow.
- Limited edition 80-page book featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Nathaniel Thompson and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and newly translated archival interviews including Serge Toubiana on Jean-Pierre Mocky, and Oliver Assayas on Michel Serrault, as well as an on-set report of Kill the Referee.
- Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.
Radiance Films will release The Agitator: Three Provocations from the Wild World of Jean-Pierre Mocky on 1st July