Whisper the name Georges Franju into the ear of a cinephile and watch their eyes light up as surreal images from Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Judex (1963) flood their brain. Few filmmakers created such unforgettable imagery as the kind found in Eyes Without a Face, but that’s not representative of his entire career. Franju’s debut feature, La Tête contre les murs (Head Against the Wall) is a startling production in its own way and was made just a year before Eyes Without a Face. Available now from Radiance as a special-edition Blu-ray, La Tête contre les murs can now be enjoyed by English-language Franju fans perhaps only familiar with his more fantastical work.
La Tête contre les murs is a creative meeting between two French cinematic visionaries, Franju and the film’s writer/star Jean-Pierre Mocky. It was, in fact Mocky who was supposed to originally direct the film before backing out. Choosing to view this as either a pure Franju or Mocky film is a mistake, as La Tête contre les murs is clearly the work of both artists, two of the biggest nonconformists in French cinema.
The plot of La Tête contre les murs concerns a lonely and lovesick young man who is institutionalized at his father’s request due to his inability to ‘grow up’. While there, he faces many state-run horrors that have dire effects on him and his fellow patients. Mocky leads a crazy impressive cast made up of Pierre Brasseur, Charles Aznavour, Anouk Aimée and Franju regular Édith Scob. Aznavour took home the French Oscar for his supporting turn, but it is Mocky who guides the film with his charismaticly depressing lead performance.
Featuring rich black-and-white cinematography by Eyes Without a Face DP Eugen Schüfftan, as well as a score from that film’s composer Maurice Jarre, La Tête contre les murs is an exceedingly good film. While it never quite reaches absolute classic status for me, as a chapter in the careers of both Franju and Mocky, this is an essential watch. It is maybe most valuable for Franju fans, as this film is the connecting point between the savagery of Le Sang des bêtes (1949) and the poetry of Eyes Without a Face.
The 4K restoration by Éclair Classics supervised by Mocky Delicious Products featured on this new Radiance limited edition is quite startling. This is a beautifully cold-looking film from two towering filmmakers. Extras are fairly slim in the shape of archival interviews with Mocky, Franju, Aznavour, and Mocky’s assistant and friend Eric Le Roy. We are also treated to a very nice booklet featuring some additional text interviews in this deluxe slipcover obi-stripped edition. Hopefully Radiance will continue releasing Mocky related titles, including my most wanted No Pockets in a Shroud.
-Jeremy Richey, July 2026-
Nostalgia Kinky 
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