Finis Terrae Limited Edition Blu-ray

'Finis Terræ' Director: Jean Epstein (1929) Eureka Limited Edition Blu-ray | 4K restoration |  Staff Pick  | French intertitles w/ English subtitles

An atmospheric maritime tale and a forerunner to such films as Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse and Mark Jenkin’s Bait, Finis Terræ is one of Jean Epstein’s finest achievements and an aesthetic triumph, particularly in its early and deeply effective use of slow motion cinematography and handheld camerawork.

Four fisherman set out on a three-month seaweed harvesting expedition to an uninhabited islet off the coast of Brittany. Cabin fever soon sets in, and when one of the men is taken ill with an infection having cut his thumb on a piece of glass during a brawl, the situation threatens their entire enterprise. Conditions at sea make it impossible for the men to leave the island or for help from the mainland to reach them.

Epstein, rembered primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, made several films in and around the islands of Brittany, often blending narrative and documentary elements within the region's unique coastal landscapes, exploring the power and unpredictability of nature.

Limited Edition contents:
- O-card slipcase featuring new artwork
- Collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on the film by Jean Epstein expert Christophe Wall-Romana and archival writing by the director

Special features include:
- Interview with film historian and critic Pamela Hutchinson on the life and work of director Jean Epstein
- New video essay on the film
- Archival appreciation of the film by Joel Daire