Carnival of Sinners
1943·Fantasy·1h 20m
7.1
★
A struggling artist buys a talisman that gives him love, fame and wealth. The talisman is a severed left hand, and it works perfectly, in fact, magically. But of course there is nothing free in this world, and after one year the devil comes and asks for his due.
Directed by Maurice Tourneur
supernatural
pact with the devil
talisman
devil
struggling artist
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Pierre Fresnay
Roland Brissot
Josseline Gaël
Irène
Noël Roquevert
Mélisse
Guillaume de Sax
Gibelin
Pierre Palau
Le petit homme
Pierre Larquey
Ange
André Gabriello
Le dîneur
Antoine Balpêtré
Denis
Marcelle Rexiane
Madame Denis
Georges Chamarat
Duval
Jean Davy
Le mousquetaire
André Bacqué
Monk Maximus Léo (uncredited)
Crew
Maurice Tourneur
Director
Jean-Paul Le Chanois
Screenplay
Armand Thirard
Director of Photography
Maurice Tourneur
Producer
Gérard de Nerval
Novel
Popular Reviews
13 reviews
Kyanenx
7.0★ · 02/13/26
Jeu de mains jeu de villains
Jeu de mains jeu de villains
noceur
6.0★ · 08/11/25
the plot is quite surrealist and another faustian retelling, executed in a somewhat clever manner in the beginning and end, yet it falls rather flat in the middle.
i consider myself to be a fan of faustian and absurd plots, however i think that i went with higher expectations in it because i enjoy Tourneur’s movies a lot. i did let out a sigh when i saw that this was a Continental Films’ production… for obvious reasons. as another commenter pointed out, this could be read as a critique of commuting with the devil (nazi’s given the time period) which is an interesting take that i’d like to entertain.
all in all, it’s an okayish experience but nothing out of this world. the sets are beautiful (as usual) and the scene where our protagonist buys the talisman is filled with symbolism and atmosphere. there are also some worthwhile quotes from this movie, that i’ll likely keep on referencing.
i consider myself to be a fan of faustian and absurd plots, however i think that i went with higher expectations in it because i enjoy Tourneur’s movies a lot. i did let out a sigh when i saw that this was a Continental Films’ production… for obvious reasons. as another commenter pointed out, this could be read as a critique of commuting with the devil (nazi’s given the time period) which is an interesting take that i’d like to entertain.
all in all, it’s an okayish experience but nothing out of this world. the sets are beautiful (as usual) and the scene where our protagonist buys the talisman is filled with symbolism and atmosphere. there are also some worthwhile quotes from this movie, that i’ll likely keep on referencing.
the plot is quite surrealist and another faustian retelling, executed in a somewhat clever manner in the beginning and end, yet it falls rather flat in the middle.
i consider myself to be a fan of faustian and absurd plots, however i think that i went with higher expectations in it because i enjoy Tourneur’s movies a lot. i did let out a sigh when i saw that this was a Continental Films’ production… for obvious reasons. as another commenter pointed out, this could be read as a critique of commuting with the devil (nazi’s given the time period) which is an interesting take that i’d like to entertain.
all in all, it’s an okayish experience but nothing out of this world. the sets are beautiful (as usual) and the scene where our protagonist buys the talisman is filled with symbolism and atmosphere. there are also some worthwhile quotes from this movie, that i’ll likely keep on referencing.
i consider myself to be a fan of faustian and absurd plots, however i think that i went with higher expectations in it because i enjoy Tourneur’s movies a lot. i did let out a sigh when i saw that this was a Continental Films’ production… for obvious reasons. as another commenter pointed out, this could be read as a critique of commuting with the devil (nazi’s given the time period) which is an interesting take that i’d like to entertain.
all in all, it’s an okayish experience but nothing out of this world. the sets are beautiful (as usual) and the scene where our protagonist buys the talisman is filled with symbolism and atmosphere. there are also some worthwhile quotes from this movie, that i’ll likely keep on referencing.
Nick
7.0★ · 10/23/23
Pretty dang cool. It takes a lot of different turns and creates a pretty compelling narrative. It felt inventive with some of its plot devices, most notably the hand which is uncannily similar to this year’s Talk to Me. There is a bit at the end that feels like a waste. But a high recommend for underseen classics.
Pretty dang cool. It takes a lot of different turns and creates a pretty compelling narrative. It felt inventive with some of its plot devices, most notably the hand which is uncannily similar to this year’s Talk to Me. There is a bit at the end that feels like a waste. But a high recommend for underseen classics.
Claudia Molina
6.0★ · 02/28/26
David Brook
10.0★ · 02/25/26