That would change in the 1960s, as film culture elevated some directors to the rank of auteur. They prioritized visual and thematic values, but within genre expectations. Losey excelled with a gangster study ( The Criminal), a capital punishment nail-biter ( Time Without Pity) and even an apocalyptic science-fiction tale ( These Are the Damned). Losey’s work always billboarded the presence of an artistic intelligence at work, but the films with which he rebuilt his career in England functioned primarily as standard genre thrillers. This may be Joseph Losey’s first unqualified art picture, the kind tailored to grab attention at prestigious film festivals. Written by Evan Jones, Hugo Butler from the novel by James Hadley Chase Production Design: Richard Macdonald, Luigi Scaccianoce Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Stanley Baker, Virna Lisi, James Villiers, Riccardo Garrone, Lisa Gastoni, Checco Rissone, Enzo Fiermonte, Nona Medici, Roberto Paoletti, Alexis Revidis, Evi Rigano.Ĭinematography: Gianni Di Venanzo, Henri Decaë Eva, The Devil’s Woman / Street Date Octo/ available from Powerhouse Films UK / £15.99 Co-starring (swoon) Virna Lisi and James Villiers.ġ962 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 126 109, 108 min. PI’s overdue and very welcome disc sorts out the multiple release versions ( Eve, Eva, The Devil’s Woman) for the first time, and in so doing finally makes the show critically accessible. Losey’s directing skills are in top form on location in Venice and Rome for this absorbing art film. Is Joseph Losey’s elusive, maudit masterpiece really a masterpiece? Stanley Baker’s foolish lout of a writer ruins his life pursuing the wanton Jeanne Moreau, and it’s hard to tell if she’s punishing him or he’s punishing himself.

Eve by James Hadley Chase