Diabolique
1955 ‘Les diaboliques’ Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Synopsis
See it, be amazed at it, but... BE QUIET ABOUT IT!
Les Diaboliques is a mystery thriller from French director Henri-Georges Clouzot about a triangle relationship that leads to murder.The wife of a cruel headmaster and his mistress conspire to kill him, but after the murder is committed his body disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.
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Part of my 2012-1932 project
If there has ever been a movie equipped with the ability to have the viewer(s) glued to the screen while chewing on their arms as they have no nails nor fingers left, it must be Les diaboliques.
I had no doubts about Clouzot's claim to the throne of French master of suspence, after having seen La salaire de la peur, but Les diaboliques is a step up in my book.It takes its time, meticulously building up to the crime, and establishing motives. And although it's nowhere near boring, the true perfection is the second half, when the suspence is turned up to 11. Incredible tension, and here we're also treated to some great direction from Clouzot as well, especially in the build up to the penultimate scene. Masterful!
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Wow.
I finished this film just moments ago, and I immediately want to go tell the world what I just saw. But I cant. Because at the end, a little message scrolled past that told me not to ruin the surprise. Diabolique is very interesting in the fact that a movie released in 1955, 58 years ago, is still making its audiences keep quiet about the ending. I have to thank the fans of the movie who didnt spoil this for me, and I will become one of those people who will carry the secret of this film to my grave.
Well, thats a little extreme, but I feel its justified in this context. The twist is simple, but planned…
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Holy shit. Greatest ending of all time.
DIABOLIQUE is a tense, mysterious, and wholly unnerving thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot. The last ten minutes are probably some of the most frightening minutes ever put to screen. Unfortunately, everything leading up to those final ten minutes was strangely disappointing. Most of the film didn't evoke any real sense of mystery and failed completely to create the disturbing atmosphere that permeated the ending. And, as much as I hate to say it, I found myself bored a number of times. I know when a film is starting to bore me when I check to see how much time is left. Granted, I only checked on this film twice, but still. That's a bad…
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I finished watching this last night, typing this out in a well-lit room with all the lights on in the house.
A thriller hasn't done that to me in I don't know how long! It's an amazing movie and very well put together - a slow build is the best build. The characters of Nicole & Christina were believable and three-dimensional - many differing thoughts and little twists change your thinking on how this will play out. The children in the boarding school were great as well, who swore and acted out and really felt authentic which I don't think you'd see had it been done in Hollywood (I don't think I'll be watching the 1996 remake). That ending was outstanding, an instant classic for me - it gave me a vibe of both Alien & No Country For Old Men. I'll leave it at that.
I have it on DVD and will be upgrading to bluray on the next Criterion sale. -
Incredibly well made. That's the best thing I can say. Every single department is turning out fantastic work and it all makes for one of the great thrillers.
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Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les Diaboliques may seem a bit dated and quaint today, but that is mainly because the bits that made it so startling and original have been appropriated by other movies and directors ever since.
The wife and the mistress (Vera Clouzot and Simone Signoret, respectively) of an abusive lout (Paul Meurisse), who is also principal of the boarding school where they teach, plot to murder him. It's a practical plot that requires drugging him drowning him in a bathtub, and depositing the corpse in the school's neglected swimming pool. All this over a three-day weekend that allows them to set up a solid alibi.
When the corpse refuses to float to the surface, the mistress invents a reason…
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Holy shit. Greatest ending of all time.
DIABOLIQUE is a tense, mysterious, and wholly unnerving thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot. The last ten minutes are probably some of the most frightening minutes ever put to screen. Unfortunately, everything leading up to those final ten minutes was strangely disappointing. Most of the film didn't evoke any real sense of mystery and failed completely to create the disturbing atmosphere that permeated the ending. And, as much as I hate to say it, I found myself bored a number of times. I know when a film is starting to bore me when I check to see how much time is left. Granted, I only checked on this film twice, but still. That's a bad…
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Part of my 2012-1932 project
If there has ever been a movie equipped with the ability to have the viewer(s) glued to the screen while chewing on their arms as they have no nails nor fingers left, it must be Les diaboliques.
I had no doubts about Clouzot's claim to the throne of French master of suspence, after having seen La salaire de la peur, but Les diaboliques is a step up in my book.It takes its time, meticulously building up to the crime, and establishing motives. And although it's nowhere near boring, the true perfection is the second half, when the suspence is turned up to 11. Incredible tension, and here we're also treated to some great direction from Clouzot as well, especially in the build up to the penultimate scene. Masterful!
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I should have seen that ending coming.
Why didn't I see that ending coming?
Holy cow, I did not see that ending coming.
That ending was fucking great!
That is pretty much this film. Looking at it now it hit most conventions of typical thriller / mystery / horror like it, and having seen many I should have anticipated that. But no. The movie and specifically the tension that is built up as the film approaches the finale completely distracts you from anticipating it. And I mean this in the best possible way. The movie engrosses you so much that it doesn't give you time to think about what will happen next because you are stuck experiencing it yourself. This…
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A fascinating and elegant mystery thriller with a great ending. The atmosphere builds and builds and builds in this movie, and it's thoroughly satisfying when all the answers are revealed. Well, most of them anyway. Definitely one I would recommend to anyone who likes Hitchcock or film noir, as that is very much the feel you get from it.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Diabolique > American Teen
Diabolique < Zoolander
Diabolique > Sunday in the Park With George
Diabolique > We're Not Married!
Diabolique < The Help
Diabolique < Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Diabolique > Synecdoche, New York
Diabolique > The Country Girl
Diabolique < The Glass Menagerie
Diabolique > Steamboat Bill, Jr.
Final spot: #571 out of 1908. -
Dat ending
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No recuerdo la última vez que sentí miedo así con una película. A decir verdad, aún estoy medio culeado.
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What is it that makes a film a bona fide classic or even a landmark in cinema? It's the fact that it continues to endear new and much younger target audiences, in spite of being more than half a century old. It has to do with timeless story-telling, stylistic trademarks and unequalled suspense. But most of all it's about being authentic. Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Les Diaboliques" is an authentic pioneer of murder mysteries/conspiracy thrillers. By this I mean that we've all seen numerous movies like it, so over the years we have seen all the plot twists, red herrings and clichés you can possibly imagine yourself, but in this case they honestly come across as derivative or predictable. This film is…
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Incredibly well made. That's the best thing I can say. Every single department is turning out fantastic work and it all makes for one of the great thrillers.
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This was everything I hoped it would be and more. An absolute masterclass of story telling, suspense and tension.
A simple premise of a wife who plots to kill her husband with the help of his mistress, it sinks its claws into you from the get go and doesn't let up until the final scene. The story is fascinating and the deterioration of the two women's mental state through the movie is unnerving as events get all the more strange and mysterious.
I really don't want to mention too much about the climax, but I will say that it's handled expertly through the subtle use of sound and lighting. It kept me guessing and wondering what would occur next and…