1955 ‘Les Diaboliques’ Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
The cruel and abusive headmaster of a boarding school, Michel Delassalle, is murdered by an unlikely duo -- his meek wife and the mistress he brazenly flaunts. The women become increasingly unhinged by a series of odd occurrences after Delassalle's corpse mysteriously disappears.
Simone Signoret Véra Clouzot Paul Meurisse Charles Vanel Jean Brochard Pierre Larquey Michel Serrault Thérèse Dorny Noël Roquevert Yves-Marie Maurin Georges Poujouly Georges Chamarat Jacques Varennes Jean Lefebvre Robert Dalban Camille Guérini Jacques Hilling Jean Témerson Christian Brocard Jean Clarieux Henri Coutet Johnny Hallyday Henri Humbert Zappy Max Madeleine Suffel Jimmy Urbain
As Diabólicas, De djävulska, I Diabolici, Las diabólicas, Demoni, 恶魔, 室情杀案, 魔鬼双姝, 디아볼릭
Blending together the elements of horror & mystery in a seamless manner, cleverly using its available resources to provide a sense of dread & uncertainty, and efficiently sustaining its tense atmosphere from start to finish, Diabolique (also known as Les Diaboliques) is one of the finest examples of its genre(s) that simply refuses to age despite being nearly 60 years old.
The story concerns the wife of a cruel headmaster who, along with the help of her husband's mistress, devises a plan to murder him, and after careful arrangement manages to successfully execute it without leaving behind any traces. However, things are ultimately set in motion when the body mysteriously disappears from site after which a number of strange occurrences ensue.
Ingeniously…
A thrilling classic that more than lives up to its name! Taut, suspenseful plot that's wickedly delicious!
Packed with powerhouse performances by Véra Clouzot, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse!
Christina Delassalle (Véra Clouzot) may have something to hide but her see-through nightie reveals all!
Your viewing pleasure would be greatly enhanced if you avoid summaries, reviews and trailers!
The cold sweat, the uncontrollable trembling, the heavy breathing, the pressure on the chest, the burdensome weight felt by the knees, the inability to move, the faintness of the voice, the paralyzed mind. It’s fear, taking over. The artistry with which Henri-Georges Clouzot produces fear, sustains it and shows its crushing effects in Les Diaboliques elevate not only the film but the horror genre altogether. It is one of those rare occasions when the destabilizing nature of uncertainty, the sheer sense of dread and the spine-chilling force of fear are not taken for granted, but skillfully and vividly conveyed. Les Diaboliques is a film so effectively shrouded in mystery and delusion that it becomes a psychological assault of mind-boggling conviction.…
Good mystery that's fun to follow. Unfortunately I kind of figured out the twist, but the atmosphere was still always thrilling and I was invested in the plot.
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…
Part of Hooptober
Film #10 of 40
What an intriguing and Hitchcock-level suspenseful horror-thriller. I personally found it a bit lacking in atmosphere and a bit lacking in tight pacing, but its nevertheless a joy to lean back and let the plot with the interesting mystery slowly unfold and keep me guessing up till the very end. It goes from thriller to horror in the last 10 minutes or so, which is where the real cinematic magic happens, and it is just pure nail-biting, dreadful stuff. Wish it ended a bit differently though. Overall, this french classic surely holds up.
Es de esas historias que aparecen en todo top de finales que te dejan el culo rotísimo.
Y con razón.
Heed the "don't spoil it to your friends" warning at the end of the film, because like many thrillers, this film loses some value with knowledge of how it ends. Twists and turns aside, the film's greatest asset is the uneasy relationship between the dual protagonists: the hesitating, decent wife and the headstrong, plotting mistress. Recommended for fans of Hitchcock.
Its influence is undeniable; I'm not sure I'd call it horror, even if there are enough suspenseful and horrific elements to make me understand why many people do. One of the best surprise endings I've ever seen, though I'm NOT giving out any prizes for 'figuring it out' as the whole point is to be surprised, people, c'mon. Hence the charming 'please don't spoil this' alert at the very end. One of the pleasures about being surprised by the ending is running back through the movie in your mind and letting everything fall into place as the explanations ripple back and lightbulbs go off one by one.
Definitely a film to be admired for just how influential it has been; you can pretty much guarantee that those who aren’t impressed by it or who “figured it out” prefer movies that have been made after this one. Intrigue in the story is maintained throughout with various plot points that may or may not be relevant. And then the tension levels are ramped up for the hugely memorable ending. Véra Clouzot and Simone Signoret are great as the scheming wife and mistress, and Charles Vanel’s aged, calm wisdom as the investigating commissioner laid the groundwork for just about every Columbo-type detective we have seen since. Geez, though, wouldn’t it have been great also to see how Hitchcock would have adapted this. We can only feel fortunate that this film may have spurred him on to make Vertigo and Psycho.
Man, I do not fucking get it.
There is effusive praise of this movie based on mood created and it’s supposed palm-sweating tension. I found absolutely none of that here. To be succinct: This movie is an absolute bore.
No substantial plot movement exists until the police show up about 60% of the way through the movie, and even from that point, at no juncture did I care why the body had moved or what would happen when the police answered that question.
I’m very clearly in the minority here, this is regarded as a classic and genre forebearer, so take my opinion with a large grain of salt.
Just be aware that you, too, may not love it like everyone else.
Toda la parte del detective me sobra. Me siento un poco mal dándole solo un siete a lo que se considera una obra maestra, pero bueno, esto es una opinión y no una crítica.
Good mystery that's fun to follow. Unfortunately I kind of figured out the twist, but the atmosphere was still always thrilling and I was invested in the plot.
Esperava mais, mas o plot twist valeu muito a pena. Não esperava... É lento sem precisão, chega uma hora que você simplesmente cansa.
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