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Credits
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Summary
Christina and Michel Delasalle are a married couple who run a private boarding school.
Delasalle is a tyrant who bullies both his wife and his mistress, Nicole. Having
been beaten by Delasalle, Nicole finally persuades Christina that they should murder their
tormentor. The two women lure Delasalle back to Nicole’s lodgings where Chistiana
drugs him and Nicole drowns him in a bath tub. Later, the two women transport the
body in a basket back to the school and dump it in the swimming pool, hoping that someone
will soon discover the body. The following day, the body has not been found and,
racked with anxiety, the two women order the pool to be drained. To their horror,
the body has disappeared. Then the suit that Delasalle was wearing when he was killed
is returned to them, dry-cleaned... Could Delasalle still be alive, or is
someone trying to drive the two women to distraction, maybe to blackmail them? The
truth is more fantastic than you can imagine...
Review
Les Diaboliques is considered by many to be the most suspenseful thriller ever
made, easily in the same league as Hitchcock’s better films. Although the film begins
quite slowly and innocently, it very quickly becomes thoroughly compelling, to the point
that the viewer dare not take his eyes off the screen for a second. The last twenty
minutes is so perfectly crafted that the effect is both frightening and intoxicating.
Even when you guess correctly the outcome, the shock is still there.
Clouzet directs the film with the skill of a true master of the genre, maximising contributions from his actors and photographers. How he manages to achieve the sense of ever-increasing tension towards the film’s incredible climax is unfathomable, yet the end result cannot be denied. By deliberately playing with our expectations and holding back developments to the last possible moment, Clouzet torments his audience, in much the same way that his characters Nicole and Christina are driven almost to distraction by what they see or expect to see. Simone Signoret is stunningly wicked, capable of drowning her lover as casually as if she we just making a cup of tea (although perhaps hinting at a shade of remorse through her body language). By contrast, Véra Clouzot (wife of the great director) convincingly plays a character who is tormented by fear and conscience yet capable of murder when pushed too far. Paul Meurisse also has a strong presence, playing a thoroughly despicable villain that appears to deserve all he gets. Three very complex characters played to perfection by three very competent actors. The film has been re-made recently, with Isabelle Adjani and Sharon Stone, but this 1990s Hollywood re-make is not a patch on the original. Clouzot’s film is infinitely darker and more rewarding, although its impact is probably significantly diminished once you know how the story ends. A piece of trivia: watch the film very careful and you may catch a fleeting glimpse of a very young Johnny Halliday (then known by his real name Jean-Philippe Smet) as a school boy. © James Travers 2000 Write a review for this film... |
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