Customer Reviews

Diabolique (The Criterion Collection)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is no secret that this is a classic suspense film in every sense. It would seem only natural that Criterion would pick this film to be part of their revered collection. Most people who are willing to spend the kind of money that it takes to acquire a Criterion disc take comfort in the knowledge that they will experience the highest possible picture and sound quality possible for the particular film. Well, with the disc of Diabolique, that is just not the case. The film is loaded with dirt, grain, holes, tears, and even splices. At one point in viewing the disc I noticed a large circle flash by. I scanned back and paused on the frame to see that what appears to be a melted spot on the film had been circled, perhaps for removal later. It is still there, though. Also, the picture had a slight vibrating quality about it through the whole movie which was an annoyance. The picture is watchable, but for the price and the Criterion name, I expected much, much more. There are some serious issues with the sound as well. There is a constant low hiss on the soundtrack that can be distracting. The subtitles are pale and hard to read. I always enjoy watching the restoration demonstration on Criterion discs. I like seeing how huge picture defects can be erased just like magic. This movie obviously never recieved such treatment. I find it hard to believe that any restoration work at all was done to Diabolique before it was dumped on the market. Basically, the movie is definitely worth seeing, but do not assume anything simply because this is a Criterion disc. You could buy the same movie of the same quality on VHS for much less.

I don't have too much to say, except to echo the accolades that your other reviewers have given this masterpiece of suspense from France. The few people who found it too tame or dull are perhaps those enamoured of films with characters named "Jason" or "Freddy" !

For anyone who reveals the surprise ending, this would be a crime even more atrocious than the one depicted in the movie, and should be punishable by a re-instated guillotine !

Simone Signoret and Vera Clouzot are unforgettable in the leads, each character playing beautifully off the other. One other comment--this is a 50s film, yet schoolboys are portrayed with brutal accuracy--they swear, act rudely, are preocuupied with sex--these are real children, not those that are found in Disney films.

The DVD is nice--some wear is visible here and there, but does not detract from your experience. Of course, the film is in French, but the subtitles are smooth. The absence of music is another plus. In some Hollywood suspense films, you can tell that "something is about to happen" because of the music--not the case here.

If you collect Hitchcock films and other suspense thrillers, your library is not complete without this true classic.

This film, which hasn't aged a DAY, except for locations, cars, etc., I never tire of watching. I first saw it at TEN and was scared out of my mind! I've had the VERY cheap VHS dubbed version for years, and while that is VERY GOOD, this DVD is FANTASTIC! Clear picture, and I had NO trouble at all with the subtitles! SUCH a TREAT to hear the ORIGINAL soundtrack, as it adds so much more. Too many times in dubbed versions, words are taken as literal, when they are not! Like when Signoret says "Have fun children" clearly showing her disgust, in the dubbed version it was "Have fun kiddies."This film NEVER lets up! I was reading Simone Signoret's book, one of many, the other day. She said the filming was grueling, and was called because Clouzot wanted his wife to work with friends! I would be diabolical myself if I told you much of the plot, as it has been repeated here for you too see! No extras on the DVD, like even the original trailer, but still a DVD for your library. Simone Signoret was a true beauty and a GREAT actress; we don't get too many of those, nor directors of this clout! In fact, Clouzot started the "no admission after the film starts" which was attributed to Hitchcock's PSYCHO. BOTH films are masterpieces, however this one is overlooked, probably because it is foreign, or because the unbelieveably cheap VHS dubbed copies are SO bad. You cannot go wrong with this AT ALL!

If "Diabolique" influenced Hitchcock's "Psycho", one would have to say that the classic French film exceeds the 'classic' American slasher flick.

In a twisted and at times really confused turn of events, a shy schoolmarm teams up with her husband's mistress to kill him (or so we think). The husband is a real SOB, constantly bossing both of them around and treating his students like dogs. Since he is in a position of provincial power, however, his petty control games and short temper go unremarked upon. There are tones of lesbianism in this sleek thriller, with the wife and mistress and forming (*(it seems*) a strong bond in their hatred of the husband. The only lucid character we have is a private investigator who precipitates a tragedy, perhaps without knowing it. (Or is he in on it too?_

I won't spoil the rest of the film for the viewer, but it would be safe to say that this is one of the strangest plots I have ever encountered, and one of the most intriguing. We are confronted with weakness versus strength, good versus evil, and the standard collection of themes, but in a subtle, disturbing fashion. The last scene in the film, when a child comments on the schoolmarm's appearance in the school, is enough to leave one wondering whether there is yet another element at work which we have not yet seen. This is far better than "Psycho", although one can see the parallels. A must see.

With all the wonderful, high-quality disks I've bought from the Criterion Collection, I was markedly disappointed with this one. While the movie was fantastically eerie and deserving of four stars(although I believe Hitchcock would have done a much finer, more suspenseful, 5-star job), the quality of the print was far inferior to every other Criterion disc I've bought thus far. The film is quite scratchy and has some very noticeable flaws throughout. After such fine discs as The Third Man, The 39 Steps, and The Lady Vanishes, the quality of this more recent film was a disappointment.

The story opens in a run-down French boys' school, where the cruel headmaster has made life unbearable for his fragile wife and his mistress (Simone Signoret), both of whom are teachers. The ladies decide to join forces and kill him over a long holiday weekend and their plan goes well...until his body goes missing.

This is a very intense and spooky murder mystery that kept me guessing until the wonderfully satisfying end. The actors are all excellent and there is a good contrast between the weakling wife and the domineering mistress. The innocence of the school setting, a couple of humorous male teachers, and a persistent detective add to the mix.

Filmed in black and white (mostly black shadows) and in French with English subtitles, this is an excellent film noir that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It's a pity that some reviewers are so numbed and stunned by today's in-your-face gore and horror that they can't appreciate the subtleties of character and relationship analysis displayed in a film like this. Although there's little doubt that it is at its most effective the first time round (provided you don't already know the ending) there is still a lot left to savour. I saw it when it was new, and the shock in the theatre towards the end was palpable. Not so today, of course. Nevertheless, the peculiarly French menage-a-trois with its vile central bully remains perennially interesting. The run-down school with its dilapidated staff and surroundings, the paternalistic and sadistic hierarchical structure, the completely realistic school-kids, the bleakly austere atmosphere of post-war France (it was exactly like this in England too), with people just about able to make ends meet, is all still extremely fascinating. Both the women's performances are exceptional: the frailty and piety of Vera Clouzot is balanced by just enough determination to commit the murder, and the slightly butch sensuality of Signoret allows her to get away with her fake concern as well as her ruthlessness. The beauty of each of them is a study in perfect contrast. The very final twist let's us know that it's all been a bit of a joke. Why Hitchcock's Vertigo is considered a masterpiece I'll never know.

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot is one of the greatest French mystery films I have seen. In the film, a school principal is very mean to his wife and mistress. They team up to drown him and dump his body in a pool. Later they begin to suspect that he wasn't dead when they dumped him in the pool. The film has a surprise ending that I will not reveal as it would be considered a spoiler.

The DVD dies not have any special features, but is still a really good film. The film had a remake done in 1996 with Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani. I have not seen the remake but intend to sometime soon.

Based on the Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac novel CELLE QUI N'ETAIT PLUS, Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1955 DIABOLIQUE is easily among the most influential films of world cinema, leaving its mark on everything from Alfred Hitchcock's VERTIGO and PSYCHO to William Castle's THE TINGLER--but even so, and while Hitchcock's masterpieces can be said to at least equal the Clouzot original, few if any of the films spawned by DIABOLIQUE ever bested it.

Variously known as DIABOLIQUE, LES DIABOLIQUES, and THE DEVILS, the film presents a complex story. Christina Delasalle (Vera Clouzot, wife of director Henri-Georges Clouzot), is a remarkably beautiful and considerably wealthy woman who has the misfortune to suffer from delicate health, personal timidity, and brutish husband Michel (Paul Meurisse.) The two operate a boys' school that Christina owns, and among the teachers is hard-nosed Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret), who has become Michel's mistress but who finds Michel every bit as unpleasant as wife Christina. An unlikely alliance springs up between the two women, and together they conspire to murder Michel and thereafter run the school for themselves. But although the murder seems to go as planned, the body goes missing, and the two women suddenly find themselves taunted by mysterious notes and strange happenings. Has Michel survived the attempt on his life? Or has the murder been discovered and the stage is being set for blackmail?

In the wake of DIABOLIQUE's international success, the story has been told in so many variations that many may consider the original has lost some of the shock value it possessed when it first debuted, but even so the film has much to offer. This is particularly true in terms of style of performances. Director Clouzot endows the film with a sense of visual decay and a near-documentary tone that merge to create one of the most chilling atmospheres ever captured on screen. While Signoret's performance of the angry mistress is the more widely celebrated, she is equaled by Vera Clouzot, who has the more complex role and whose performance must carry the weight of the film's most disturbing moments; together they create a truly remarkable synergy of the most lethal kind.

I have seen DIABOLIQUE in several different releases, and while the Criterion DVD is somewhat glitchy it is easily the best version available; one should avoid all other releases, particularly the truly atrocious release by Madacy. Strongly recommended, particularly to fans of internation cinema and classic suspense.

When I first saw this film several years ago, I thought "Wow, what a great film! Very Hitchcock-like, and well paced...."

I just saw it again last week and thought, "What was I thinking?" The pacing is slow and dreary, and the acting isn't even all that great. The plot, while interesting, is not well executed and dragged like crazy.

We're asked to suspend WAY too much reality in order to buy the multiple twists at the end. (SPOILERS AHEAD) First of all, how in the world did that dead man manage to stay under water for that long without gasping for air? It's never explained to us. After that, was his body somehow replaced before being shoved into the crate and driven back to the estate, or did the (live) man actually live and breathe in that box, wrapped in plastic, for the entire drive back?

And the biggest incredible suspension of belief factor in this movie: If the cops were on to the bad guys for so long, WHY, OH WHY, would they sit back and WAIT until they've killed the headmistress of shock before they emerge from the shadows to arrest them? I mean, an integral part of the conniving scheme was thinking that this woman was too weak of heart to do much on her own; surely if the cops had figured out the scheme they would have interceded BEFORE someone else had to die, right? Even worse is that it all happens within the space of minutes: Headmistress sees husband (whom she thought was dead), headmistress keels over and dies, and cop emerges from the shadows. Hey, copper, could you not have stepped forward just a few seconds earlier, when you might have been able to save her life?

A decent movie, but nothing terribly special.