Diabolique (1955) Les diaboliques (original title)

Director:

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Writers:

Pierre Boileau (novel) and
Thomas Narcejac (novel) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 November 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Film-Noir | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

See it, be amazed at it, but... BE QUIET ABOUT IT! (original Finnish poster tagline)

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Headmaster | Mistress | Swimming Pool | Murder | Teacher

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Simone Signoret	...	Nicole Horner
Véra Clouzot	...	Christina Delassalle (as Vera Clouzot)
Paul Meurisse	...	Michel Delassalle
Charles Vanel	...	Alfred Fichet, le commissaire
Jean Brochard	...	Plantiveau, le concierge
Pierre Larquey	...	M.Drain, professeur
Michel Serrault	...	M. Raymond, le surveillant
Thérèse Dorny	...	Mme. Herboux
Noël Roquevert	...	M. Herboux
Yves-Marie Maurin	...	Moinet, une jeune Moynet
Georges Poujouly	...	Soudieu, un élève
Georges Chamarat	...	Dr. Loisy
Jacques Varennes	...	M. Bridoux, professeur
Robert Dalban	...	Le garagiste
Jean Lefebvre	...	Le soldat
Camille Guérini	...	Le photographe (as Camille Guerini)
Jacques Hilling	...	L'employé de la morgue
Aminda Montserrat	...	Madame Plantiveau
Jean Témerson	...	Le garçon d'hôtel (as Jean Temerson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Pierre Bonnefous	...	Le jeune De Gascuel (uncredited)
Jean Clarieux	...	Le chauffeur (uncredited)
Henri Coutet	...	L'employé de la morgue (uncredited)
Michel Dumur	...	Le jeune Ritberger (uncredited)
Johnny Hallyday	...	Un élève (uncredited)
Henri Humbert	...	Patard, le jeune Patard (uncredited)
Roberto Rodrigo	...	Le petit Jose (uncredited)
Madeleine Suffel	...	La dégraisseuse (uncredited)

Directed by
Henri-Georges Clouzot		(as H.G. Clouzot)

Writing credits
Pierre Boileau		(novel "Celle qui n'était plus") (as Boileau) and
Thomas Narcejac		(novel "Celle qui n'était plus") (as Narcejac)
Henri-Georges Clouzot		(scenario and dialogue) (as H.G. Clouzot) &
Jérôme Géronimi		(scenario and dialogue) (as Jérôme Geronimi)
René Masson		(collaboration) &
Frédéric Grendel		(collaboration)

Produced by
Henri-Georges Clouzot	....	producer (as H.G. Clouzot)

Original Music by
Georges Van Parys

Cinematography by
Armand Thirard

Film Editing by
Madeleine Gug

Art Direction by
Léon Barsacq

Production Management
Georges Testard	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michel Romanoff	....	assistant director

Sound Department
William Robert Sivel	....	sound (as William-Robert Sivel)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Dicop	....	assistant camera
Daniel Diot	....	assistant camera
Robert Juillard	....	camera operator
Jean Lallier	....	camera operator
Louis Née	....	camera operator (as Louis Nee)
Jacques Robin	....	camera operator

Other crew
Richard Heinz	....	English version
Jeanne Witta-Montrobert	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Filmsonor
• Vera Films

Distributors

• Cinédis (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (English subtitles)
• British Film Institute (BFI) (2011) (UK) (theatrical)
• Gala Film Distributors (1955) (UK) (theatrical)
• Union Film Wien (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Arrow Film Distributors (2007) (UK) (video)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1999) (USA) (video)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Pictures Corp. (1988) (USA) (TV) (new English subtitles)
• Crown Video (video)
• Foothill Video (video)
• Home Vision Cinema (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Homescreen (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Nostalgia Video (video)
• Public Media (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• LAX Lab.

Other Companies

• Franstudio  studios

Also Known As:

"Les diaboliques" - France (original title)
"The Devils" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

114 min | UK:92 min | USA:116 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Finland:K-18 (1968) | Finland:K-18 (1956) | South Korea:15 | France:U (Visa #14131) | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:16 (2012) (DVD) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated | Norway:16 | Italy:VM14 | UK:X (original rating) (1955) | UK:15 (re-rating) (1985)

Filming Locations:

Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, France

Company:

Filmsonor

Trivia:

The film is based on Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac's novel "Celle qui n'était plus" (She Who Was No More). Alfred Hitchcock also attempted to buy the rights to this novel; Boileau and Narcejac subsequently wrote "D'Entre les Morts" (From Among the Dead) especially for Hitchcock, who filmed it as Vertigo (1958).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Plantiveau, le concierge:Headmaster!
Michel Delassalle:Yes.
Plantiveau, le concierge:Isn't it time I rang the bell?
Michel Delassalle:It's okay. I'll unload the car myself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Maniacs (1996) (V)

Masterfully crafted suspense-film

DIABOLIQUE (Henri-Georges Clouzot - France 1955).

I must admit I found Clouzot's earlier WAGES OF FEAR(1953) slightly disappointing and therefor temporarily held back from watching any other films he made but how wrong I was! This much discussed classic was one of the most frightening and disturbing films I've ever seen. The music theme played during the opening credits with the organ and the singing schoolchildren still makes the hairs in my neck stand up, even at this very moment.

The story revolves around the tyrant schoolmaster Delasalle (Paul Meurisse) of a seedy boarding school, his wife (Vera Clouzot) and his mistress (Simone Signoret). An he maltreats them both, they decide to work together to murder him. They drown Delasalle in the bathtub and dump the corpse in the abandoned swimming pool next to the school. But then, eerie things start to happen. When the pool is drained and no body is found, the two women grow increasingly fearful that Delasalle is still alive. When subsequently his suit is returned from the dry-cleaners and the schoolchildren repeatedly testify they've seen Delasalle, they start to panic and the strange occurrences surrounding his supposed resurrection slowly drive them into insanity and complete paranoia.

Justifiably hailed as one of the most suspenseful films ever made and often compared to Hitchcock's work. Clouzot lacks the master's wit but as far as suspense goes, he is incomparable. Very much opposed to Hitchcock, this film - like most of his work - has a very cynical and misanthropic feel to it. Perhaps largely due to this very dark tone and Clouzot's excellent eye for detail, even today it still has the power to drive you right up the wall. And Simone Signoret, whom I've never (consciously) seen before in other films, greatly added to my admiration of this film. A sublime actress and an absolutely hypnotizing screen presence. The entire cast is terrific for that matter with Charles Vanel as inspector Fichet another standout.

Clouzot takes his time to build up the story very precisely but once the mysterious things start to happen every scene adds to an almost unbearable tension. You'll watch every facial expression and every detail on screen with increasing paranoia yourself, in order to understand what on earth could have happened. And the ending is so surprising that I wasn't quite sure anymore about the things I just saw, even right after the film's ending. A genuinely great movie that more than lives up to its status and has lost none of its impact over the last five decades.

Camera Obscura --- 10/10