IMDb > Diabolique (1955)
Les diaboliques
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Diabolique (1955) More at IMDbPro »Les diaboliques (original title)

Photos (See all 21 | slideshow)

Overview

User Rating:
8.3/10   21,543 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 19% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Pierre Boileau (novel) and
Thomas Narcejac (novel) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Diabolique on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 November 1955 (USA) See more »
Tagline:
See it, be amazed at it, but... BE QUIET ABOUT IT! (original Finnish poster tagline) See more »
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. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Awards:
4 wins See more »
User Reviews:
Masterfully crafted suspense-film See more (123 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
Create a character page for: ?

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
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Les diaboliques" - France (original title)
"The Devils" - USA (TV title)
See more »
Runtime:
114 min | UK:92 min | USA:116 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
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)
Company:

Did You Know?

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).See more »
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.
See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in 100 Years of Horror: Maniacs (1996) (V)See more »

FAQ

How do you interpret the final scene?
How far is Niort from Paris?
How does the movie end?
See more »
19 out of 23 people found the following review useful.
Masterfully crafted suspense-film, 9 September 2006
Author: Camera Obscura from The Dutch Mountains

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

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (123 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Diabolique (1955)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Obvious – spoiler alert scottshogs
Too bad they gave it away.. (spoilers) igElkotteN
Lead actress Lena looks SO much like Garbo!! bettiegia
Is everyone really buying this??? (SPOILER ALERT) Qanqor
Drowning Parain
ending gngral23
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Psycho The Interpreter Diabolique The Lady from Shanghai Mr. Klein
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Film-Noir section
IMDb France section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.