Les diaboliques (1955)

The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal plan to murder him with what they believe is the perfect alibi.

Director:

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

Writers:

Pierre Boileau (novel) (as Boileau), Thomas Narcejac (novel) (as Narcejac)

Stars:

Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Thérèse Dorny	...	Mme. Herboux
Michel Serrault	...	M. Raymond, le surveillant
Georges Chamarat	...	Dr. Loisy
Robert Dalban	...	Le garagiste
Camille Guérini	...	Le photographe (as Camille Guerini)
Jacques Hilling	...	L'employé de la morgue
Jean Lefebvre	...	Le soldat
Aminda Montserrat	...	Madame Plantiveau
Jean Témerson	...	Le garçon d'hôtel (as Jean Temerson)
Jacques Varennes	...	M. Bridoux, professeur

Storyline

Christina Delasalle suffers greatly at the hands of her brutish husband Michel. She inherited the boys boarding school they run but it's clearly Michel who is in charge. With Nicole Horner - one of the teachers and Michel's former lover - they decide to kill him. Christina, who has a serious condition, is terrified. By chance, she meets a retired police inspector who decides to look into the case.

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Plot Keywords:

drowning in a bathtub | boarding school | disappearance of a dead body | surprise ending | teacher | 

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Taglines:

The Great Suspense Film That Shocked the World... And Became A Classic.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Horror movies director William Castle confessed in his biography that this was this film that inspired him for his next part of career; he understood that young generations of audiences seek terror and thrills.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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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.

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Crazy Credits

The movie ends with a text screen commenting on what the viewer has witnessed, and a request not to spoil the ending for those who are planning to see the movie.

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Alternate Versions

USA release in 1955 ran 107 minutes rather than 116 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Le diaboliche (1987)

User Reviews

Oh wow... this is it!

This is not a legend : after reading Pierre Boileau's novel, Alfred Hitchcock phone the editor in the morning to buy the story for making a film. But another great master, Henri-Georges Clouzot, had phone 30 minutes earlier. Mister Hitchcock was angry! But Hitch couldn't have done better than Clouzot. This is P-E-R-F-E-C-T! The black and white, the dialogues, the acting and even the reclusive French scool of the 1950's. And for the suspense... well every viewer of IMDB had said the same things I could said. So, Diaboliques is the best suspense thriller of all time, and also one of the best movie ever made. Please, I really said please, don't ever watch the remake with Isabelle Adjani and Sharon Stone. There are certains movies that you can't make two times. Like all the Hitchcock and Clouzot films, for example...

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

29 January 1955 (France)

Also Known As:

Les diaboliques

Filming Locations:

Rue Jean Mermoz, L'Étang-la-Ville, Yvelines, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,498

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmsonor, Vera Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (A.R.T.E.C.)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1