L'Enfer (1994)

Paul, an irritable and stressed-out hotel manager, begins to gradually develop paranoid delusions about his wife's infidelity. As he succumbs to green-eyed jealousy, his life starts to ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol (adaptation), Claude Chabrol (dialogue)

Stars:

Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Nelly
François Cluzet	...	Paul Prieur
Nathalie Cardone	...	Marylin
André Wilms	...	Doctor Arnoux
Marc Lavoine	...	Martineau
Christiane Minazzoli	...	Mme Vernon
Dora Doll	...	Mme Chabert
Mario David	...	Duhamel
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	M. Vernon
Thomas Chabrol	...	Julien
Noël Simsolo	...	M. Chabert
Yves Verhoeven	...	Young Boy
Amaya Antolin	...	Mariette
Jean-Claude Barbier	...	M. Pinoiseau
Claire De Beaumont	...	Mme Rudemont

Storyline

Paul, an irritable and stressed-out hotel manager, begins to gradually develop paranoid delusions about his wife's infidelity. As he succumbs to green-eyed jealousy, his life starts to crumble. Each step on his downward spiral to madness seems to accelerate, driving him further along the path to a personal hell. Finally, the former shell of his personality cracks completely, with tragic consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

jealousy | adultery | infidelity | upskirt | unfaithfulness | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'Enfer

Filming Locations:

La Collégiale Saint-Michel de Castelnaudary, Castelnaudary, Aude, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$194,223

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, CED Productions, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mario David who appears in this film also had a role in the original version, Inferno (1964).

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Quotes

[last lines]
Paul Prieur: What's happening to me? What have I done? Let's see... we're about to go to the clinic... in Clermont. Both of us... but we're still here... just as before. "Just as before" what? I don't know anymore. I'm losing it. I just hope she don't pretend... I need to put my head in order. I need to be careful. I can't... I musn't... never again... No... Let's see...

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Crazy Credits

The movie closes with a title that reads "No end".

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Connections

Remake of Inferno (1964)

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Soundtracks

Les couleurs du temps
Composed by Guy Béart

User Reviews

Insecurity, Paranoia and Madness

The owner of the Hotel Du Lac, Paul Prieur (François Cluzet), gets married with the beautiful and sexy Nelly (Emmanuelle Béart) and they have a boy. Nelly loves Paul and is pleasant with guests, and the insecure Paul feels that she is a woman out of his league.

When Nelly spends some time with the handsome guest Martineau (Marc Lavoine), Paul follows her and becomes paranoid and delusional believing that she is unfaithful to him. His increasing obsession turns into madness that ends in an announced tragedy.

"L'Enfer" is a dramatic tale of insecurity, paranoia and madness by Claude Chabrol, with the story of a man that lives in hell with his jealousy and brings this hell to the life of his wife. Last time that I had seen this film was on 23 April 2000 and the story is timeless and has not aged. The tragic conclusion is predictable and my only remark is the attitude of Doctor Arnoux, who should have foreseen that the safety of Nelly was in danger with the insane Paul. Emmanuelle Béart is wonderfully cast to justify the obsession of Paul. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ciúme - O Inferno do Amor Possessivo" ("Jealousy - The Hell of the Possessive Love")

Note: On 04 February 2018, I saw this film again.