Les Diaboliques

Movie Information

In Brief: Henri-Georges Clouzot is noted as France’s answer to Hitchcock, but the argument could be made that he was, at times, even better. Along with Wages of Fear and The Inferno, Clouzot’s mastery of morbidity is at least on par with Hitchcock’s darkest corners. Possibly the director’s best-known work, Les Diaboliques (1955) is a gripping suspense-thriller with elements of supernatural horror, but the true nature of the story doesn't become fully clear until the film’s final frames. And that third-act twist still packs a punch more than 60 years later, even if you know exactly what’s coming. The director’s wife, Vera Clouzot, and Simone Signoret deliver bravura performances, but it’s Clouzot’s stylization and tense construction that have made this film a true classic. Ignore the regrettable 1996 remake and watch the original instead.
Score:

Genre: Thriller
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Starring: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse
Rated: NR

The Asheville Film Society will screen Les Diaboliques on Tuesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at the Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.

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