Les diaboliques (1955)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Writers:

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

Release Date:

21 November 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | 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 | Bathtub

Awards:

3 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 Lalier	....	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

• Cinedis (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1955) (USA) (theatrical) (English subtitles)
• Janus Films (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Pictures Corp. (1988) (USA) (TV) (new English subtitles)
• Crown Video (video)
• Foothill Video (video)
• Home Vision Cinema (????) (USA) (VHS)
• 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:

Diabolique (USA)
Les Diaboliques: The Fiends (UK)
The Devils (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

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

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1966) | Finland:K-18 (1968) | Finland:K-18 (1956) | South Korea:15 | 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:

When director Henri-Georges Clouzot bought the film rights to the original novel, he reportedly beat Alfred Hitchcock by only a matter of hours.

Goofs:

Continuity: When M. Delassalle has fallen into bed, Christina Delassale removes his shoes at his request. Later when Nicole Horner comes into the room, his shoes are on him again, and Nicole tells Christina to remove them. The shoes are still on his feet when he's put into the tub.

Quotes:

M.Drain, professeur: I may be reactionary, but this is absolutely astounding - the legal wife consoling the mistress! No, no, and no!

Movie Connections:

Version of Diabolique (1996)

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...