#35: CLOUZOT, Henri-Georges: Diabolique (1955)

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CLOUZOT, Henri-Georges (France)
Diabolique [1955]
Spine #35
Blu-ray


Before Psycho, Peeping Tom, and Repulsion, there was Diabolique. This thriller from Henri-Georges Clouzot, which shocked audiences in Europe and the U.S., is the story of two women — the fragile wife and the willful mistress of the sadistic headmaster of a boys' boarding school — who hatch a daring revenge plot. With its unprecedented narrative twists and terrifying images, Diabolique is a heart-grabbing benchmark of horror filmmaking, featuring outstanding performances by Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, and Paul Meurisse.

117 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in French
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2011

Director/Writers


Based on the novel Celle qui n’était plus by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.
Screenplay and dialogue by Henri-George Clouzot and Jérôme Geronimi, with René Masson and Frédéric Grendel.

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Sixteen-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty.

Commentary

Selected-scene commentary by French-film scholar Kelley Conway.
Video introduction

By Serge Bromberg, codirector of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “Inferno.”
Interview

With novelist and film critic Kim Newman.
Original theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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