Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)Les Diaboliques (The Fiends) was a top grossing film in 1955. Clouzot shrouded his film in mystery, beseeching his audience not to give away the ending. He also radically changed the original story of Boileau and Narcejeac's novel (Celle qui n'etait plus), heterosexualising the original lesbian plot. His film demonstrates how to imply, rather than show, horror, keeping the spectator in a state of continued suspense, only releasing us in the few final frames. Fifty years later, Les Diaboliques still intrigues perhaps due to its excessive ambiguities and numerous plot twists that make it a film noir to end all films noirs, and not least the great performance of Simone Signoret. In this enjoyable and challenging film stuy Susan Hayward, leading writer on French cinema, sets Les Diaboliques against the political culture of its time and demonstrates the importance of Clouzot as a master of the thriller genre. She gives an illuminating in-depth textual analysis of the film and presents a comparison with its US remake which, juxtaposed with the original film book, highlights the great staying power of Clouzot's version, still a popular film with international audiences half a century after its premiere. Book jacket. |
Contents
Production contexts | 13 |
Plot camera characterisation | 29 |
what kind of film is this | 36 |
Sequence analysis | 63 |
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Common terms and phrases
actors Armand Thirard auteur Barsacq bathroom becomes behaviour body Boileau Cahiers du cinéma camera censorship characters Charles Vanel Chechik's cinema close-up Clouzot's film corridor crime decor Diaboliques director door Drain drowning effect fact female feminine femme fatale film noir France French film genre Ginette Henri-Georges Clouzot Herbert von Karajan Hitchcock husband Inspector Fichet Jean Les Diaboliques lesbian looks Louis Jouvet Lucienne main cast masculinity Michel and Nicole Michel's office million audience Mireille mise en scène Mme Herboux Moinet murder Narcejac narrative Nicole and Christina Nicole and Michel Nicole's Niort Noël Roquevert original novel Paris Paul Meurisse Pierre Fresnay Pierre Larquey plot production company Quai des Orfèvres queer quoted in Bocquet Ravinel Raymond relationship role Salaire scenario scene sense sequence sexual shadow shooting shots Simone Signoret sound space star studio suggests Suzy Delair terrorising three-shots thriller Vincendeau wife William-Robert Sivel woman women