Diabolique (1955)

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse
Runtime: 117 minutes

Synopsis: The wife and mistress of a loathed school principal hatch a plan to murder him while having the perfect alibi. They carry out the plan...but then his body disappears.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 5/5
Editing: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5

Verdict: Not long ago, I was introduced to French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot's enticing "La Vérité", a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. I just knew that I had to follow it with "Diabolique" (or "Les Diaboliques"), perhaps the director's most known and acclaimed project. And boy is it deserving of all the praise it's still receiving to this day.

In both films of his that I watched, Clouzot does a fantastic job of making the characters ones that the audience will immediately understand and relate to. He does so through exceptionally smooth development that never feels neither rushed nor forced, and is certainly helped by a talented cast that understands the characters they're playing and truly give them life through incredibly layered and emotional performances. Véra Clouzot, Simone Signoret, and Paul Meurisse all absolutely shine in their respective roles and are ultimately one of the main reasons why the film worked so well. The atmosphere set by Clouzot also enhance its psychological aspect and make the film as creepy and unnerving as it possibly can be.

However, what truly makes this film a classic is its diabolical script, adapted from a novel by Boileau and Narcejac (who, fun fact, sold the rights to Clouzot only a few hours before Hitchcock approached them in the hopes of turning their book into a film). The best way to enjoy "Diabolique" is to watch it without knowing anything about it, and for that reason I won't talk a lot about the very rewarding story but will only mention that my only complaint about it was the fact that I was left with a couple of unanswered questions at the (somewhat rushed) end of the film that I wish were either left off or answered in the movie.

Clouzot's "Diabolique" is a movie I won't be forgetting anytime soon, and one I strongly recommend any lover of cinema to check out as soon as possible.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10