Les Diaboliques (1955)

[roshiq]

The reason I opened this thread because according to Festered's Thread directory I see that there was no single thread for this movie, moreover somehow the movie failed to made a place in any of HDC's top 100 lists...so I think at least it deserve a thread in this section. If I'm wrong then please say so as I have done the search pretty briefly:o

My review:

At last I have got the chance to see it lately and after I finished the film my expression was...Wow! Wow! and simply Wow!

It completely amazed me! I have known that background music always play a vital part for any movies and specially for thriller & horror. But after watching this great classic I have tremendously fascinated by the art of movie making another time (as far I remember last time 12 Angry Men mesmerized me such a way). Without using any chilling soundtrack the way Clouzot hold it's suspense and unfold the gripping mystery..it was truly timeless! The silence itself played the most haunting part in the film.

I feel somewhat ashamed that I saw it's fucked up remake before the original sometime ago. Cause at that point of time the LD's dvd was totally unavailable here. But luckily last week I found a single copy of it at a store.

Anyway, I have read in a review at imdb.com that Sir Alfred Hitchcock was also very much interested about this story: "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."..Was it really happened? :)

[Festered]

The reason I opened this thread because according to Festered's Thread directory I see that there was no single thread for this movie, moreover somehow the movie failed to made a place in any of HDC's top 100 lists...so I think at least it deserve a thread in this section. If I'm wrong then please say so as I have done the search pretty briefly:o



Now you're getting the hang of it. And threads about individual movies should have at least some kind of intro by the author. You'd be amazed how many film threads here start off with "Have you seen it?" or "What do you think of...?"

Nice review, by the way. Haven't seen this in quite a long time, and you've inspired me to rewatch it. Hitch was a big fan of Boileau and D'Entre le Mort, which ended up being Vertigo, was one of his greatest films.

[re93animator]

This is one of the few films that I own on dvd. Its got to be one of my favorites. I know its labeled a horror film or horror classic everywhere I go and always will be but do you really think its horror? I mean it does have its share of frightening scenes and is a strong influence on other horror films but I dont think I would call it horror. Maybe mystery with influences of thriller and horror in it.

[fortunato]

excellent little review, roshiq.

great film.

[The Photographer]

An excellent film that pretty much changed the way alot of films have been written since. Primarily noticable is the work of Jimmy Sangster who wrote a number of films for Hammer that were clearly based off of Les Diaboliques. None of which have quite captured the original suspense caused by it but some definetly worth a watch most notably The Nanny and Paranoic.