Diabolique

"See it, be amazed at it, but...BE QUIET ABOUT IT!"

1955 1h 58m FR

🙌

7.9

BANGER

🔥

95%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★7.9TMDB · 1,140🍅95%Rotten Tomatoes★8.1IMDB · 72,680

ThrillerMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The cruel and abusive headmaster of a boarding school, Michel Delassalle, is murdered by an unlikely duo -- his meek wife and the mistress he brazenly flaunts. The women become increasingly unhinged by a series of odd occurrences after Delassalle's corpse mysteriously disappears.

“See it, be amazed at it, but...BE QUIET ABOUT IT!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Véra Clouzot
Christina Delassalle
Simone Signoret
Nicole Horner
Paul Meurisse
Michel Delassalle
Charles Vanel
Police Inspector Alfred Fichet
Jean Brochard
Plantiveau
Pierre Larquey
Mr. Drain
Michel Serrault
Mr. Raymond
Yves-Marie Maurin
Moinet

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Writers: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi
Languages: English, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, shot by Armand Thirard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Van Parys. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Madeleine Gug shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Véra Clouzot and Simone Signoret and Paul Meurisse carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "See it, be amazed at it, but...BE QUIET ABOUT IT!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0046911 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Henri-Georges Clouzot directs. Armand Thirard behind the camera. Georges Van Parys scores. Madeleine Gug cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

171 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
3Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, shot by Armand Thirard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Georges Van Parys. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Madeleine Gug shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Véra Clouzot and Simone Signoret and Paul Meurisse carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "See it, be amazed at it, but...BE QUIET ABOUT IT!".
8IMDB entry: tt0046911 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "wife", "female lover", "morgue", "swimming pool".
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Armand Thirard
Original score: Georges Van Parys
Editing: Madeleine Gug
Costume design: Carven
Makeup / hair: Simone Knapp
Sound: William Robert Sivel
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Diabolique (1955)
Rotten Tomatoes: 95% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 72,680 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

5 wins total

Louis Delluc Prize

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-08-10
★ 10/10
I have only seen but two of Clouzot's films (this and the equally brilliant 'The Wages of Fear'), but I understand immediately what connoisseurs mean when they say he's the French Alfred Hitchcock. He has an innate and unbelievably vivid and accurate take on human nature. I can't wait to check out the rest of his oeuvre.
John Chard2017-02-08
★ 10/10
The keys in the pool, the husband in the morgue! You dream too much about water in this house! Headmaster of a boarding school, Michel Delaselle (Paul Meurisse) is a brooding bully of a man, one day his wife and mistress decide enough is enough and plot to kill him, trouble is that once they murder him, his body disappears and reported sightings of him are adding to the ladies' paranoia. Thus is the setting for director Henri-Georges Clouzot's brilliant suspenser. The pace is stiflingly perfect, he gently racks up the tension, neatly toying with audience expectation, the sense of dread that hangs in the air is palpable. How refreshing it is to see a suspense film actually build its plot for a good hour? In this day and age the MTV generation would be walking out of this after 30 minutes. Armand Thirard's atmospheric photography accentuates the creeping menace like mood, to the point that when we get to the last 15 minutes, nerves are already frayed and we then of course get what is arguably the greatest bath scene ever, and "that" ending... When I first watched it back in 2008 it was on a poor quality DVD, but revisiting it on Blu-ray it still worked me over as the great suspense movie it is, forcing me to seek the solace of daylight ASAP. Great writing, great directing, great acting, the latter thriving due to Simone Signoret's dangerously simmering sexuality and Véra Clouzot's heartfelt vulnerability. It's one of the classic chillers of European cinema. And if you haven't seen it yet? Do what I did last night, get the Blu-ray, turn off the lights and just have a couple of candles flickering away in your peripheral vision. Maybe indulge in some stiff drinks like I did, and most of all, watch it on your own... 9/10