Les Diaboliques

(aka 'Diabolique" or "The Devils" or "The Fiends')

directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
France 1955

In this heralded French terror classic by director-screenwriter Henri-Georges Clouzot, the wife (Vera Clouzot) of a boys-school headmaster (Paul Merisse) tires of his violent treatment of her, along with his philandering, and teams up with his mistress (Simone Signoret) to drown him and make it appear as a suicide. When the body goes missing and sightings of the supposedly dead man are reported all over town, the two mismatched women must uncover what happened to the body before it's discovered what they've done. Upon its release, Clouzot urged all who saw the film not to reveal its surprise ending---one which still stands as one of the original 'shock' endings.

***

An acknowledged influence on Psycho, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s horror classic is the story of a sadistic headmaster who brutalizes his fragile wife and his headstrong mistress. The two women murder him and dump his body in a swimming pool; when the pool is drained, no corpse is found.

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Theatrical Release: January 29th, 1955

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DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL

(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 35 - Region 0 - NTSC	Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL
Runtime	1:56:12	1:51:52
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.7 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.76 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Criterion
Bitrate: Arrow Films
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 1.0)	French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • 4-page liner notes with essay by Danny Peary DVD Release Date: February 2nd, 1999 Keep Case Chapters: 24	Release Information: Studio: Arrow Films Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Audio commentary by Professor Susan Hayward (director of film studies at University of Exeter) DVD Release Date: October 29th, 2007 Keep Case Chapters: 12

Comments:

ADDITION: Arrow Films - PAL - November 07': Both are single-layered and the print used (same) is weak but may be the best available. No restoration appears to have been done but Criterion may have boosted the brightness in a few scenes (darkened others). Overall the bare-bones Criterion looks superior but it may not be enough to recommend over the Arrow with its wonderful commentary from Susan Hayward (director of film studies at University of Exeter). She is very professional and brings up some relevant details in raising your appreciation of Clouzot's layered suspense film. Until someone restores this and includes relevant extras I recommend the Arrow films.

About the Criterion: An early Criterion and somewhat soft. There are instances of scratches and dirt, but overall a progressive transfer and watchable print. Contrast and gray scales are a little weak by today's standards. Audio is consistent for the most part. It's a damn interesting film and one very worthy to own. You may wish to buy sooner rather than later. No extras keeps this in the lower price-point. This is superior to the French Region 2 from TV1 (no Eng subs) version listed HERE. out of

Gary W. Tooze

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(Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL RIGHT)