35 Diabolique

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK

Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#51 Post by colinr0380 » Mon Jun 20, 2022 11:33 am

I should admit to long having held a somewhat unreasonably negative opinion of the UK politician Denis Healey purely because (Warning!) he spoiled the climax of the film for me! (That's like someone spoiling the ending of Jagged Edge, only much, much worse! :wink: )

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domino harvey
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Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#52 Post by domino harvey » Mon Jun 20, 2022 11:38 am

To be fair, this film has always been underwhelming to me because I figured out what was going on well before I was narratively supposed to, and I didn’t find much else of interest here to supplant the “surprise”. One of the “classics” whose appeal totally passes me by

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swo17
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Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#53 Post by swo17 » Mon Jun 20, 2022 11:44 am

Taste of Fear is a very similar film, which I think we'd both agree is more successful

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domino harvey
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Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#54 Post by domino harvey » Mon Jun 20, 2022 12:26 pm

Indeed, especially since once we figure that one out narratively, the film is smart enough to give us more

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Maltic
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Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#55 Post by Maltic » Mon Jun 20, 2022 3:12 pm

The film always makes me want to watch a host of other stuff it influenced: Psycho, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, Columbo...

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therewillbeblus
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2015 3:40 pm

Re: Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

#56 Post by therewillbeblus » Tue Jun 21, 2022 1:48 am

I like it, though less for its reveal than for the narrative trajectory getting there. It mimics a Hitchcock buddy sleuth pic, here with a same-sex couple who are repeatedly either gaslit or stressed on an individual level, weighed down by one principal's behavior affecting the other trapped in the collective bargain. The feeling of being a hostage to your partner-in-crime's envelop-pushing antics is usually prime cut for an amplification of nerves that makes you feel the predicament, but here it's admittedly presented in a languid and rickety detachment. So yeah, it's not the most exciting film, but the middle section is strong, with a couple amusing setpieces involving the actual murder, smuggling of the body, and the pool incident/'where the F is the body' moment. I don't know, the setup and final act leave a lot to be desired, and the central heroine is thin and frustratingly disengaging, but it's fun enough to revisit now and again. The crown jewel is that every time I see it, I always think Christina survives her heart attack and it's way darker and more appropriate that she doesn't - that, even if they're caught, their plot actually works! The boy saying he got his slingshot from her is a mirage of a headscratcher, but I suppose it's a nice way to show she's still remembered and matters to some small extent.

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