Les diaboliques

(Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955)

de Susan Hayward

"This is the first book to focus on this contemporary film. "Les Diaboliques" was a top grossing film in 1955. Clouzot shrouded his film in mystery and also radically changed the original story of the novel, heterosexualising the original lesbian plot. "Les Diaboliques" still intrigues perhaps due to its excessive ambiguities and numerous plot twists that make it a 'film noir' to end all 'films noir', and not least the great performance of Simone Signoret. In this challenging "Cine-File", Hayward sets "Les Diaboliques" against the political culture of its time and demonstrates the importance of Clouzot as a master of the thriller genre. She gives an illuminating in-depth textual analysis of the film and presents a comparison with its US remake."--Jacket.