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Forgotten Film Friday (on a Thursday): Les Diaboliques

  A retrospective by Brooks Rich

This is one of those that is only forgotten because it's not known as one of the greatest suspense films of all time. In 1955 Hitchcock was the reigning master of suspense but French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot gave him a run for his money with this brilliant film noir with a supernatural twist. In fact, Clouzot beat Hitchcock to optioning the film rights. If this film had been made by Hitchcock, it would be considered in his top five films. Not that the film Clouzot made is bad. This is a masterpiece. But Hitchcock's name no doubt carries more weight than Clouzot's. 

The plot is very film noir. Two women, one the wife of the headmaster of a Paris boarding school and the other his mistress, conspire to murder the headmaster for revenge for his mistreatment of them and the children at the boarding school. However, when his body disappears, strange events start to occur. That's all I can say without possibly ruining any twist or turn this movie makes, especially the twist ending. 

The noir and supernatural elements play well together. It is essentially a noir film interrupted by a ghost film, that turns into a treatise on paranoia and guilt. It brilliantly builds an atmosphere fit for a ghost film but doesn't take away from the noir elements that really make the story work. If you're looking for something spooky but with a little class this Halloween season, check this film out. It's on HBO right now. 



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