Search - Diabolique [Criterion Collection] on DVD

Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1954 DVD Release: 01/26/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White,Pan and Scan Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 56 mins Studio: Criterion Members Wishing: 38 Genres: Thriller, Film Noir, Psychological Thriller

The greatest film that Alfred Hitchcock never made, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique is set in a provincial boarding school run by headmaster Michel Delasalle (Paul Meurisse). A ruthless lothario, he becomes the target of a murder plot concocted by his long-suffering invalid wife Christina (Vera Clouzot, the director's own spouse) and his latest mistress, an icy teacher played by Simone Signoret. A dark, dank thriller with a much-imitated "shock" ending, Diabolique is a masterpiece of Grand Guignol suspense. The simple murder plot goes haywire, and Michel's corpse disappears, prompting strange rumors of his reappearance which grow more and more substantial as the film careens wildly towards its breathless conclusion. Later remade as a greatly inferior 1996 Hollywood feature with Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Simone Signoret - Nicole Horner
Véra Clouzot - Christina Delasalle
Paul Meurisse - Michel Delasalle
Charles Vanel - Inspector Fichet
Pierre Larquey - Drain

Emulated but never equaled is Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1954 suspense-filled Diabolique. Criterion has done a decent job on this 1.33:1 full frame transfer (the film's original aspect ratio). Shot in black-and-white and culled from an original 35 mm fine grain composite master, the image looks very bright and dark with only a few instances of grain, dirt, or scratches showing up in the picture. The audio is presented in Dolby Mono in French. This soundtrack lacks any true surround sounds, though on the plus side the bulk of the dialogue, effects, and music are all clear of any nasty distortion or hiss. No alternate audio tracks are included, though there are some English titles for the majority of Americans that don't speak a lick of French. Sadly, there isn't one single extra feature to be found on this disc. Maybe someday this classic thriller will see a better DVD edition; until then viewers will have to be content with this bare-bones Criterion disc. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide