Rating: 
Summary: excellent movie, suprisingly poor picture quality
Review: It is no secret that this is a classic suspense film in every sense. It would seem only natural that Criterion would pick this film to be part of their revered collection. Most people who are willing to spend the kind of money that it takes to acquire a Criterion disc take comfort in the knowledge that they will experience the highest possible picture and sound quality possible for the particular film. Well, with the disc of Diabolique, that is just not the case. The film is loaded with dirt, grain, holes, tears, and even splices. At one point in viewing the disc I noticed a large circle flash by. I scanned back and paused on the frame to see that what appears to be a melted spot on the film had been circled, perhaps for removal later. It is still there, though. Also, the picture had a slight vibrating quality about it through the whole movie which was an annoyance. The picture is watchable, but for the price and the Criterion name, I expected much, much more. There are some serious issues with the sound as well. There is a constant low hiss on the soundtrack that can be distracting. The subtitles are pale and hard to read. I always enjoy watching the restoration demonstration on Criterion discs. I like seeing how huge picture defects can be erased just like magic. This movie obviously never recieved such treatment. I find it hard to believe that any restoration work at all was done to Diabolique before it was dumped on the market. Basically, the movie is definitely worth seeing, but do not assume anything simply because this is a Criterion disc. You could buy the same movie of the same quality on VHS for much less.
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Summary: Ths movie was freaky
Review: LIke alot of scary movies, it didn't become scary until about the last scene. It makes more sense if you understand the frech, the englishisn't at all what the french is saying, which is true to almost all subtitled movies.
Rating:
Summary: A FRENCH CHILLER.............
Review: One of the most ingenious, chilling movies EVER made. I had wanted to see this film for at least 20 years and, when I finally saw it for myself,- it truly lived up to all my expectations!! The mistress AND the wife of a sadistic schoolmaster conspire to murder the man, carry it out, and soon begin to wonder whether they covered their tracks effectively. It sounds simple, but the characters seem fearfully knowing and there are undertones of strange, tainted pleasures and punishments; plot twists and double-crosses abound. Clouzot's Grand Guignol techniques are so calculatedly grisly that they seem silly, yet they succeed in making one feel queasy and sordid and scared. French with English subtitles. Remade (ludicrously) in 1996.
Rating: 
Summary: An outstanding piece of film making.
Review: Parallels are always drawn with Psycho - but I think this brilliant movie had a much stronger influence on Vertigo. Also look for the similarity between Charles Vanel's detective and Peter Falk's Columbo! Criterion have a well deserved reputation for the quality of their DVD releases. It's a real tragedy that we don't have companies who care as much about film restoration on this side of the Atlantic.
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Summary: MANTROUBLE................
Review: RATHER a fun and oddly twisted tale [the world of Boileau/Narcejac who also brought "Body Parts" - "Choice Cuts"]very aptly set in this dark gray world of a boy's boarding school with the usual quirky comings and goings between the staff.SIMONE SIGNORET [with perfect assistance from Vera Clouzot] carries the movie with dangerous sensuality. Do not trifle with this lady - she means business and gets down and dirty when prompted. It's the unlikely combination [?] of two women - one the wife, one the mistress of a rather abusive lover and husband [that explains Simone's dark glasses....] It's a clean and graphic end to our boy [bathtub stuff], BUT where oh where has he gone? Our corpse is misplaced, and seems to pop up in the most annoying manner - to bereaved wife's consternation [she has this heart condition] An excellent thriller - quite economic, but very effective - even after almost 50 years! Now that's class! There's also a GREAT 'open end' to this tale of greed and running water ...... ['Infernal Trio' book-ends this version rather well.] William Castle's "Night Walker" [1964] is an interesting visual counterpart.
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Summary: An on edge sort of storyline.
Review: So dramatic and heart wrenching
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Summary: Diabolique is Back
Review: The question of whether or not a 1950's-era horror film can still jolt an audience today is clearly answered by this restored, "director's cut" re-release of "Les Diaboliques". When I showed it to my students, they shrieked, giggled nervously, and tossed their jackets over their eyes. Today's youthful spectators, accustomed to seeing nothing but buckets of blood tossed at the screen by modern filmmakers, are easy marks for an old-school terror movie that grips the viewer surreptitiously through gradually mounting suspense. The supposedly significant nine minutes of added footage don't amount to much, however -- mostly just some unnecessary chatter during the hotel scene. But, overall, it is wonderful to have the opportunity again to own this French masterpiece, the one film that Alfred Hitchcock reportedly studied over and over.
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Summary: Definitely worth investigating
Review: This film is far more than a potboiler with a clever twist at the end: the script, performances and photography are really very fine indeed. Clouzot paces the film briskly, so the murder is more or less afoot within the first 10 minutes: great stuff. Paul Meurisse as the loathsome headmaster is excellent, as are Vera Clouzot as his frail wife and Simone Signoret as his mistress. The lesser roles (school staff etc) are also well taken. As for the DVD, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality. Soundwise, don't worry about the rather constricted melodramatic music over the opening credits. That's the last music you'll hear, and the speech driven mono soundtrack sounds fine. From an image point of view, the transfer was better than I was expecting, after reading other reviews of this DVD. It is correctly framed in 1.33:1, and the print used has little damage in terms of nicks or scars. Very occasionally there are more flecks than you might want, but nothing to worry about. The image is reasonably sharp (and improves on some of the interiors, particularly the darker scenes), although occasionally it is a little soft with a touch of grain in the daytime exteriors. I also noticed that this slight softness coincided with Vera Clouzot being on screen, so perhaps it was deliberate on her husband the director's part. The lighting of this film is also superb: just check out some of the night exteriors which are superbly atmospheric. So will this film 'drive you up the wall' as the film guide says? Well, no, not really. The twist at the end is very well done, if not too surprising to modern audiences. There is at least one smaller twist after that, though, which will make you think. A classic of the cinema which I recommend in its Criterion format.
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Summary: Truly a THRILLER!
Review: This film, which hasn't aged a DAY, except for locations, cars, etc., I never tire of watching. I first saw it at TEN and was scared out of my mind! I've had the VERY cheap VHS dubbed version for years, and while that is VERY GOOD, this DVD is FANTASTIC! Clear picture, and I had NO trouble at all with the subtitles! SUCH a TREAT to hear the ORIGINAL soundtrack, as it adds so much more. Too many times in dubbed versions, words are taken as literal, when they are not! Like when Signoret says "Have fun children" clearly showing her disgust, in the dubbed version it was "Have fun kiddies."This film NEVER lets up! I was reading Simone Signoret's book, one of many, the other day. She said the filming was grueling, and was called because Clouzot wanted his wife to work with friends! I would be diabolical myself if I told you much of the plot, as it has been repeated here for you too see! No extras on the DVD, like even the original trailer, but still a DVD for your library. Simone Signoret was a true beauty and a GREAT actress; we don't get too many of those, nor directors of this clout! In fact, Clouzot started the "no admission after the film starts" which was attributed to Hitchcock's PSYCHO. BOTH films are masterpieces, however this one is overlooked, probably because it is foreign, or because the unbelieveably cheap VHS dubbed copies are SO bad. You cannot go wrong with this AT ALL!
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Summary: One of the best movie endings of all time
Review: This is a film that means to get under your skin, and it succeeds. A man's mistress and his wife, finely portrayed by Simone Signoret and Vera Clouzot, respectively, plot to murder him...but then the body disappears. And that's only the first twist in a story as visually inventive as it is convoluted. Bleak and cold-blooded from the start, DIABOLIQUE takes a slow, leisurely approach to its storytelling, but with each gradual development lays on an extra layer of tension, then proceeds to tighten the suspense like a screw. The result is a genuinely disturbing final half hour that culminates in one of the most shocking conclusions ever put on screen. Shot in stark black-and-white and without the benefit of a soundtrack (which actually heightens the suspense), DIABOLIQUE exists solely for the glee with which it executes its surprise ending, but what an ending it is. Anyone who gives away this devastating shocker of a conclusion ought to be drowned in his own bathtub.
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