#8 Diabolique --- with subtitles and I stayed awake for the whole thing!

1955. dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse. French with subtitles.

Seen it before? No.

It was good. Real good. And I loved it! Absolutely loved it. But now I'm going to be on the lookout for movies that are made today that can equal this movie. There was suspense; an ice queen; a man you just rooted would die; a woman you felt sorry for; cute kids who got into trouble because they cried wolf so many times no one would believe the truth when it finally came out; and the crazy old man who turned out to know just enough to be really awesome!

I know it is probably really difficult to write a movie script that can captivate audiences young and old. Hell, I even know I can't write that kind of movie. I'm not sure it was even just the script or the acting that made this movie for me. I really think it was the use of effects that today's movie producers have to use computer generated animation for. The white eye coverings that were like contacts to make it appear someone is out cold. The type writer. It was like watching Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart http://www.enotes.com/tell-tale-heart-text/the-tell-tale-heart but not.

A few days ago I wrote about how the more things change the more they stay the same. At that point I was talking about His Girl Friday and the decoy guy. Now I'm talking about this movie and the fact that women in movies who are looking into something that terrifies them do not turn on the freaking lights! I know, I know, suspense...but really, if that's all your movie has, it's not enough! This movie had it and more. Put Sharon Stone away and watch this movie. You won't regret it!

Would I see it again? Absolutely!
Would I add it to my collection? YES and you should too!

#8 Diabolique: Die and do it quickly!

1955. dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse. French with subtitles.

Seen it before? No.


Translation: "Don't be devils. Don't ruin the interest your friends could take in this film. Don't tell them what you saw. Thank you for them."

THIS, M. Night Shyamalan. THIS is how you do a movie with a twist ending. Just enough of a twist that the audience doesn't see it coming, but not so much of a twist that it's still totally plausible. Even obvious in retrospect.

The movie is about two women who conspire to murder the headmaster of a boarding school. Véra Clouzot plays the wife of the headmaster, and Simone Signoret plays a teacher at the school who had an affair with the headmaster. The latter is totally perfect as an icy, ruthless femme fatale. She reminded me of Kim Novak in Vertigo or Naomi Watts in Mulholland Dr. They did a remake of this movie in 1996 with Sharon Stone in that role.... I haven't seen it, but it stars Sharon Stone, so how bad could it be?

I won't give away any more of the plot, but there's no killer trees or anything like that. It's very suspenseful and darkly funny. Highly recommended.

Position on the list: 173
The best Sharon Stone movie: Total Recall