Product Details

• Actors: Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri, Kathy Bates, Spalding Gray
• Directors: Jeremiah S. Chechik
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 11, 1997
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304116314
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #172,900 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1955 French thriller Diabolique is the epitome of noir. As a twisted plot unravels, the scene is set for murder and deceit. The Devils (a.k.a. Les Diaboliques) live at a rundown boys home with Michel Delasalle (Paul Meurisse) as the cruel headmaster treating the students with disdain and indignity. His wife, Christina Delasalle (played by Véra Clouzot), an ex-nun and owner of the school before their marriage, experiences the brunt of his abuse. He humiliates Christina in front of the student body and faculty and then flaunts his insidious affairs in front of her. Christina rebels quietly, although her heart condition leaves her vulnerable and too fragile to resist her husband's brute strength. Ironically, it is Michel's mistress Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret), another teacher at the school, who encourages Christina to plot a sinister revenge against him. As the abuse continues, "Cricri" is forced to make a decision as she realizes her husband will never grant her a divorce and give up the school. Since both divorce and murder are sins against God, Christina's religious beliefs conflict with Nicole's manipulation and ideas of revenge. As she is forced to choose, her actions result in a surprising and suspenseful turn of events that promise to keep you on the edge of your seat! (English subtitles) --Michele Goodson

From The New Yorker
A glossy remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's famous 1954 thriller, in which a man's wife and his mistress join forces to do him in. Here, Isabelle Adjani is the wide-eyed wife, Chazz Palminteri the piggy husband, and Sharon Stone the cool, worldly mistress. The movie is obviously designed to be Stone's show, but her glamorous presence is too vivid for the dull, familiar surroundings. At first, she's an ironic femme fatale; by the end, she seems pure camp, like a bad girl in a John Waters movie. The director, Jeremiah Chechik, and the screenwriter, Don Roos, try desperately to add American spice to Clouzot's chilled French concoction; they throw in nudity, extra violence, Thelma-and-Louise feminism, and dog jokes, and wind up with something awful-vichyssoise sprinkled with jalape–os. Also featuring Kathy Bates, whose good-humored performance mildly enlivens the movie's second half. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs Up For Diabolique, February 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Diabolique (1996) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Despite criticism that the film is monotonous and boring, I rented the video and was pleasantly surprised. Sharon Stone seems to be getting better every film she does. The chemistry between Stone and Isabelle Adjani is great. Chaz Palminteri is the perfect bad guy and Kathy Bates was a great detective. Listen close, Bates has some of the best lines. I really enjoyed my first viewing. I liked it enough to watch a second and third time!! Big thumbs up to the entire cast for a job well done. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Original Isn't That Much Better, October 3, 2000

By	"manicsf007" (West Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabolique (DVD)

The only reason I originally went to see this movie was because Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani are two of my favorite actresses. Sharon Stone is at her best when she is playing the bad girl and in the remake of Les Diaboliques she is perfectly cast. I feel that I was somewhat fortunate to see the 1996 version of the movie before the "Don't mess with my classic" crowd poisoned my mind about the remake.

Diablique isn't perfect but the original version had its flaws too(I saw the original after I saw the 1996 remake). For instance, I felt that in both movies that the two schemers went through way too much trouble in trying to manuver poor, fragile-hearted and weak Mia to croak over on a heart attack. Didn't anyone ever hear of the word, "Boo"?

My biggest complaint about Diabolique is that Chechik didn't take more advantage of the sexual tension between Adjani and Stone, which probaly would have made the plot more believable.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Original Isn't That Much Better, October 3, 2000

By	"manicsf007" (West Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabolique (DVD)

The only reason I originally went to see this movie was because Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani are two of my favorite actresses. Sharon Stone is at her best when she is playing the bad girl and in the remake of Les Diaboliques she is perfectly cast. I feel that I was somewhat fortunate to see the 1996 version of the movie before the "Don't mess with my classic" crowd poisoned my mind about the remake.

Diablique isn't perfect but the original version had its flaws too(I saw the original after I saw the 1996 remake). For instance, I felt that in both movies that the two schemers went through way too much trouble in trying to manuver poor, fragile-hearted and weak Mia to croak over on a heart attack. Didn't anyone ever hear of the word, "Boo"?

My biggest complaint about Diabolique is that Chechik didn't take more advantage of the sexual tension between Adjani and Stone, which probaly would have made the plot more believable.