DIABOLIQUE (1996)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.5 Alternative Scale: *1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 3/22/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:47 MPAA Classification: R (Violence, nudity, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri, Kathy Bates,
Spalding Gray
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Producers: Marvin Worth and James G. Robinson
Screenplay: Don Roos
Cinematography: Peter James
Music: Randy Edelman
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
It astonishes me that two films with essentially the same story can be of such different quality. Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1955 murder mystery, DIABOLIQUE, was a taut, atmosphere-saturated thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns. Jeremiah Chechik's ill-advised rip- off is a lame Hollywood attempt to re-create a similarly suspenseful experience.
I suppose it's possible to argue that, because Clouzot's picture was made over forty years ago, a remake isn't unreasonable. The problem is, the original DIABOLIQUE was as much a cinematic landmark as Hitchcock's PSYCHO (Clouzot and Hitchcock had a tremendous influence on each other). One should not undertake remaking a great film lightly, if at all. Unfortunately, in this case, "integrity" wasn't a concept the film makers were concerned with.
Mia (Isabelle Adjani) and Guy Baran (Chazz Palminteri) co-run the St. Anselm's school for boys, which is located outside Pittsburgh. Not only is Guy abusive, but he's flagrantly unfaithful, flaunting his affair with one of the school's teachers, Nicole Horner (Sharon Stone). Yet Nicole hates Guy as much as Mia does, and, together, the wife and mistress plot his murder. One night, they lure their victim to a house in the city. Once he's there, they drug him, then drown him in a bathtub. Soon after, however, the body disappears, and Mia and Nicole must consider whether Guy has inexplicably survived or some previously- unknown party intends to blackmail them.
A significant predicament results from updating DIABOLIQUE, since certain key events demand a level of docility from Mia that is not typically found in a nineties American woman. Had the new film been set in the fifties, it might have worked better, because some of what happens here (such as Guy humiliating Mia by ordering her to "swallow" her food during a public dinner) rings false in a current setting.
Modernizing DIABOLIQUE also means adding some exploitative elements. Isabelle Adjani disrobes early in the film for no apparent reason other than to give viewers a chance to ogle her. A blatant lesbian attraction between Mia and Nicole replaces the oblique one of the French version. There's also a steamy sex scene featuring Nicole and Guy that serves no purpose -- we already know that the two are lovers.
As was the case with the American rendition of THE VANISHING, the film makers here have decided to change the ending. Gone is the deliciously diabolical finale of Clouzot's picture, replaced by something that's unambiguous, unambitious, and manifestly unoriginal. Don Roos' routine conclusion is the kind of massive cop-out likely to disappoint anyone hoping for something fresh.
Isabelle Adjani gives a horrible performance, overacting almost every scene. There were instances when her expressions of speechless horror reminded me of Fay Wray's exaggerated reaction to King Kong (albeit without the screams). Sharon Stone and Chazz Palminteri are barely adequate as cartoon-like characters, displaying little range in one-dimensional roles. The only one who does anything with her part is Kathy Bates, but her energetic portrayal as a cynical detective is largely wasted.
Everything seems to be wrong with this version of DIABOLIQUE. The acting is subpar, the direction is pedestrian, and the screenplay is moronic. Certain lines are laughably bad ("It's not like you burnt the toast, Mia. You killed your husband. That's a little off the chart, demerit-wise", "Killing him is a good thing, like planting a tree"). The cinematographer has unsuccessfully attempted to recapture the original's eerie, black-and-white atmosphere by using everything from inappropriately-placed shadows to foggy rainstorms. Little about this DIABOLIQUE is worthwhile, and nothing is laudable. My advice is to ignore the remake and rent the original.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin (or) http://www2.cybernex.net/~berardin
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