“To me, the great rule is to push the contrasts as far as they will go.”
Clouzot was referring to his use of chiaroscuro and complementary light and shadow, but the statement could also apply to his treatment of themes and emotions.
His films feature morally complex characters and provocative subject-matter, replete with ambiguity and no easy answers.
From comedies to bleak thrillers, these are some of Clouzot’s finest projects.
‘The Murderer Lives at Number 21’ (1942)
“Life has never been very kind to me. And when I say life, I mean people. People are evil, father.”
This comedy thriller was Clouzot’s feature debut and its success boosted his profile in the film world.
Set in an apartment building, the film revolves around Inspector Wens (Pierre Fresnay), who goes undercover as boarder in order to investigate a series of mysterious murders.
The killer is believed to reside at Number 21, and as Wens interacts with the building’s eccentric, he uncovers secrets, suspicions, and misunderstandings.
As each resident becomes a potential suspect, the narrative keeps the audience guessing until the end.
Clouzot directed this film in France during the Nazi occupation, and it subtly mocks the Germans. There’s a shot where a villain lowers his arm and almost appears to be doing a Nazi salute.
‘The Mystery of Picasso’ (1956)
“I do not look for, I find!”
This experimental documentary offers a glimpse into the artistic process of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso.
The film depicts Picasso creating his artwork in real time, allowing the audience to witness his paintings come to life–stroke by stroke.
He begins with simple black-and-white sketches and progresses to more complex compositions using collage and oil paint. He works on special transparent canvas, allowing the camera to see everything.
The Mystery of Picasso would be intriguing enough simply as a time-lapse of Picasso’s work from beginning to completion, but halfway through, Clouzot shows us the behind-the-scenes making of the documentary itself.
Clouzot himself appears on-screen, as does cinematographer Claude Renoir (son of genius filmmaker Jean Renoir).
The result is a fascinating meta commentary on art and the creative process.
‘Jenny Lamour’ (1947)
Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair) is a music hall performer aspiring to become a famous singer. When her jealous husband Maurice Martineau (Bernard Blier) finds out that she has been flirting with the businessman Brignon (Charles Dullin), Maurice threatens to kill the man.
When Brignon is later found dead, a police investigation begins, and Maurice is the prime suspect. Inspector Antoine (Louis Jouvet) is relentless in his mission to expose the truth, dredging up all kinds of secrets in the process.
Jenny Lamour (also known as Quai des Orfèvres) is a noir musical, setting police procedural elements against a backdrop of dance halls in 1940s Paris.
Delair is singing, dancing, and playing Jenny with impressive depth.
Highly regarded by modern critics, the film holds 100 percent ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘The Raven’ (1943)
“You think that good means light and bad means night? But where does night end and light begin?”
The Raven (French title: Le corbeau) s set in a small French town, where the residents receive libelous letters revealing supposed wrongdoing by the locals, crimes and infidelities.
These accusations destabilize the provincial community, escalating into rage and violence.
Dr. Rémy Germain (Pierre Fresnay), a physician is at the center of the turmoil. The sender of the letters remains anonymous, going only by the pseudonym ‘The Raven’.
The Raven was controversial upon its release due to its themes and the context of World War II-era France, angering both the left-wing Resistance publications and the Nazi-aligned Vichy government. It caused Clouzot to be banned from making movies for several years. Nevertheless, since then, the film has earned acclaim for its compelling narrative, sharp social critique, and Clouzot’s assured direction.
‘The Truth’ (1960)
“You have no heart. One must be capable of love to judge love.”
The Truth (French title: La Vérité) stars Brigitte Bardot as Dominique Marceau, a young, free-spirited woman accused of murdering her lover Gilbert (Sami Frey).
In the courtroom, the lawyers fight over Dominique’s fate, and her entire life is placed under a microscope.
The prosecution accuses Dominique of premeditated murder, using her past relationships for evidence.
At the same time, the movie pieces together her story through flashbacks.
Various witnesses provide testimony about Dominique and Gilbert’s relationship, but their conflicting accounts raise questions about the nature of truth.
One of Clouzot’s most polished projects, The Truth is a legal thriller, a rich character study and social commentary.
There are parallels between it and Justine Triet‘s Oscar-winning Anatomy of a Fall, though said that she had only watched Clouzot’s feature after her film was finished.
‘Diabolique’ (1955)
Diabolique unfolds in a provincial boarding school where tyrannical headmaster Michel Delassalle (Paul Meurisse), abuses both his wife Christina (Véra Clouzot) and his mistress Nicole (Simone Signoret).
Eventually, the two women, fed up with this mistreatment, conspire together to murder Michel, and they meticulously plan and execute the perfect crime. They dispose of the body in a swimming pool, framing it as drowning accident. They hit a snag, however, when Michel’s corpse disappears.
The film boasts a wealth of unsettling images and unpredictable plot. The storyline has been endlessly imitated, especially the way a certain third-act development casts doubt on everything the viewer thought they knew. These elements caused a sensation on release and Diabolique quickly became canonized as landmark entry in the development of horror cinema.
A towering work, it easily compares with Hitchcock’s masterpieces and has aged remarkably well.
‘The Wages of Fear’ (1953)
“You don’t know what fear is. But you’ll see. It’s catching like smallpox. And once you get it, it’s for life.”
Set in a grubby South American town, this thriller revolves around a group of desperate expats hired to transport nitroglycerin by truck across treacherous mountain roads. The chemical is highly explosive, meaning that even a small mistake could cost their lives. Drivers Mario (Yves Montand), Bimba (Peter van Eyck), Luigi (Folco Lulli), and Jo (Charles Vanel) set out on the perilous journey, beset by one obstacle after another. The stress quickly pushes them to the brink.
The Wages of Fear, existential nightmare about people in dire circumstances, is an impressively suspenseful masterpiece There’s a particularly hair-raising scene where a truck is maneuvered over a rickety wooden platform.
Widely considered Clouzot’s masterwork, the film shows his joy in examining grisly fates upon his protagonists–the tension never lets up.
