blanche-2 "Diabolically Yours" from 1967 is a derivative film with parts of Gaslight, Vertigo, Diabolique, take your pick. Directed by Julian Duvivier, who would die in a car accident shortly after this film was made, the film stars Alain Delon and Senta Berger.Alain Delon wakes up from a three-week coma after a car accident, and he can't remember anything, not even this gorgeous woman who claims to be his wife Christiane (Berger). Apparently, he is a wealthy businessman named Georges Campo. He is brought to his palatial estate to recover, and he's mighty impressed. There's a doctor there (Sergio Fantoni) and a mysterious servant named Kim (Peter Mosbacher).It doesn't take Georges long to become suspicious of the whole setup. His wife won't have sex with him which for me is the most ludicrous part of the film, since it's Alain Delon we're talking about. The name Pierre Lagrange keeps going through his head, and he comes to believe he's a prisoner in the house and part of some plot. Voices in the night tell him he's going crazy and to kill himself, and his dreams are disturbing.The film keeps us in the dark as we wonder about Christiane's weird relationship with the servant, and just what the doctor's role is. Despite what you might guess as the film continues, it's actually quite intriguing. Both Delon and Berger are at the height of their eye-popping beauty. Delon brings humor to the role, as well as playing a confused but determined man. When Chistiane brings a decorator to the house, Delon playfully follows him around, mimicking the man's gait.Berger looks very sixties with her hair and fashions, looking like the ultimate '60s fashion model, chosen for her beauty. Today she remains not only a beautiful woman, but an incredibly accomplished actress and producer.The end of the movie won't be to everyone's taste. It wasn't mine.There is a lot to enjoy here, including the cinematography. In the end, it's a disjointed film but watchable.

MartinHafer George (Alain Delon) awakens in a hospital. It seems he was in a bad traffic accident and nearly died. His wife, Christiane (Senta Berger), was apparently unhurt. After a long recovery, he is sent home to his mansion--a place he doesn't recognize. In fact, he doesn't really recognize his wife! What gives? Was the accident THAT bad or is something going else afoot? Unfortunately, the more he starts to remember, the more his life might be in danger! Which isn't a surprise, since the film is entitled "Diabolically Yours"! This film directed by Julien Duvivier is one giant mind game--on both George and the audience! All during the picture, like George, you are wondering what's really happening and who can be trusted. I like this sort of paranoid film--and it kept me guessing, that's for sure. And, considering how few films manage to do this to the viewers, I really appreciated this film. Interestingly, the film could have worked well either way--that George really is crazy or that some bizarre conspiracy is occurring. Either way, the film is great and I strongly recommend you see it. And, based on its IMDb score, I'd say this was was underrated.By the way, this film has some similarities to the Hollywood B-movie "My Name is Julia Ross" as well as an earlier Delon film, "Joy House"--both are also well worth seeing.

Robert "Diabolically Yours" uses the same tired old trope that dozens of other films from the 1930s onward have employed: a man wakes up in a hospital, not sure who he is, but suspecting that he's not who everyone says he is. If that man is the film's protagonist, we need to develop empathy for him. And the surest way to thwart any empathy is for the plot to make him a fool.Why would a man who began by being suspicious of the story he was being set in, and who found more things to be suspicious of at every turn, keep reacting in the most foolish and trusting way? In the interest of not giving spoilers, let me just say that you or I, finding ourselves in his position, would've behaved far more sensibly than Alain Delon's character does here. The real fault lies in the plot for simply recycling a predictable story line and requiring stupidity of the "hero" in order to make it play out.The film does offer two concession prizes: some appealing cinematography in the 1960s Eastmancolor process, and a cracking jazz score by François de Roubaix.

gridoon Right from the opening credits (which, by the way, are very cool; notice how the words seem to respond rhythmically to the music), it's easy to see that this film bears a striking resemblance to the 1991 thriller "Shattered": we have a car accident, a woman who mysteriously survives without a scratch and a man who gets badly injured, develops amnesia, and tries to piece together the puzzle of his previous life but senses that something isn't quite right, something doesn't add up. The plot is enigmatic and twisty but has some holes, and it won't fool anyone who's previously seen "Shattered" (or "Gaslight", for that matter). But Duvivier's innovative direction makes this a surprisingly undated thriller. Alain Delon gives one of his liveliest performances...and who could forget to mention Senta Berger's terrific body? (***)