Maldonne

Sergio Gobbi made several criùe thrillers in the late sixties and early seventies, all kinds of crime films. Very different one from the other. This one is adapted from a Boileau Narcejac's novel. I have not read it, so I don't know if it is faithful to the genuine material or not, but it is a good film, tough not a masterpiece, nothing to do with an Alfred Hitchcock's movie, or even a Claude Chabrol's one. Because this story could easily have been made by Chabrol. Gobbi hied here some of his usual actors: Robert Hossein, Albert Minski. Not my favourite from him, I prefer LE TEMPS DES LOUPS. But, I repeat, this one is intriguing enough to be seen.

I presume because this is a foreign film it didn't get noticed as much as it deserved. It is a film of "D'entre les Morts" by Boileau and Narcejac, and was also filmed in 1958 by Alfred Hitchcock as "Vertigo" starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. Boileau and Narcejac are the writers of "Les Diaboliques" and the suspense generated by the situation in all their books is extremely good. However Hitchcock made the film depend far too much on the actors and also gave away the twist much too early, and spoiled the plot. This version is superior. It is a moody film and keeps the viewer wondering what is really going on right until the end.