Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno

In 1964, desperate to find a new cinematic language to express his pathologies, Henri-Georges Clouzot wrote a script, L’Enfer, about a jealous husband driven to madness by his wife’s presumed affairs.

During production Clouzot disappeared into his own dreams and nightmares, experimenting with new effects and mind warping imagery. Eventually, after a torturous period in which he clashed with actors and crew, Clouzot suffered a heart attack and the film was abandoned.

This is the story that his widow, Inès, told to director Serge Bromberg before giving him access to the surviving cans of footage. Bromberg has used the material to piece together an enthralling documentary interspersed with staged reconstructions to take us on a journey into the darkest depths of the creative process.

What’s clear is that the film really does look like a lost masterpiece, a synthesis of Hitchcockian psychosis and pure ‘60s style. Bromberg’s doc deserves to be the last word on an enigmatic film.

Matt Bochenski

Anticipation:

Clouzot has slipped into relative obscurity, but this promises the rediscovery of a lost master.

Enjoyment:

A fascinating story enthrallingly told. And Romy Schneider is beautiful.

In Retrospect:

Who’s releasing the Clouzot box set?