Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno
Classics • Documentary
In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot, the acclaimed director of thriller masterpieces Les Diaboliques and The Wages of Fear, began work on his most ambitious film yet. Set in a beautiful lake side resort in the Auvergne region of France, L'Enfer (Inferno) was to be a sun scorched elucidation on the dark depths of jealousy starring Romy Schneider as the harassed wife of a controlling hotel manager (Serge Reggiani). However, despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed under the weight of arguments, technical complications and illness. In this compelling, award-winning documentary Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea present Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavour through interviews, dramatisations of un-filmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes.
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