Touches You

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

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.

"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.

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? (***)

Alain Delon stars as Pierre, an amnesiac recovering from a car accident. He can't remember any details about the accident or about his past life as a wealthy businessman based in the orient. He is currently being nursed back to health on his palatial estate in the french countryside by his beautiful wife, Christiane (Senta Berger), the family doctor (Sergio Fantoni), and a manservant named Kim (Peter Mosbacher).Paranoia rapidly sets in as he begins to suspect Christiane is not really his wife and that he is the victim of a sinister plot. Despite the standard plot device of someone trying to drive the main character insane or to the point of suicide, "Diaboliquement votre" is not a standard thriller by any means and often takes a detour from the main plot (Pierre's obsessive investigation of his true identity) to show us odd details about the main characters (the masochistic relationship between Christiane and Kim). The result will probably disappoint most mystery fans, especially the anticlimatic ending, but for others, there are things to enjoy here; Alain Delon's playful performance as a victim, a sexy Senta Berger at the height of her beauty, modeling a variety of sixties fashions, Henri Decae's lush cinematography, and some disorientating drug induced dream sequences.