Diabolique (Les Diaboliques)

A painting is always quite moral when it is tragic

and it presents the horror of the things it depicts.

Barbey d'Aurevilly.

- Monsieur Delassalle. - Yes.

It's time I rang the bell.

Go ahead. I'll manage unloading the car myself.

- Your salads are rotten! - You aren't paying for them.

Line up, please. And be quiet.

Oh, what a pain.

Lovely kids!

Can't wait to flee this place.

Get out!

Do your eyes hurt, dear colleague?

I hurt myself getting up.

You're up early.

Last night, I was doing my rounds about 4:00 a.m.,

and I heard screams coming out of your room.

The chaste woman loves to contemplate dawn, doesn't she?

You spent too much time with the Jesuits, M. Drain.

Not everyone can be thrown out of the school system.

Jerk!

- Tiene, Señora. - Thank you, darling.

Oh, it's so nice!

We all need a vacation.

The body needs to eliminate its toxins.

Tomorrow, mademoiselle, I'll be all naked.

And you, how did you plan this long weekend?

I'll be home, in Niort. Deux Sevres. Heard of it?

Sous-Prefecture Maine, Bressuire and Partenay.

Getting some fresh air?

It warms my heart, M. Drain.

It still has the smell of the country, mi tierra.

A graceful instrument, but with all the rains,

I prefer my old umbrella.

In my country, instead of your ugly black umbrella,

you'd wear a straw sombrero

and spend your breaks in a hammock.

Perdon, señora.

It's such a frivolous thing to give an educator.

Does your teacher really look that way, José?

Yes, sir. And he used to come to school on a horse.

I'll never get used to it.

I told him it was a horse to please him.

It was only a mule.

Go play, Joselito.

- What's the matter? - Look.

- Miguel. - Of course, Michel.

Who else?

- Did you have another fight? - He came back at 3:00 a.m.

How have you stood him for so long?

He wasn't always that way.

At the beginning, he really made me happy.

It was for your money.

Why are you trying to be nasty?

Don't you think life is hard enough for us?

I may be a bit old-fashioned,

but this is absolutely astounding.

The legal wife consoling the mistress.

No, no and no.

I should go.

It's my turn to be at recess today.

Tidy yourself up.

With your heart condition, you should let the others work.

Excuse me, madame.

Come. I have something to show you.

What?

Something.

What the hell are you both doing here?

- Nothing. - Nothing.

Like kids. Nothing.

Come on and kiss me!

- Did you look at me? - Are you still angry?

What about you, Cricri? Got a kiss for your husband?

Come here.

Aren't you supposed to be at recess today?

I told her to stay.

Don't you see how she looks? - Exactly. She needs air.

And her shoes. Did you see the soles?

I've always told her to buy heavy shoes, real clodhoppers.

A sick person shouldn't worry about her appearance.

I'm not sick.

- She's delicate, you know it. - Delicate?

Yes, when she came from Caracas.

Today, she's a cute little ruin.

She doesn't risk anything. Ruins are indestructible.

She'll bury us all. Won't you, my little ruin?

That's enough. Go out and play, both of you.

Yes, a dark little bottle.

She smelled it like that, and it wasn't perfume.

I can tell you, they drink.

That's why they're always together.

- What was in the bottle? - Whiskey, idiot!

Please, I don't want to hear about that anymore.

Patard, if you want to spend your vacation here,

you'll have lots of time to draw.

M. Patard, you heard.

No vacation for you.

Go on.

Miguel.

Miguel, what's the matter with you?

I didn't want to punish him. - So don't threaten him.

Patard did very well on his English quiz.

That's no reason to degrade school grounds.

I won't have any regrets.

No. I can't. I can't.

I didn't even have the courage to divorce him.

Do you still love him?

Of course not. You can't understand.

Am I stupid?

- Divorce is a deadly sin. - Really!

See?

And what about the knife you carried around for a month?

Wasn't that a deadly sin?

I was jealous. I was mad.

But to concoct this thing... No.

As you wish. But think about it.

We'll never find a better opportunity.

And we have just three days.

Everyone knows I'm leaving for Niort. You'll come and rest.

Don't you believe in hell?

Not since I was seven.

I do.

- Fish again? - Not fish again.

It's the same fish as last night.

- Make me two fried eggs. - You're not gonna start, are you?

I put in a quart of vinegar and two pounds of onions.

I'm not saying it's bad. But, you can smell that it's fish.

It stinks.

Yes, yes, later, later.

No, thank you.

- Help yourself. - I'm not hungry.

You must set an example. My liver doesn't allow me fat.

M. Delassalle, may I ask for a glass of wine?

- You already had two. - Only one.

Only one.

Well.

"Bonum vinum laetificat cor hominis."

- What is it? A bone? - I told you I wasn't hungry.

I'm asking you to eat.

- Swallow! - I can't help it. I just can't.

Swallow.

- Delicious fish, M. Raymond? - Perfect. Perfect.

It seems extremely...

extremely nutritious.

You should serve these lads some mad cow.

Be quiet or I'll keep you all here this weekend. Swallow.

Everyone is looking at you. Swallow.

- It's disgusting. - Sorry?

Some things are hard to swallow. I'm not talking about the fish.

We want food!

M. Drain, throw these hooligans out of here.

What is this supposed to be?

You're going to eat your fish. And quietly.

- I told you to throw them out. - Yes, sir.

We want food!

- M. Raymond, go help your colleague. - Right away, sir.

Get out, everybody. What is this?

Get out and be careful.

What kind of a supper is it for these growing boys?

A slice of sausage and two spoons of mashed potatoes?

They should've eaten what they were served.

In the army...

You're not an adjutant But a soup merchant.

- I can't buy coalfish for 3000 francs. - You'd rather make them sick.

As a kid, we used to buy whiting.

Coalfish was too expensive.

They need expensive fish. I buy it, but at a price that I can afford.

It's a mistake to buy on sale.

The fish vendor's smarter than us. You get what you pay for.

It's not his money. It's mine.

I'm paying for everything here.

I'm paying for the doorkeeper. And M. Drain.

I even paid Germaine, Sabine, Therese.

I'm paying you too, Nicole. I accept it. I keep quiet.

But when he attacks the kids, it disgusts me.

I can't stand it.

Calm down. It's not good for you.

I'd like to die, and not see him anymore.

Die, my sweet. Die quickly.

We'll have a nice funeral for you, and we'll finally be rid of you.

The school won't suffer...

and I'll feel much better.

Well, children, have fun.

I have to wake up early. I'll go and pack.

Well, so...

I'm leaving at 7:00 a.m.

Have a nice vacation, darling. Take care.

Good night, you.

What a great vacation...

A three-day honeymoon.

No, no...

Nicole!

Nicole!

I'm up here. I'm coming down.

What are you doing?

Watch out! Stand back!

Those riding the bus, raise your hands.

Will your sister still be in the bathroom?

If we get there before 10:00. You'll see, I made a hole.

- Give me the pack back! - You'll see my sister naked.