Reflections of Murder is a 1974 made-for-TV movie that was produced by ABC. A suspense-thriller film, it is a remake of the classic 1955 French film Les Diaboliques.[1] John Badham directed, from Carol Sobieski's script.[2][3] The cast was led by Tuesday Weld, Joan Hackett and Sam Waterston in the primary roles. Reflections of Murder was released to home video on the VHS format in the 1980s, but has not yet received an official DVD release.
| Reflections of Murder | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Horror Thriller Mystery |
| Based on | She Who Was No More (Celle qui n'était plus) by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac |
| Written by | Carol Sobieski |
| Directed by | John Badham |
| Starring | Tuesday Weld Joan Hackett Sam Waterston |
| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Aaron Rosenberg |
| Cinematography | Mario Tosi |
| Editor | David Rawlins |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Production companies | ABC Circle Films Aaron Rosenberg/Charles Lederer Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 24, 1974 |
Plot
editClaire Elliot is the abused wife of vicious schoolmaster Michael, who takes great delight in belittling and emotionally abusing her both in public and in private. Michael is also openly carrying on an affair with one of the school's teachers, Vicky, who he sometimes physically assaults. Having grown tired of his cruelty, the two women conspire to murder him and stage the act to look like an accident. But after committing the deed his body disappears, and the women begin to fear that someone might be trying to drive them mad.
Cast
edit- Tuesday Weld as Vicky
- Joan Hackett as Claire Elliott
- Sam Waterston as Michael Elliott
- Lucille Benson as Mrs. Turner
- Michael Lerner as Jerry Steele
- R.G. Armstrong as Mr. Turner
- Ed Bernard as Coroner
- William Turner as Mr. Griffiths
- Lance Kerwin as Chip
Remakes
editTwo more remakes followed. The first was House of Secrets, another made-for-TV adaptation that was broadcast in 1993, starring Melissa Gilbert, Bruce Boxleitner, Kate Vernon, and Cicely Tyson.[4] In 1996 Warner Bros. released a theatrical reworking of the material under the title Diabolique, scripted by Don Roos, directed by Jeremiah Chechik, and starring Sharon Stone, Isabelle Adjani, Chazz Palminteri, and Kathy Bates.
References
edit- ^ Hayward, Susan (2005). Les Diaboliques (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955). University of Illinois Press pg. 93. ISBN 978-0-2520-7330-4.
- ^ Hunter, Rob (February 2, 2020). "Sam Waterston Defies Law, Order, and Common Decency In 'Reflections of Murder'". Film School Rejects. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ Deal, David (2015). Television Fright Films of the 1970s. McFarland pg. 131. ISBN 978-0-7864-5514-0.
- ^ Everett, Todd (October 31, 1993). "NBC Monday Night at the Movies House of Secrets". Variety. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
External links
edit
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