- Title: USA: 'DIABOLIQUE' PREMIERES IN LOS ANGELES
- Date: 20th March 1996
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (MARCH 20, 1996) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THEATRE CHAZZ PALMINTERI IN CINEMA LOBBY SHARON STONE ARRIVING STONE SAYS THE ORIGINAL IS A CLASSIC AND WILL ALWAYS BE SO. THIS IS A CAMPY, FUN, THRILLER, BOX OF POPCORN FARCE. THIS IS NOT A CLASSIC FILM NOIR (ENGLISH) ISABELLE ADJANI ARRIVES, ANSWERS "COLOUR" WHEN ASKED HOW IT DIFFERS FROM ORIGINAL
- Embargoed: 4th April 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAEAMQ19DQ3BF37QXAACI5RN0S2
- Story Text: Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani on Wednesday (March 20) attended the Los Angeles premiere of their new film "Diabolique," a re-make of the French classic "Les Diaboliques." The actors play two women who share the same man, a charming but abusive character played by Chazz Palminteri.
Adjani plays his long-suffering wife, while Stone plays his equally abused mistress.
Together, the two women decide the only way to rid themselves of the abuse is to kill the man and they set out to do just that.
In the wake of his disappearance, an inquisitive police detective, played by Oscar-winner Kathy Bates, starts asking questions.
To complicate matters, the women start to question whether they were successful in murdering the man in the first place.
"Diabolique" is a re-make of the 1955 Henri-Georges Clouzot thriller which was filmed in black and white.
The new version, however, does more than add color.
There are so many differences in plot, the actors say it's hardly the same film at all.
"The original was a classic and will always be so," Stone said at the premiere.
"This is a campy, fun thriller, box-of-popcorn farce. This is not a classic film noir." Adjani joked the difference with the 1996 version was the addition of colour.
"Diabolique" was directed by Jeremiah Chechik, whose previous credits include "Benny and Joon", "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "Tall Tale: The Unbelievable Adventures of Pecos Bill." "Any story that has a strong mythological base that has been with us for thousands of years and retold in different ways is worth modernising," he said.
The film is produced by Marvin Worth, who brought the films "Lenny", "The Rose" and "Malcolm X" to the big screen.
"I always remembered this one," he said. "I got out the tape and said 'wow' it can bear remaking." Palminteri, who plays the abusive husband and lover, says "Diabolique" explores the undertones of sexual power and lesbianism that the original was unable to do.
"They weren't really allowed to explore the sexuality as we are able to do it now," he said. "Some of the lesbian ovetones, some of the sexuality I had with the women, in 1955 they weren't able to do but we can do it now." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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