Beginning his film career as a screenwriter, Henri-Georges Clouzot switched over to directing and in 1943 had the distinction of having his film Der Rabe (1943) banned by both the German forces occupying France and the Free French forces fighting them, but for different reasons. He shot to
international fame with
Lohn der Angst (1953)
and consolidated that success with
Die Teuflischen (1955), but
continuous ill health caused large gaps in his output, and several
projects had to be abandoned (though one,
Die Hölle (1994), was subsequently filmed
by Claude Chabrol). His films are
typically relentless suspense thrillers, similar to Alfred Hitchcock's but
with far less light relief.
