Gathering up works from auteur film maker Claude Chabrol,I spotted a title starring Anthony Perkins. With Chabrol being very open about his inspiration from the "Master of Suspense" I decided that it was time to see Chabrol meet the psycho.

View on the film:

Backed by Universal studios, (which led to a French and English version both being shot) director Claude Chabrol & cinematographer Jean Rabier fizz up the lavish lifestyles of Paul and Christopher,as stylish tracking shots pull back to reveal the colourful surroundings when the murders "pop."

Closing in on Wagner's fractured mind,Chabrol locks in with elegant,tightly held close-ups which heat up a tough edge Film Noir atmosphere,which is lit up by Wagner's attempts to unscramble his memories.

Kicking off with a car crash that sends Wagner into a whirl,the screenplay by Claude Brulé/ Derek Prouse/ William Benjamin & Paul Gégauff delicately builds up the fractures between Wagner,Christopher and Christine Belling,with Wagner's blunt outbursts cutting him off as a Film Noir loner.

Splashing the murders against the screen,the writers wonderfully press Wagner's anxiety down on the viewer,by making the viewer having to gather the loose reflections of Wagner's interactions with the victims, until the superb final shot "pulls back" to unveil the full puzzle.

Carrying a sly grin on his face, Anthony Perkins gives a great performance as Christopher,whose calm, collected business manner Perkins peels away to uncover a ruthless, calculating bite.

Pushed to put the cork back in the bottle by the gorgeous Yvonne Furneaux's femme fatale , Maurice Ronet gives an excellent performance as Paul Wagner. Covering Wagner in Noir shakes of disbelief,Ronet digs his nails into the tortured doubt of Wagner,as the murder victims get covered in champagne.