Literary adaptations of the 1950s Thérèse Raquin (1953) and Les Diaboliques (1955)

Abstract

In this article I want to examine two films starring Simone Signoret. My interest in them is twofold. First, the radical shifts from the original texts raise interesting questions in relation to the process of adaptation. In Thérèse Raquin the original Zola text is virtually reversed in meaning; in Les Diaboliques, the queerness seeps out despite a heterosexualizing of the original lesbian text. Second, this article will examine the interface between the star body and literary adaptations—how the star persona influences or, conversely, is straightjacketed by the deviation from the original literary text.