Motion-Picture Director. He was called "The French Hitchcock" for his thrillers, which are relentless in their suspense and bleak view of the world and of human relationships. His biggest hits were "The Wages of Fear" (1953), winner of the Golden Palm at Cannes, about a group of truck drivers perilously transporting a load of nitroglycerine through the South American jungle; and "Les Diaboliques" (1955), in which a brutal schoolmaster is apparently murdered by his long-suffering wife and mistress. Both films were the subject of (inferior) Hollywood remakes. Clouzot's non-fictional "The Mystery of Picasso" (1956) is a compelling look at the famous artist. Picasso destroyed the paintings he created during shooting so they would exist only in the film, making the documentary itself a work of art. The French government agreed, and in 1984 they declared "The Mystery of Picasso" a national treasure. Among Clouzot's other films are "The Killer Lives at Number 21" (1942), "Jenny Lamour" (1947), "Manon" (1949), "Miquette" (1950), "The Spies" (1957), "The Truth" (1960), and "The Female Prisoner" (1968). Clouzot was born in Niort, France. He entered films as an assistant in 1931 and worked with directors Anatole Litvak and E. A. Dupont. His first great thriller, "The Raven" (1943), brought him fame and controversy. A pessimistic look at French country life, it was produced by a Nazi-run company and after the liberation it was falsely alleged that the film was shown in Germany as anti-French propaganda. Clouzot was subsequently barred from filmaking for three years. A brilliant technician, Clouzot was known as a tyrant on the set who browbeat his cast and crew until they gave him what he considered perfect results. Dogged by chronic ill-health, he had to abandon production of "L'Enfer" in 1964 and was unable to work at all after 1968. Clouzot's screenplay for "L'Enfer" was finally filmed by director Claude Chabrol in 1994. He was married to actress Vera Clouzot from 1950 until her death in 1960.