Black Sabbath is an anthology horror film consisting of three separate segments: The Drop of Water, The Telephone, and The Wurdalak. Each segment explores different aspects of horror, including supernatural elements, psychological terror, and suspenseful storytelling.
After their boss' death, two clerks eagerly await the arrival of the next one, each one of them hoping to become the apple of his eye. They compete in every possible way to impress him, which causes lots of trouble and many misunderstandings.
A traveller is stuck in an unknown town because his connecting train will only arrive in six hours. He decides to kill time by taking a stroll. He is not prepared to get confused with somebody else. In fact the citizens are eagerly awaiting the visit of a famous man and the clueless traveller is his doppelgänger. Soon he experiences what that means.
Originally titled Nous Sommes Tout des Assassins, We Are All Murderers was directed by Andre Cayette, a former lawyer who detested France's execution system. Charles Spaak's screenplay makes no attempt to launder the four principal characters (Marcel Mouloudji, Raymond Pellegrin, Antoinine Balpetre, Julien Verdeir): never mind the motivations, these are all hardened murderers. Still, the film condemns the sadistic ritual through which these four men are brought to the guillotine. In France, the policy is to never tell the condemned man when the execution will occur--and then to show up without warning and drag the victim kicking and screaming to his doom, without any opportunity to make peace with himself or his Maker. By the end of this harrowing film, the audience feels as dehumanized as the four "protagonists." We Are All Murderers was roundly roasted by the French law enforcement establishment, but it won a special jury prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.
César Neira, an almost forgotten Spanish actor, gets involved by chance with Teresa, a teacher from a small village in the province of Cáceres, who has won a radio contest. The prize is a trip to Madrid to experience just for a fortnight the life of the famous and wealthy people.
Alberto is forced to face his wife and his two lovers at the same time.
OSS 117 is asked for help by a female acquaintance Muriel Rousset. She beseeches him to retrieve secret documents which have been stolen from Sir Anthony Lead, the father of Anita and Marion. He complies with her wish and no obstacle or danger can hinder him from meeting her expectations.
Arbella is a charming village in Corsica. It's such a pleasant place to live that Monsieur Lauriston has decided to spend his old age there with his wife Marthe. Encouraged by Giuseppe, the owner of the Napoleon bar, he is promoted to mayor. This brings him the wrath of Captain Bartoli, owner of the Café Bonaparte, a self-styled pirate and navigator who has long aspired to this honorable position. Further complications arise when Lauriston's nephew romances Antonia, the daughter of Amoretti, the last bandit of honor in the area and the town's main tourist attraction.
Between eleven o’clock and midnight one evening, a notorious trafficker Jérôme Vidauban is shot whilst walking in a tunnel in Paris. The case is assigned to Inspector Carrel, who is Vidauban’s perfect double. Using his resemblance to the arch criminal, Carrel manages to infiltrate in Vidauban’s circle of acquaintances and contacts. He becomes embroiled in a bizarre web of intrigue and discovers no shortage of possible murder suspects, all of whom appear to be surprised to see him still alive.
Paris at the Belle Epoque. Monsieur de Pontagnac, a perfect honest man, loves pretty women too much and that plays him many tricks. What need does he have to follow the pretty Lucienne Vatelin, home, to find himself in the presence of the husband, the notary Vatelin, who is part of his circle? From there, many characters will meet, avoid each other, find each other. Adultery, domestic scenes and reconciliation will be their lot.
Jacqueline and Jacques, newlyweds, are in frequent discussions. The cause is Jacqueline's flirtatious nature, which she has not been able to shake off despite her marriage. One of her tennis partners, Pierre, declares his love for her, but Jacqueline advises him to marry Simone instead. Meanwhile, the husband is approached by an unsympathetic character who suggests that Jacqueline is his mistress.
Two members of a former group of friends find themselves after many years by chance through the streets of Milan; after a moment, memories of the past resurface.
Véronique Lanier runs one of the most highly rated haute couture houses in Paris. Her first partner is her husband Pierre, who has left aside a promising artist career to design the styles which make their firm a success. The trouble is that Véronique lives only for her job and does not allow herself -and her husband for that matter - a moment's respite. In Cannes, Pierre meets Wanda, a young singer with strange, fascinating eyes. The frustrated husband falls for her but gradually realizes that the light mercurial creature cannot possibly fulfill him. Véronique, feeling miserable, understands she is on the wrong track. She promises Pierre that she will make efforts to reconcile work and married life. Véronique and Pierre will live and work together again, each one forgiving the other for their faults.
Diavolo's bandits fight Napoleon's troops and so King Ferdinand IV, the Neapolitan king, makes Fra Diavolo a Colonel. In the meantime the bandit also falls in love with Marietta, the king's illegitimate child.
The finding of a wallet with a lot of money is the common theme of four stories, featuring a shoeshine from Seville, a clerk from Salamanca, a bullfighter from Cuenca and a newspapers seller from Paris.
Julien Pauphilat is the doorman at the famous restaurant, Maxim's and is also the confidant of many of his customers. As a consequence, in this post, he has managed to make a comfortable living and even acquire a country mansion. Retirement beckons and he is going to be able to enjoy the quiet life at last. The wedding of his daughter, Genevieve with Andre du Velin, a well born playboy is going to endanger this dream, for Genevieve is ignorant of her father's job. However, her fiance doesn't see any problem with this.
On the run from international police, Special Agent Lemmy Caution arrives in the South of France and soon becomes embroiled in a scheme with the infamous gangster Siegella. Whilst seeming to co-operate with the underworld boss, Lemmy is secretly acting for the FBI, and intends using Miranda Van Zelden, a wealthy heiress, as bait to trap a gang of crooks and put an end to Siegella's exploits...
Lily Ferronais can't stand her husband who, out of weakness, has let himself be led down the wrong road. She flees with her little Jeannette, whom she makes believe in the death of her father. Hired by the restaurateur Jean Garaud, the latter falls in love with her, to the chagrin of his mistress Hélène.
Bitru is a carefree fellow who, one day, decides to buy a houseboat on the River Seine. He moves there and starts living surrounded by a circle of colorful friends. Among them, the daughter of an auto maker but also a group of scientists who have developed "Aqua Simplex", a device that could enable motorists to fill their tanks with... water ! Panic sets in in the automobile industry and Bitru is appointed his friends' middle man to represent them on the various car makers directors' boards.
At sea, sailors have got to make do with what they have. François is in love with.... the figurehead, the bust of a gorgeous woman.