Taking considerable stylistic and thematic inspiration from Henri-Georges Clouzot’s masterpiece Diabolique (1955), this little French film works hard to keep the pace brisk and the viewer attentive. Danielle Darrieux stars as singer Eve Faugeres whose jealous tyrant of a husband, the songwriter Maurice (Jean Servais), taunts her for having an affair with her pianist, Jean Le Prat (Michel Auclair). When Maurice dies in a car accident, his body burned beyond recognition, each lover suspects the other (Eve had once said, “Maurice taught me to sing and repair cars”) until they begin receiving strange messages from beyond the grave. The story isn’t wildly original and the ending’s a bit too tidy for some, but Meurtre en 45 tours (US: Murder at 45 R.P.M.) is gripping fun, and cinematographer Marcel Weiss surprises with moments of noir richness, like the flashing neon sign outside Jean’s apartment window and the car racing at full speed down a tree-lined street.