Masters of Cinema Claude Chabrol
Suspicious Mind Andrew Nerger uncovers the pessimistic pleasures of two early films from French New Wave’s outsider, Claude Chabrol words by Andrew Nerger
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or many, Godard’s Breathless was the first film of the French New Wave; others may insist upon Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. Perhaps some might go for a left-field choice, such as Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows. But one rarely mentioned is Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge. Yet Chabrol’s was the first to be released by the Cahiers du Cinema set. It came out in 1958 - two years before Jean Seberg would sell the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris. And Chabrol’s follow-up Les Cousins, a companion piece of sorts, was released in March 1959, two months before Truffaut introduced Antoine Doniel to the world at the Cannes Film Festival. As a French film enthusiast and student of film, I watched countless works from Chabrol’s contemporaries, the peers and fathers of the movement including Godard, Truffaut, Rohmer and Rivette. And yet curiously Chabrol remains the last great piece of that New Wave puzzle. Looking back, I can’t think of a single reason why I have never seen a single Chabrol film. He was one of the most prolific directors of the movement and worked until his death in 2010. I even have a DVD copy of Le Boucher on my ‘to watch’ pile.
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MARCH 2013 VERITE
Critical reaction to Chabrol was perhaps not as kind as it could have been; retrospectively he’s known better as a mainstream suspense director as opposed to a bona fide maverick like Godard. Fortunately, Masters of Cinema are releasing Le Beau Serge and Les Cousins, two titles that show how his influence on the movement should not be underestimated. Winner of the Jean Vigo award, Le Beau Serge was Chabrol’s first feature film. Funded entirely by Chabrol himself and partly autobiographical, it was shot in the village of Sardent, where the young Chabrol grew up. It’s the story of two men with contrasting fortunes, one who left the village and made success for himself in Paris and another who remained and stagnated. The protagonist at the heart of Serge is a Parisian named Francois ( Jean Claude Brialy) who returns to his hometown to recuperate after suffering from illness. He is surprised at how little the village has changed, but shocked to see how badly his old friend Serge (Gérard Blain) has aged. When they first meet, Serge is so drunk he doesn’t even recognise François. Serge doesn’t see any future in the dead-end village and feels trapped in a loveless marriage. His ire is