Claude Chabrol

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Les Biches Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 60 000 €
Le Boucher Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 60 000 €
La femme infidèle Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 60 000 €
Les innocents aux mains sales Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 60 000 €
La route de Corinthe Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 35 000 €
Folies bourgeoises Claude Chabrol Panoceanic Films 35 000 €
CNC resto awards late 2013

Also there was an article /rumour very recently-which I can't put my finger on- that the Artedis titles had received aid for restoration work, which include Que la bête meure, La rupture and Juste avant la Nuit

L'Oeuil Malin has been definitely restored but will appear on Studio Canal

[domino harvey]

Has anyone read Jacob Leigh's the Late Films of Claude Chabrol: Genre, Visual Expressionism and Narrational Ambiguity? It's getting a more affordable paperback release in April, but I'm excited at the prospect of someone tackling Chabrol's terrific run of late period films

[Matt]

I'm immediately put off by that title, but encouraged by the book's length (only 208 pages!)—it wouldn't feel like a waste of time even if it doesn't have much new to say. Haven't read it, but the run of films it covers (from La Cérémonie through Bellamy) alone is one that any filmmaker should be extremely proud to have produced.

[domino harvey]

Caught up with Le Tigre aime a la chair fraiche and Le Tigre se parfume la dynamite and found both far better than my previous experience with Chabrol's commercial 60s filmmaking, La route de Corinthe. Both films are intentionally ludicrous, but only the first could pass as a sincere spy film. However, it's not surprising the franchise died with the second, as the majority of the amusement in the later film comes from Chabrol's repeated undermining of the material. This is a film that punishes anyone trying to follow along, and once I realized what Chabrol was doing (recreating all the absurd overblown illustrations of men's adventure magazines-- women in leopard print swimsuits chained to walls,&c-- with as little connective tissue as possible) I could appreciate it on the level it was pitched at. The first film was already absurd, but the sequel achieves new levels of incredulity-- I don't know when I will ever see anything as fucking ridiculous as a femme fetale pushing a remote after bedding our hero and having the entire ceiling open up with armed men slowly lowered to the ground! But while it's diverting to see Chabrol make a Hitchcock cameo as a shark doctor (!) and be treated to exchanges that undermine all forms of revolution from both sides of the political spectrum (Good fodder for some future "Chabrol doesn't pick sides" paper once these get wider distribution), the first film is so, so, so much better and more effective. Both show how ridiculously talented Chabrol was and how he kept himself interested in the material by finding novel ways to shoot it, but only the first film works as more than an exercise. I don't know what the costs would be of restoring them, but a double bill of these would be a natural fit for an Arrow set.

[knives]

So far I haven't found any of Chabrol's films as dire as La route de Corinthe. Of these bizarre little spy films he was doing my favorite remains Marie Chantal against Dr. Kha which is mercilessly cruel to its antagonists in a way that reminds me of some of his twisty alliance films from the '70s. It's also a bit of stylish fun that also works to undermine the spy trappings though in this case by showing how mean the genre can be. Surprisingly the film itself doesn't come across as mean or cruel. Just the characters.

[domino harvey]

In addition to Le scandale / the Champagne Murders, Kino Lorber just confirmed they’ll be releasing L'Œil du malin on Blu-ray!

[domino harvey]

Chabrol will be getting one of those Conversations of With Filmmakers interview books in February of 2020

Claude Chabrol (1930–2010) was a founding member of the French New Wave, the group of filmmakers that revolutionized French filmmaking in the late 1950s and early 1960s. One of the most prolific directors of his generation, Chabrol averaged more than one film per year from 1958 until his death in 2010. Among his most influential films, Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins, and Les Bonnes Femmes established his central place within the New Wave canon. In contrast to other filmmakers of the New Wave such as Jean-Luc Godard and Éric Rohmer, Chabrol exhibited simultaneously a desire to create films as works of art and an impulse to produce work that would be commercially successful and accessible to a popular audience.

The seventeen interviews in this volume, most of which have been translated into English for the first time, offer new insights into Chabrol’s remarkably wide-ranging filmography, providing a sense of his attitudes and ideas about a number of subjects. Chabrol shares anecdotes about his work with such actors as Isabelle Huppert, Gerard Depardieu, and Jean Yanne, and offers fresh perspectives on other directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Fritz Lang, and Alfred Hitchcock.

His mistrust of conventional wisdom often leads him to make pronouncements intended as much to shock as to elucidate, and he frequently questions established ideas and normative attitudes toward moral, ethical, and social behaviors. Chabrol’s intelligence is far-reaching, moving freely between philosophy, politics, psychology, literature, and history, and his iconoclastic spirit, combined with his blend of sarcasm and self-deprecating humor, give his interviews a tone that hovers between a high moral seriousness and a cynical sense of hilarity in the face of the world’s complexities.

[BenoitRouilly]

Bong Joon-ho thanked Chabrol (and Clouzot) during his speech for the 2019 Palme d'Or win, in Cannes last weekend.
There is a bit of La Cérémonie in his Parasite...

[domino harvey]

We’re doing a Chabrol Auteur List through July 31st— come participate!

[diamonds]

There is a bit of La Cérémonie in his Parasite...

Per Letterboxd, it is indeed one of the films he recommends seeing before Parasite.

[BenoitRouilly]

I just saw Parasite and citing La Cérémonie is already a spoiler breaking the rule Bong Joon-ho gave to the press (not to spoil anything after the son and the daughter of the poor family gets hired by the rich family)...
But they are completely different films, with different endings. Same for Kim Ki-young's The Handmaid, the drama revolves around a different articulation of the employer-employee relationships.

[domino harvey]

Chabrol will be getting one of those Conversations of With Filmmakers interview books in February of 2020

Claude Chabrol (1930–2010) was a founding member of the French New Wave, the group of filmmakers that revolutionized French filmmaking in the late 1950s and early 1960s. One of the most prolific directors of his generation, Chabrol averaged more than one film per year from 1958 until his death in 2010. Among his most influential films, Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins, and Les Bonnes Femmes established his central place within the New Wave canon. In contrast to other filmmakers of the New Wave such as Jean-Luc Godard and Éric Rohmer, Chabrol exhibited simultaneously a desire to create films as works of art and an impulse to produce work that would be commercially successful and accessible to a popular audience.

The seventeen interviews in this volume, most of which have been translated into English for the first time, offer new insights into Chabrol’s remarkably wide-ranging filmography, providing a sense of his attitudes and ideas about a number of subjects. Chabrol shares anecdotes about his work with such actors as Isabelle Huppert, Gerard Depardieu, and Jean Yanne, and offers fresh perspectives on other directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Fritz Lang, and Alfred Hitchcock.

His mistrust of conventional wisdom often leads him to make pronouncements intended as much to shock as to elucidate, and he frequently questions established ideas and normative attitudes toward moral, ethical, and social behaviors. Chabrol’s intelligence is far-reaching, moving freely between philosophy, politics, psychology, literature, and history, and his iconoclastic spirit, combined with his blend of sarcasm and self-deprecating humor, give his interviews a tone that hovers between a high moral seriousness and a cynical sense of hilarity in the face of the world’s complexities.

I'm browsing the free preview on Amazon and one page in to the first interview and this book is already amazing

[knives]

And purchased.

[therewillbeblus]

Ha! You just sold a copy

Edit: Two copies*

[domino harvey]

I can't really justify picking it up as I already have too many posters in tubes, but this is awesome and would make an excellent centerpiece for some lucky fan's kitchen wall (found on eBay)

[mizo]

Snapped up (by me). Thanks for the tip!

[Calvin]

Carlotta are releasing a box set this December with new 4K restorations of L'enfer, La Cérémonie, Rien ne va plus, Merci pour le chocolat, and La fleur du mal. English subtitles listed!

[domino harvey]

Of course we only need one of those because they picked titles with existent English-friendly blus save one!

[modernmalaise]

Carlotta are releasing a box set this December with new 4K restorations of L'enfer, La Cérémonie, Rien ne va plus, Merci pour le chocolat, and La fleur du mal. English subtitles listed!

Is anyone able to confirm if this set has English subs? I don't see any mention of it on Carlotta's site or in tenia's review, and it's not on the Amazon listing anymore.

[tenia]

It doesn't have English subs, indeed.
Never trust Amazon regarding the details of the soundtracks and subtitles included. However, Carlotta almost always get their backcover uploaded a bit early on their Amazon products pages, so you can directly check it for this kind of things. That's the case for the Chabrol set and as you can see, the backcover only mentions French SDH subs.

On a more general note, there might be a couple of Carlotta BDs with English subs, but they clearly are exceptions.

[MichaelB]

French SDH is good enough for me, so I’m definitely tempted.

[mhofmann]

It's a beautiful set -- only the Eclair grading for three of the films is a bit overdone.

[modernmalaise]

Thanks tenia for the tip, that should prevent false hope in the future. While I can work with French SDH, that's not the case for friends and family.

I guess my main concern was the color. Looking at the screencaps for La cérémonie, the excessive yellow was a bit of a shock despite the clear improvement in quality. I did think the older HD masters looked fine enough, but that sentiment is fading. I'm definitely torn although it sounds like a must have--still, thanks everyone!

[Black Hat]

Why is Chabrol woefully represented on home video? My understanding is his films were quite popular in the states.

[therewillbeblus]

He's had a fair amount of good stuff make it out on blu-ray here, just frustratingly not most of his best work