Claude Chabrol

[knives]

Got to a lesser known one, Marie-Chantel Vs. Doctor Kha, today. On the global level this is easily one of the best post-Bond '60s chic films I've yet to encounter. The only thing that comes close is the Matt Helm films. Now, on the level of Chabrol's career this ranks mightily low not standing to the standard he set for himself after Les Biches. Nevertheless it works far better then his other female staring film in the genre I've seen, Road to Corinth, with the sense of fun and intelligence of the lead succeeding. The film really doesn't work independently. You either have to watch it as a Chabrol film, a Bond comedy, or both. It dies in its two legs. For me its most interesting to watch as a Chabrol since it is identifiable as him while also being a clear case of a lost in the wilderness film which I've come to associate his '60s period with. There's little visually to indicate Chabrol, but what is is an interesting showing of his evolution as an artist. The main thing is his use of colour, particularly blue, white, red, and black, which remains associations no one else would think of. The other bit is the use of violence which is fairly extreme and rough here. There's probably no other film in the genre with as many exposed arteries as this and the fights scenes have a natural brutality to it that Chabrol perversely seems to be pushing just for the reason others wouldn't; namely the lead's gender. I wouldn't call the film feminist per say, but Chabrol doesn't allow concerns of gender affect his violence ala Batgirl.

The other fun thing to consider is the degree and fashion in which he's aping Hitchcock here. Obviously next to De Palma he has the biggest reputation for such behavior, but generally I've found it to be lacking in his text with consideration of genre being the only serious factor. Not so here. He steals liberally for plot and visuals even going so far as an overextended cameo which comes across almost like a last minute replacement. Nearly every film Hitchcock had made up to that point and seemingly at least one he hadn't done yet given the Topaz like humour at the cold war. Each sequence could function as its own tribute starting with The Lady Vanishes going to The Man Who Knew Too Much so on and so forth. It's a little bit of fun which makes the experience worth more then the dated jokes its printed on.

[copen]

i really liked his last film Bellamy (2009). after the disapointing "A Girl Cut in Two", it was a fantastic return to form. i wanted to spend hours with the inspector and his wife. as far as i was concerned, the movie should have gone on for hours.
my favorites will always be the swindle and la ceremonie, with his other isabelle huppert collaborations not too far behind.
L'enfer (1994) was also good.

[Stefan Andersson]

Le Beau Serge, restored, to screen at this year´s Venice festival:
http://www.screendaily.com/festivals/ve ... ntID=42422" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[domino harvey]

"Containing homosexuals of both sexes" is my new favorite pull quote

[Werewolf by Night]

Interestingly, it's from a 1968 Richard Schickel roundup of movies with lesbian themes.

[domino harvey]

That was an unexpectedly interesting article, thanks!

[domino harvey]

I don't know if this is widely known, but despite not being mentioned on the packaging, David Kalat actually splits duties with RIc Menello on the commentary for All Day Entertainment's edition of the Cry of the Owl. Both do a great job, and man, what a masterpiece, one of Chabrol's best. Another one to add to your list for the David Kalat completists out there. The insert is a recreation of one character's suicide note too, helpfully translated into English...

[domino harvey]

HD rips of Le boucher and La femme infidele on French TV have surfaced on back channels... have these films finally received restoration work? Would love to see Arrow revisit their Chabrol holdings with a massive set

[starmanof51]

HD rips of Le boucher and La femme infidele on French TV have surfaced on back channels... have these films finally received restoration work? Would love to see Arrow revisit their Chabrol holdings with a massive set

Oh man, doing for him something like what they’ve been doing for Borowczyk would be terrific

[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 and the English-dubbed version that combined the two for international release (uncirculating, as far as I know) 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.