Claude Chabrol

24.06.1930, Paris, France - 12.09.2010, Paris, France

 

Director
French director, screenwriter, actor and producer, born as Claude Henri Jean Chabrol. He is considered the originator of the French new wave. He spent his childhood in a village and at the age of twelve discovered film and especially enjoyed thrillers and detective stories. His father and grandfather were pharmacists and the same was expected of him. After WW II, he moved to Paris and started to study pharmacy and literature at the Sorbonne. For a short time he went to the School of Political Sciences (Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques). He often visited the French cinematheque and film clubs where he met his future colleagues and members of the French new wave film movement. After graduation, he served in the military and in the 1950’s, together with friends Éric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette, he began writing for the Cahiers du cinema. They developed the auteur theory, which is still influential. In 1955, for a short time he worked in the marketing department of the French office of the American company 20th Century Fox. His film role models were Fritz Lang, F. W. Murnau, Ernst Lubitsch and Alfred Hitchcock, about whom Eric Rohmer and Chabrol published a book in 1957. He made his feature film debut in 1958 as a director, screenwriter and producer of the film Le beau Serge (1958). He produced it himself thanks to his first wife’s inheritance and it became financially successful and critically acclaimed. His next film The Cousins (Les cousins, 1959) won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1959. The director’s main characteristics, already apparent in his first two films, were the obvious influence of Hitchcock, portrayal of the French bourgeois, characters with suspicious motives and murders. Thanks to the financial successes of his first two films, he established his production house AJYM Films for which he produced his friends’ first films and thus got the nickname of the “godfather of French New Wave”. Also thanks to his first two films, in 1959 he made Web of Passion (A double tour) in color but the film was unsuccessful. In 1960, he directed his acclaimed film The Good Girls (Les bonnes femmes, 1960) and The Third Lover (L' oeil du malin, 1962), which, together with previous works, form the “most personal” phase of his opus praised by the critics. At the same time he filmed the unsuccessful Wise Guys (Les godelureaux, 1961) for, as he stated himself, commercial reasons. Equally unsuccessful were his free adaptation of Hamlet Ophélia (1963) and Bluebeard (Landru, 1963) about the famous French serial killer. He displeased the critics when he directed a parody of spy films The Tiger Likes Fresh Blood (Le tigre aime la chair fraiche, 1964) and began hos phase of more commercial films that lasted until 1967 and included six films. In 1964, he directed his theatre production of Macbeth. He again won over the critics and the audience with his psychological drama Girlfriends (Les biches, 1968), which marked the beginning of Chabrol’s acclaimed mature phase of films: The Unfaithful Wife (La femme infidèle, 1969), The Beast Must Die (Que la bęte meure, 1969), The Butcher (Le boucher, 1970), The Break Up (La rupture, 1970), Just Before Nightfall (Juste avant la nuit, 1970). In 1971, he directed a film in English Ten Days Wonder (La décade prodigieuse) and collaborated with Anthony Perkins and Orson Welles. This film as well as his next, Dr. Popaul (Docteur Popaul, 1972) starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Mia Farrow, were not well accepted by the critics. He focused on political topics for the first time in the film Wedding in Blood (Les noces rouges, 1973), which was banned from the theatres for a month in France. His thriller The Nada Gang (Nada, 1974), again with a topic from politics, was his first film after Handsome Serge that did not focus on the bourgeois. Drama A Piece of Pleasure (Une partie de plaisir, 1975) is interesting because the main character was played by Paul Gégauff, Chabrol’s frequent screenwriter. In addition, Paul’s film wife and daughter were played by Chabrol’s own first wife and daughter. In the late 1970’s Chabrol started to direct television films and international co-productions such as the drama Innocents with Dirty Hands (Les innocents aux mains sales, 1975) and thriller Blood Relative (Les liens de sang, 1978). He then directed the comedy The Twist (Folies bourgeoises, 1976) that he always considered as one of his worst films. However, he also directed the film Violette Noziere (1978) starring Isabelle Huppert, one of his most famous films from the 1970’s. The films he made in 1980’s and 1990’s are considered somewhat weaker in comparison to his earlier works. Nevertheless, some of his films won awards: Story of Women (Une affaire de femmes, 1988), Madame Bovary (1991), Hell (L enfer, 1994), A Judgement in Stone (La cérémonie, 1995), At the Heart of the Lie (Au coeur de mensonge, 1998), Nightcap (Merci pour le chocolat, 2000). His last films are the family drama The Flower of Evil (2003), thriller based on Ruth Rendell’s novel La demoiselle d'honneur (2004), dramas Comedy of Power (L' ivresse du pouvoir, 2006) and La fille coupée en deux (2007) and the thriller Bellamy (2009) that he directed at the age of 79. In 2003, he won the European film award for life-time achievement and six years later he received the same award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Filmography

Bellamy (2009)
La fille coupée en deux (2007)
Comedy of Power (L' ivresse du pouvoir, 2006)
The Bridesmaid (La demoiselle d'honneur, 2004)
The Flower of Evil (La fleur du mal, 2003)
Nightcap (Merci pour le chocolat, 2000)
At the Heart of the Lie (Au coeur du mensonge, 1999)
The Swindle (Rien ne va plus, 1997)
A Judgement in Stone (La cérémonie, 1995)
Hell (L' enfer, 1994)
The Eye of Vichy (L' oeil de Vichy, 1993) (documentary)
Betty (1992)
Madame Bovary (1991)
Dr. M (1990)
Quiet Days in Clichy (Jours tranquilles a Clichy, 1990)
Story of Women (Une affaire de femmes, 1988)
The Cry of the Owl (Le cri du hibou, 1987)
Masks (Masques, 1987)
Inspector Lavardin (Inspecteur Lavardin, 1986)
Cop au vin (Poulet au vinaigre, 1985)
The Blood of Others (Le sang des autres, 1984)
The Hatter's Ghost (Les fantômes du chapelier, 1982)
La danse de mort (1982) (TV)
Les affinités électives (1981) (TV)
The Proud Ones (Le cheval d'orgueil, 1980)
Violette Noziere (1978)
Blood Relative (Les liens de sang, 1978)
Alice ou la derniere fugue (1977)
The Twist (Folies bourgeoises, 1976)
Death Rite (Les magiciens, 1976)
Innocents with Dirty Hands (Les innocents aux mains sales, 1975)
A Piece of Pleasure (Une partie de plaisir, 1975)
The Nada Gang (Nada, 1974)
Wedding in Blood (Les noces rouges, 1973)
Dr. Popaul (Docteur Popaul, 1972)
Ten Days Wonder (La décade prodigieuse, 1971)
Just Before Nightfall (Juste avant la nuit, 1971)
The Break Up (La rupture, 1970)
The Butcher (Le boucher, 1970)
The Beast Must Die (Que la bęte meure, 1969)
The Unfaithful Wife (La femme infidele, 1969)
Girlfriends (Les biches, 1968)
The Road to Corinth (La route de Corinthe, 1967)
The Champagne Murders (Le scandale, 1967)
Line of Demarcatio (La ligne de démarcation, 1966)
An Orchid for the Tiger (Le tigre se parfume a la dynamite, 1965)
Marie-Chantal vs. Doctor Kha (Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha, 1965)
Six in Paris (Paris vu par..., 1965) (segment La muette )
The Tiger Likes Fresh Blood (Le tigre aime la chair fraiche, 1964)
The Beautiful Swindlers (Les plus belles escroqueries du monde, 1964) (segment L' homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel)
Ophélia (1963)
Bluebeard (Landru, 1963)
The Third Lover (L' oeil du malin, 1962)
The Seven Capital Sins (Les sept péchés capitaux, 1962) (segment L' avarice)
Wise Guys (Les godelureaux, 1961)
The Good Girls (Les bonnes femmes, 1960)
Web of Passion (A double tour, 1959)
The Cousins (Les cousins, 1959)
Handsome Serge (Le beau Serge, 1958)


Films by this director

Story of Women

(Une affaire de femmes, 1988)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

In 1941, the Germans occupy a French town. We follow the story of a woman who, in order to secure a better life for her family, performs illegal abortions… This film was inspired by Marie-Louise Girard who was executed in 1943 under the charge of committing a crime against the state. By performing abortions, she was said to have been minimizing the number of potential soldiers.

color, 108 min

The Good Girls

(Les bonnes femmes, 1960.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Henri Decaë
Synopsis:

Four young girls, Jacqueline, Ginette, Rita and Jane, work together. Their boss is a man who preaches about morality but in real life is far from a moral person. The girls, each in their own way, look for love and happiness in life. Jane has a boyfriend in the army, but often dates other men. Rita has a fiancée whose family cares only about its good reputation. Ginette mysteriously disappears every night and Jacqueline is constantly followed by a young man on a motorbike.

35 mm, b/w, 100 min

The Tiger Likes Fresh Blood

(Le tigre aime la chair fraiche, 1964)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

In this spy action film, Roger Hanin plays a secret agent whose code name is Tiger. His mission is to stop a secret organization to hinder the Turkish-French agreement on sale of forty military planes. Daniela Bianchi plays the daughter of a Turkish diplomat who takes part in negotiations.

b/w, 90 min

Marie Chantal vs. Dr. Kha

(Marie-Chantal contre le docteur Kha, 1965)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Marie-Chantal is a relatively normal French girl who accidentally gets her hands on an unusual object - a jewel shaped like a tiger with rubies for eyes. A secret agent gives the tiger to Marie on a train and is soon after murdered. Marie-Chantal does not know that the tiger is actually a dangerous virus that may kill all human kind. Dr Kha, Russian and American secret agents are looking for the tiger…

color, 110 min

The Unfaithful Wife

(La femme infidele, 1969.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

A faithful husband, an unfaithful wife and a murder… When Charles suspects that his wife is cheating on him he hires a private detective in order to learn the truth. Unfortunately it turns out that he was right - his wife Hélčne is seeing a writer, Victor. Charles decides to pay Victor a visit…

35 mm, color, 98 min

The Beast Must Die

(Que la bęte meure, 1969)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Charles Thenier’s son died in a traffic accident and the culprit ran away. Charles is determined to find the unknown culprit and arrives to Paris. There he meets the actress Helene who witnessed the accident. The two of them have an affair, and soon it turns out that she is the sister in law of the culprit, Paul Decourt. Charles becomes friends with Paul’s son Phillippe...

color, 110 min

The Butcher

(Le boucher, 1970.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Helene and Popaul meet at a wedding in a small French village Périgord. She is a teacher and he is a butcher. Even though they are very different they become friends. Simultaneously there is a series of murders of young girls. At one of the murder scenes, Helene finds Popaul’s lighter…

35 mm, color, 93 min

The Break Up

(La rupture, 1970)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabiere
Synopsis:

Hélčne is married to the mentally ill Charles. In a fit of fury Charles hurts their son Michel who ends up in a hospital. At first Hélčne moves to her parents’ house but soon rents an apartment near the hospital and spends most of the time with her son. Charles’ rich parents decide to ask for custody of the boy and pay an investigator to dig up dirty stuff about Hélčne…

color, 124 min

Dr. Popaul

(Docteur Popaul, 1972)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Dr. Paul Simay and his colleagues in the hospital make a bet that one of them will seduce the ugliest woman. Since Doctor Paul usually flirts with unattractive women he is sure that he will win. Soon he meets and gets engaged to Christine, whose father is a rich doctor. At the wedding Paul meets his wife’s pretty sister…

color, 100 min

Innocents with Dirty Hands

(Les Innocents aux mains sales, 1975)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Julie Wormser is married to the rich alcoholic Louis whom she does not love. She cheats on him with their neighbor, the writer Jeff. The couple plans to kill Louis. Soon they get their chance and Julie hits her husband leaving Jeff to end the job. The next day both men have vanished. Where is Louis’ body? Is Julie a widow? And where is Jeff?

color, 121 min

Blood Relatives

(Les liens de sang, 1978)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

One night seventeen-year-old Patricia walks into a police station. She is covered in blood and claims that she has witnessed the sexual assault and murder of her cousin Muriel. Inspector Carella starts the investigation and looks for unknown perpetrators. Soon, Patricia changes her story and says that the murderer is her brother Andrew...

color, 100 min

Violette Noziere

(1978)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

The story is based on a true event from 1930s in Paris. It is a story about nineteen-year-old Violette Noziere, on trial for murdering her father and the attempted murder of her mother. In 1978, Isabelle Huppert won the award for Best Actress in Cannes.

color, 120 min

A Judgement in Stone

(La cérémonie, 1995.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Bernard Zitzermann
Synopsis:

Sophie is a young maid in the house of the upper class family Lelievre. Even though she us a bit strange, they are satisfied with her. They are not aware that she does not know how to read or write and is ashamed of it. Her only friend is Jeanne who works at the post office and whom the landlady Catherine Lelievre does not like. While Sophie is shy and withdrawn, Jeanne is the complete opposite.

35 mm, color, 112 min

Merci pour le chocolat

(2000.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Renato Berta
Synopsis:

Young pianist Jeanne suspects that she was given to the wrong parents in the hospital and decides to look for her biological mother and father. Her search leads her to the famous pianist André and his second wife Mika, heiress to the Swiss chocolate factory Muller. She meets Guillaume, André’s son from his first marriage to Lisabeth who died in a car accident.

color, 99 min

Handsome Serge

(Beaue Serge, 1958.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Henri Decaë
Synopsis:

François is a sickly student of theology who comes back to his hometown after ten years. The town remained the same while his inhabitants changed. He is most affected by the changes concerning his best friend from childhood, Serge. He is now unhappily married and drowns his sorrow in alcohol. François decides to help him.

35 mm, b/w, 98 min

Inspector Lavardin

(Inspecteur Lavardin, 1986.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

Lavardin arrives to a coastal town to investigate a murder of a famous Catholic writer. He was found dead on a beach with a message “pig” written across his back. When he starts to question the relatives of the deceased, he realizes that the widow is his own love from long time ago whom he has not seen in many years. As the investigation progresses, he finds out deeply buried secrets…

35 mm, color, 100 min

Hell

(L' enfer, 1994.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Bernard Zitzermann
Synopsis:

A young couple Nelly and Paul manage a successful hotel. Besides having business worries, Paul starts to doubt his wife’s fidelity. He reinterprets small details, such as Nelly’s hospitality and cordiality towards guests, as signs of cheating. As time goes by, Paul becomes more certain that his wife is cheating on him. His jealousy grows into paranoia and with every step he is on a downward spiral…

35 mm, color, 100 min

Betty

(1992.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Bernard Zitzermann
Synopsis:

Twenty-eight year old alcoholic Betty attracts the attention of an older woman Laura in an inconspicuous restaurant in Paris. Laura is the restaurant owner’s girlfriend and also a former alcoholic. She used to be a nurse and after her husband died she arrived to Paris and never left. She feels sorry for Betty and offer to help her get a hotel room near hers. She takes care of her and finds out her story…

35 mm, color, 103 min

The Flower of Evil

(Fleur du mal, 2003.)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Eduardo Serra
Synopsis:

Film follows three generations of a well-off family from southwestern France. After four years of absence, the son François Vasseur returns to his family. At the airport he meets his father Gérard, a successful businessman prone to alcohol and women. His current wife Anne is running for a mayor and Gérard is not pleased. François is attracted to Anne’s daughter Michèle, who shares his sentiments.

35 mm, color, 104 min

Les biches

(France, 1968)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jean Rabier
Synopsis:

color, 100 min
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