#580: CHABROL, Claude: Le Beau Serge (1958)

CHABROL, Claude (France)

Le Beau Serge [1958]

Spine #580
DVD

Of the hallowed group of Cahiers du cinéma critics turned filmmakers who transformed French film history, Claude Chabrol was the first to direct his own feature. His absorbing landmark debut, Le beau Serge, follows a successful yet sickly young man (Jean-Claude Brialy) who returns home to the small village where he grew up. There, he finds himself at odds with his former close friend (Gérard Blain) — now unhappily married and a wretched alcoholic — and the provincial life he represents. The remarkable and stark Le beau Serge heralded the arrival of a cinematic titan who would go on to craft provocative, entertaining films for five more decades.

99 minutes
Black & White

Monaural

in French

1:33:1 aspect ratio

Criterion Release 2011

Director/Writer

Claude Chabrol was 28 when he wrote and directed Le Beau Serge.

Other Chabrol films in the Collection:

#581: Les Cousins (1959)
#1199: La cérémonie (1995)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Sixteen-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty.

Commentary

Featuring Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol.

Claude Chabrol: Mon premiere film

A documentary by Francis Girod on the making of Le Beau Serge, featuring interviews with Chabrol and actor Brialy.

Segment

From a 1969 episode of the French television series L’invité du dimanche in which Chabrol revisits Sardent, the town he grew up in and Le Beau Serge’s location.

Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

99

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