Charles Desvallees has a good reason to believe that his wife is cheating on him and so hires a private detective to prove himself right! Coming up with a name of Victor Pegala he confronts the lover...
A 5-disc box set featuring 5 gems with the magnificent Jean Paul Belmondo taking center stage!
Too often overlooked and undervalued, Claude Chabrol was the first of the Cahiers du Cinema critics to release a feature film and would be among the most prolific. The sneaky anarchist of the French New Wave, he embraced genre as a means of lifting the lid on human nature. Nothing is sacred and nothing is certain in the films of Claude Chabrol: anything can be corrupted, and usually will be. The hidden meaness of provincial life is at the heart of Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre), as deaths and disappearances intersect around the attempt by a corrupt syndicate of property developers to force a disabled woman and her son from their home. Actor Jean Poiret would prove so compelling as the laconic Detective Inspector Lavardin good cop/bad cop all in one that the sequel would be titled after him. Inspector Lavardin sees the titular detective investigating the murder of a wealthy and respected catholic author, renowned for his outspoken views against indecency, whose body is found naked and dead on the beach. In Madame Bovary, Chabrol directs one of his greatest collaborators, actress Isabelle Huppert, in perhaps the definitive depiction of Flaubert's classic heroine. Meanwhile Betty, adapted from the novel of the same name by Maigret author Georges Simenon, is a scathing attack on the uppermiddle classes, featuring an extraordinary performance by Marie Trintignant as a woman spiraling into alcoholism, but fighting to redefine herself. Finally, in Torment (L'enfer) Chabrol picks up a project abandoned by Henri Georges Clouzot, in which a husband's jealousy and suspicion of his wife drive him to appalling extremes. Francois Cluzet and Emmanuelle Beart give career best performances as the husband and wife tearing each other apart. With brand new digital restorations, this inaugural Arrow Video collection of Claude Chabrol on Bluray brings together a wealth of passionate contributors and archival extras to shed fresh light on the films and the filmmaker. Dark, witty, ruthless, mischievous: if you've never seen Chabrol before, you're in for a treat. If you have, they've never looked better. Limited Edition Contents: High definition (1080p) Bluray presentations of all five films New 4K restorations of Madame Bovary, Betty, and Torment (L'enfer) Original lossless French PCM mono audio on Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre), Inspector Lavardin, Madame Bovary, and Betty Original lossless French PCM stereo audio on Torment (L'enfer) Optional English Subtitles Fully illustrated 80page collector's booklet of new writing on the films by film critics Martyn Conterio, Kat Ellinger, Philip Kemp, and Sam Wigley plus select archival material Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella Disc One: Brand new commentary by film critic Ben Sachs An Interview with Ian Christie, a brand new interview with film historian Ian Christie about the cinema of Claude Chabrol Claude Chabrol at the BFI, Chabrol discusses his career in this hour long archival interview conducted onstage at the National Film Theatre in 1994 Claude Chabrol, Jean Poiret & Stephane Audran in conversation, an archival Swiss TV episode in which the director and cast discuss Cop Au Vin (Poulet au vinaigre) Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Two: Brand new commentary by film critic Ben Sachs Why Chabrol?, a brand new interview with film critic Sam Wigley about why the films of Claude Chabrol remain essential viewing Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Three: Brand new commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger Imagining Emma: Madame Bovary on screen, a brand new visual essay by film historian Pamela Hutchinson Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Four: Brand new commentary by film critic Kat Ellinger Betty, from Simenon to Chabrol, a brand new visual essay by French Cinema historian Ginette Vincendeau An Interview with Ros Schwartz, a brand new interview with the English translator of the Georges Simenon novel on which the film is based Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery Disc Five: Brand new commentary by film critics Alexandra HellerNicholas and Josh Nelson On Henri Georges Clouzot, an archival interview with Claude Chabrol in which he talks about fellow director Henri Georges Clouzot (Les diaboliques), whose original attempt to make L'enfer was abandoned, and how the project came to Chabrol An Interview with Marin Karmitz, an archival interview with Marin Karmitz, Chabrol's most frequent producer Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by Claude Chabrol Theatrical Trailer Image Gallery
The third film from Claude Chabrol and his first in colour Double Tour is both a characteristically suspenseful thriller and a cruel portrait of bourgeois life. Henri Marcoux (Jacques Dacqmine) a respectable middle-class man living in Province with his wife and two children is having an affair with a younger woman Lda (Antonella Lualdi). His wife the redoubtable Thrse Marcoux (Madeleine Robinson) is determined to avoid a scandal at any price even to the extent of breaking off her daughter's engagement when she learns that her future son-in-law Laszlo (Belmondo) has been sympathising with her husband. Then the unthinkable happens - Lda is found dead. But who is the killer? Taking the part of Laszlo Kovacs after first choice Jean-Claude Brialy fell ill Belmondo gives an impressively restrained performance that in conjunction with his following film A bout de souffl set him on the road to stardom.
Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol For five decades Claude Chabrol navigated the unpredictable waters of Cinema, leaving in his wake more than fifty feature films that remain among the most quietly devastating genre movies ever made. Sardonic, provocative, unsettling, Chabrol's films cut to the quick with a clarity and honesty honed to razor sharpness. The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus) sees Chabrol at perhaps his most playful as a pair of scam artists, Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault, get in over their heads. But who is scamming who and who do you trust in a life built on so many lies? The murder of a 10 year old girl sparks rumours and gossip in The Color of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge), as suspicion falls on René (Jacques Gamblin) the dour once famous painter, now art teacher, who was the last person to see her alive. Enigmatic, perverse, seductive, Isabelle Huppert encapsulates everything that makes Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) a film John Waters calls Cinematic Perfection in this tale of suppressed family secrets. Finally, in The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal), incest, old money and intergenerational guilt come under the scalpel as an outwardly perfect bourgeois family begins to unravel when the wife involves herself in politics. Though influenced by Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Jean Renoir, Chabrol's voice was entirely and assuredly his own, influencing in turn filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho, James Gray and Dominik Moll. His amused, unblinkered view of life and refusal to judge his characters makes his films timelessly relevant and accessible to all. Arrow Video is proud to present this second collection of films by Claude Chabrol with a wealth of new and archival extras. Limited Edition Contents: High definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all four films New 4K restorations of The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus), Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) and The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal) Original lossless PCM French stereo audio on all films plus DTS-HD 5.1 on Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) and The Flower of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal) Optional English subtitles 80-page collector's booklet of new writing by Sean Hogan, Brad Stevens, Catherine Dousteyessier-Khoze, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Pamela Hutchinson Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella Disc One - The Swindle (Rien Ne Va Plus): Brand new audio commentary by film critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan Chabrol's Soap Bubble, a brand new visual essay by Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze, author of Claude Chabrol: The Aesthetics of Opacity exploring the games Chabrol plays with his characters and audience Film as a Family Affair, Cécile Maistre-Chabrol, the stepdaughter of Claude Chabrol and his assistant director on fourteen features discusses his life, work and wisdom in this exclusive new hour plus interview Behind the scenes featurette Archive interview with Isabelle Huppert Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol Theatrical trailer Image gallery Disc Two: - The Color Of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge): Brand new audio commentary by critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan Nothing is Sacred, a brand new visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya examining the ideas of art and legacy in Chabrol's The Color of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge) What's Eating Claude Chabrol? a brand new appreciation by film critic David Kalat examining the ways in which Chabrol's films relate, reflect and refract each other Behind the scenes featurette Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol Theatrical trailer Image gallery Disc Three - Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat): Brand new audio commentary by film critic Justine Smith When I pervert good , a brand new visual essay by film critic Scout Tafoya which takes a closer look at late period Chabrol through the lens of his masterful thriller Nightcap (Merci Pour Le Chocolat) Archive interview with Isabelle Huppert Archive interview with Jacques Dutronc Behind the scenes featurette Screen test for Anna Mouglalis Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol Theatrical trailer Image gallery Disc Four - The Flower Of Evil (La Fleur Du Mal): Brand new audio commentary by film critic Farran Smith Nehme Behind the Masks: Remembering Claude Chabrol, a brand new appreciation by Agnès C. Poirier, author of Left Bank: Arts, Passion and the Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950 in which she shares her personal reminiscence of Claude Chabrol and considers his unique position in French culture and cinema Behind the scenes featurette Archive interview with co-writer Catherine Eliacheff Archive introduction by film scholar Joël Magny Select scene commentaries by director Claude Chabrol Theatrical trailer Image gallery **Extras Subject to Change**
Frederique (Audran) a wealthy woman with lesbian leanings picks up pretty but impoverished young Parisian Why (Sassard) on a whim and takes her to her holiday home in St. Tropez. Complicating this fledgeling relationship is the arrival of handsome architect Paul (Trintingnant) whose interest in menage a trois results in jealousy madness and ultimately murder...
A stunning TV weathergirl (played by Ludivine Sagnier) finds herself torn between two suitors whose intentions remain very unclear
Paul and Nelly have what appears to be the perfect life; happily married a wonderful son and a successful business in their idyllic lakeside hotel. For Paul it all seems too perfect and he begins to suspect his wife of having an affair. Tormented by nightmares and visions his paranoia soon threatens Nelly as his jealousy descends into madness...
Philippe Tardieu works as a salesman lives with his mother Christine and two sisters Sophie and Patricia in the suburbs of Nantes. Christine does hairdressing at home to earn some spare change. Sophie the eldest sister is getting married to Jacky. As for Patricia the youngest sister she tries as best she can to escape she's not sure what. At the wedding Philippe falls in love with Senta one of the bridesmaids. It is love at first sight and soon Philippe spends all his n
In La Ceremonie, Claude Chabrol, known as the French Hitchcock, creates one of his most shocking and unforgettable thrillers. Catherine (Jacqueline Bisset) hires the illiterate Sophie as her maid. But Sophie soon falls under the influence of the mysterious Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Player, Merci Pour Le Chocolate), and the stage is set for a tale of murder, violence, and betrayal. One of Chabrol's most acclaimed films, and winner of numerous international awards, La Ceremonie is a masterpiece of suspense.
A lonely schoolteacher (Audran) develops an inexplicable attraction toward an ex-army butcher (Yanne) who may or may not be a serial killer plaguing a small town... Drawing on Hitchockian themes of exchanged guilt and shared secrets writer/director Claude Chabrol constructs an extraordinary relationship between the two characters that marries unspoken self-awareness with constant suspense over the unresolved nature of their bond.
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Grard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career. A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol's breakthrough film in a beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the UK. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 47-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel [The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower], Chabrol's 1964 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; a new and exclusive translation of a rare text about actress Franoise Vatel provided for this release by its author, the filmmaker and critic Luc Moullet; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
Titles include: The Colour of Lies (1999): In a small Breton town a 10-year-old girl is found murdered. Ren'' her art teacher a professional painter is the last person to have seen her alive. Masks (1987): Roland Wolf wants to write a book about a TV game-show host the hail-fellow-well-met Christian Legagneur who invites Wolf to his country estate promising several days of lengthy interviews. The Story Of Women (1988)
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean-Claude Brialy and Grard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career. A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Claude Chabrol's breakthrough film in a beautiful new Gaumont restoration on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time in the UK. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 47-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel [The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower], Chabrol's 1964 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; a new and exclusive translation of a rare text about actress Franoise Vatel provided for this release by its author, the filmmaker and critic Luc Moullet; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
This DVD box set features: Innocence With Dirty Hands (1975): Beautiful Julie Wormser (Schneider) is unhappily married to rich drunk slob Louis (Steiger) so plans to kill him with the help of her panicky young lover Jeff Marle (Giusti). However when the deed appears to be done Jeff scarpers leaving Julie to face the fallout. Who's Got The Black Box (1967): When US radar installations in Greece are jammed and an undercover NATO security man is killed suspicion falls on his widow who sets out to find the real culprits and prove herself innocent. The Flower Of Evil (2003): Francois (Benoit Magimel) the handsome young son returns home from a 3-year stay in Chicago and quickly rekindles a fiery romance with his cousin Michele (Melanie Doutey). Meanwhile his mother Anne (Natalie Baye) is running for public office and has stirred up more than a bit of controversy. When a slanderous letter appears in the newspaper revealing family indiscretions - incest adultery murder and even war crimes - the entire family remains firmly in denial of any wrongdoing. The dead giveaway is sweet elderly Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) whose mischievous smile pegs her as the omniscient keeper of family secrets. Pleasure Party (1975): Phillipe and Esther live an apparently idyllic life with their daughter Elise. In an attempt to preserve this bliss Phillipe decides that he and Esther should each have affairs being sure to tell each other openly about them. The plan backfires with tragic results as Phillipe becomes engulfed in jealously. The Break Up (1970): Helene Regnier's husband Charles who is mentally ill injures their son Michel in a rage. Charles moves back in with his wealthy and manipulative parents who blame Helene for their son's condition and vow to win custody of Michel. While the boy is in hospital Helene rents a room in a boarding house nearby. The Regniers hire Paul Thomas a family acquaintance who needs money to find dirt on Helene before the court hearing on custody. Paul moves into the boarding house and with the help of his girlfriend Sonia who rarely wears clothes plots to ruin Helene's reputation and then her very life. Cop Au Vin (1985): Based on a novel by Dominique Roulet introduces the character of Inspecteur Lavardin a loner detective whose affable exterior hides a man willing to go to any lengths to find the truth though his tactics are sometimes questionable. A small French town experiences a spate of murders and Lavardin is called in to investigate. He meets withdrawn teenager Louis Cuno a postman who uses his position to gather information to stop a plot to take over his family's property. Louis lives with his overbearing crippled mother whose cruelty spurs Louis to take his amateur sleuth work a bit too far.
Grard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut - ironic, funny, unsparing - is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of the Chabrol touch. In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish Franois (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues. From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema - frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
Grard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy star in the first of their collaborations with the great Claude Chabrol. The director's masterful feature debut - ironic, funny, unsparing - is a revelation: another of that rare breed of film where the dusty formula might be used in full sincerity: Le Beau Serge marks the beginning of the Chabrol touch. In this first feature film of the French New Wave, one year before Truffaut's The Four Hundred Blows, the dandyish Franois (Brialy, of Godard's A Woman Is a Woman, Rohmer's Claire's Knee, and countless other cornerstones of 20th-century French cinema) takes a holiday from the city to his home village of Sardent, where he reconnects with his old chum Serge (Blain), now a besotted and hopeless alcoholic, and sly duplicitous carnal Marie (Bernadette Lafont). A grave triangle forms, and a tragic slide ensues. From Le Beau Serge onward up to his final film Bellamy in 2009, the revered Chabrol would come to leave a significant and lasting impression upon the French cinema - frequently with great commercial success. It is with great pride that we present Le Beau Serge, the kickstart of the Nouvelle Vague and of Chabrol's enormous body of work, on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK for the first time. Special Features: Gorgeous new Gaumont restoration of the film in its original aspect ratio, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray New and improved English subtitles Original theatrical trailer A 56-minute documentary about the making of the film L'Avarice [Avarice], Chabrol's 1962 short film A lengthy booklet with a new and exclusive essay by critic Emmanuel Burdeau; excerpts of interviews and writing by Chabrol; and more
In La Ceremonie, Claude Chabrol, known as the French Hitchcock, creates one of his most shocking and unforgettable thrillers. Catherine (Jacqueline Bisset) hires the illiterate Sophie as her maid. But Sophie soon falls under the influence of the mysterious Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Player, Merci Pour Le Chocolate), and the stage is set for a tale of murder, violence, and betrayal. One of Chabrol's most acclaimed films, and winner of numerous international awards, La Ceremonie is a masterpiece of suspense.
Titles Comprise: Merci Pour le Chocolat: In Claude Chabrol's taut thriller Isabelle Huppert finds herself in the middle of an intricate and murderous web of deception. Betty: A young woman's life is thrown into turmoil when both her husband and in-laws decide to force a divorce onto her. Inspector Lavardin: Jean Poiret plays the inspector who finds himself confronting his ex while solving an unusual murder in a small sleepy village.
Gustav Flaubert's celebrated novel of obsessive ardour undergoes a dazzling retrofit for the screen, courtesy of French neurosis-master Claude Chabrol. The basic story (a woman's selfish quest for happiness ends up obliterating all she holds dear) may be the same but Chabrol's talent for biting through to the dark marrow of passion makes this a startling experience, even for people familiar with the source material or the numerous other cinematic adaptations. Casting Isabelle Huppert in the title role (she's at least a decade older than the standard conception of this wilfully tragic heroine) was a potentially risky gambit that paid off big; underneath her glorious surface lies a startling foundation of brilliant ice. The same can be said about this stunning film. Viewers intrigued by this potent actress-director pairing may also want to check out The Story of Women and the wonderful La Ceremonie. The film is in French with English subtitles. --Andrew Wright
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