Claude Chabrol

by Guy Austin

This is the first book-length study in English on Chabrol since 1970. Chabrol has always been a neglected figure in the French New Wave but has recently been declared 'possibly the greatest living film director in France'.. Coincides with the recent renewal of interest in Chabrol, which has seen his back catalogue released in the UK on video.. Celebration of Chabrol's fiftieth film recently, Rien ne va plus prompted many festivals and retrospectives. Publication coincides with Chabrol's new film which is discussed in this study.. Writtten by one of the liveliest critics in French cinema - author of Contemporary French Cinema.

Genres: Film

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 1999

Reviews

[Tim Wilder]

I found this readable and informative, which is hard to come by in books about French film.

[子涵 · Rating 3 out of 5]

First-rate scholars use theory to construct paradigms and material to discover paradoxes. Second-rate scholars use material to attach themselves to theory. Third-rate scholars use material to argue for unreflective discourse. For example, in the case of “genre”, the book begins with a discussion of the background, peers, and production process of Chabrol’s films, and then descends into a search for specific details: who is the archetype of a certain person, what genre a certain plot corresponds to. While this makes sense, Cha is more just drawing on these elements to complete the narrative. What is more important here is scheduling, editing, narrative strategy. This is what is known as a 'paradox', a creation within a regulation, a multiplicity of meanings within the appearance of a model.