Prodigiously productive, Claude Chabrol has directed more than 55 films in the five decades that have elapsed since he led the charge of the French New Wave directors with his first feature, the revolutionary Le Beau Serge (1958). Within that hefty output lurk several feature films, as well as works commissioned for French television, that have never made it into American theaters. Exhibiting the famously detached and chilling style, sophisticated intrigue, and dense psychological drama of his well-known films, as well as a more pronounced sense of fun and games, these 10 programs give an indication of the Chabrol we may have missed out on. The exhibition kicks off with the North American premiere of Chabrol’s newest work, The Necklace (2007). All films directed by Chabrol and in French, with English subtitles.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, and Leigh Goldstein, Executive Assistant, Department of Film.
Grateful thanks to the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, the Torino Film Festival, and Sub-ti Ltd. Prints courtesy ARTEDIS, L’Institut National de l’Audiovisuel, MK2, Progefi, France Télévision Distribution, Jourd’hui Mitchell Productions, and Janus Films.