Le Beau Serge was the first film of French critic-turned-director Claude Chabrol. Though not a murder melodrama, the film is heavily influenced by the works of Chabrol's idol Alfred Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt in particular. Ailing city dweller Francois (Jean-Claude Brialy) makes a therapeutic return visit to his home town in the country. Here he visits childhood friend Serge (Gerard Blain), and is appalled to find how far Serge has plummeted into alcoholism and self-pity. The two protagonists indulge in a transference of personal guilt, then an "exchange of redemption" (to quote Chabrol chronicler Charles Derry). Highly influential in the French New Wave movement of the 1950s, Le Beau Serge has something very special to say about the care and nurturing of friendship, especially one that has dimmed with distance and time. Both male stars, as well as leading lady Bernadette Lafont, would continue working with director Chabrol for the remainder of his career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Considered by many as the first of the French "New Wave" films, Le Beau Serge has lost some of its power over the decades but is still a worthy and at times fascinating film. Claude Chabrol's first film, Beau doesn't look or feel as if a first-timer were writing and directing it. There's a confidence and an assured feeling that only falters toward the end; prior to that, Beau has the feeling of a picture that is playing by its own rules and inventing a few of them as it goes along. It actually is more structured than it initially suggests, but it disguises that structure with an ambiguity and a naturalness. This makes the ending, which comes across as forced and contrived, all the more disappointing. But this late in the game failing can't erase what has come before; it's also true that many respond quite positively to the ending, even if it feels it has been clumsily put into place. Chabrol also gets a bit heavyhanded in his Christian symbols and allegories, but this too is a minor flaw. The auteur is immensely aided by his cinematographic team of Henri Decae and Jean Rabier, whose stark, bleak work has a strange beauty and perfectly captures the despair at the heart of the film. Future Chabrol stalwarts Gerard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy turn in evocative, forceful performances, and the supporting cast effectively captures the feeling of people trapped in their lives. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Le Beau Serge is a French film directed by Claude Chabrol, released in 1958
Synopsis
Francois (Jean-Claude Brialy) returns to his village after a long absence. He finds his friend Serge (Gérard Blain) who has married Yvonne, and has developed an alcohol problem after the death of their stillborn child. Serge has become an angry, bitter figure not unlike the roles of James Dean, refusing to face reality and adulthood and Francois must help him.
Impact
Le Beau Serge is considered the first film of the French Nouvelle Vague.
Handsome Serge (1958) ·The Cousins (1959) ·À double tour (1959)
1960s
The Good Time Girls (1960) ·Wise Guys (1961) ·The Third Lover (1962) ·Bluebeard (1963) ·Ophélia (1963) ·The Tiger Likes Fresh Meat (1964) ·Marie-Chantal vs. Doctor Kha (1965) ·An Orchid for the Tiger (1965) ·Line of Demarcation (1966) ·The Champagne Murders (1967) ·The Road to Corinth (1967) ·The Does (1968) ·The Unfaithful Wife (1969) ·This Man Must Die (1969)
1970s
The Butcher (1970) ·The Break Up (1970) ·Just Before Nightfall (1971) ·Ten Days Wonder (1971) ·Dr. Popaul (1972) ·Wedding in Blood (1973) ·The Nada Gang (1974) ·A Piece of Pleasure (1975) ·Innocents with Dirty Hands (1975) ·Death Rite (1976) ·The Twist (1976) ·Alice or the Last Escapade (1977) ·Blood Relatives (1978) ·Violette Nozière (1978)
Quiet Days in Clichy (1990) ·Dr. M (1990) ·Madame Bovary (1991) ·Betty (1992) ·The Eye of Vichy (1993) ·Hell (1994) ·A Judgement in Stone (1995) ·The Swindle (1997) ·At the Heart of the Lie (1999)
