580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
- kinjitsu
- Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2005 1:39 pm
- Location: Uffa!
580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Le beau Serge
Of the hallowed group of Cahiers du cinéma critics turned filmmakers who would transform French film history, Claude Chabrol was the first to direct his own feature. His stark and 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 raw Le beau Serge heralded the arrival of a cinematic titan who would go on to craft provocative, entertaining films for five more decades.
Disc Features
- New digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- New audio commentary featuring Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol
- Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film, a documentary by Francis Girod on the making of Le beau Serge, featuring interviews with Chabrol and actor Jean-Claude 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
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
DVD
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Blu-ray
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Les cousins
In Les cousins, Claude Chabrol crafts a sly moral fable about a provincial boy who comes to live with his sophisticated bohemian cousin in Paris. Through these seeming opposites, Chabrol conjures a piercing, darkly comic character study that questions notions of good and evil, love and jealousy, and success in the modern world. A mirror image of Le beau Serge, Chabrol’s debut, Les cousins recasts that film’s stars, Jean-Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain, in startlingly reversed roles. This dagger-sharp drama won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and was an important precursor to the French New Wave.
Disc Features
- New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Adrian Martin
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
DVD
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
Blu-ray
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
Of the hallowed group of Cahiers du cinéma critics turned filmmakers who would transform French film history, Claude Chabrol was the first to direct his own feature. His stark and 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 raw Le beau Serge heralded the arrival of a cinematic titan who would go on to craft provocative, entertaining films for five more decades.
Disc Features
- New digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- New audio commentary featuring Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol
- Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film, a documentary by Francis Girod on the making of Le beau Serge, featuring interviews with Chabrol and actor Jean-Claude 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
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
DVD
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
Blu-ray
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
Les cousins
In Les cousins, Claude Chabrol crafts a sly moral fable about a provincial boy who comes to live with his sophisticated bohemian cousin in Paris. Through these seeming opposites, Chabrol conjures a piercing, darkly comic character study that questions notions of good and evil, love and jealousy, and success in the modern world. A mirror image of Le beau Serge, Chabrol’s debut, Les cousins recasts that film’s stars, Jean-Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain, in startlingly reversed roles. This dagger-sharp drama won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and was an important precursor to the French New Wave.
Disc Features
- New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
- Audio commentary featuring film scholar Adrian Martin
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Theatrical trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
DVD
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
Blu-ray
Criterionforum.org user rating averages
Feature currently disabled
- Tom Hagen
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:35 pm
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
It looks like they went all out on these Chabrols, very happy. The Adrian Martin commentary is terrific, offering Martin's requisite well-researched and non-fawning overarching discussion of Chabrol's career. Guy Austin's Chabrol book is quite good, too, so I'm thrilled he's on board too.
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
They really didn't disappoint. I am beyond excited for these.
- NABOB OF NOWHERE
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
- Location: Brandywine River
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Expect to see the specs change very soon. Gaumont might be rapping a few knuckles here.
- Camera Obscura
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:27 pm
- Location: The Netherlands
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Great news. Purchased the Madman discs not too long ago, but happy to upgrade.
-
- Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 4:17 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Gaumont confirmed the the two documentary by filmmaker Pierre-Henri Gibert for the two Chabrol, are a exclusivity for France.
The information are changed on the Criterion Website.
The information are changed on the Criterion Website.
- SpiderBaby
- Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 6:34 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
NABOB OF NOWHERE wrote:Expect to see the specs change very soon. Gaumont might be rapping a few knuckles here.
The docs are now gone.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Hopefully Criterion steps up with some exclusive material of their own then
-
- Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 4:17 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
It's very possible that the Gaumont B-D are region Free and have English Sub. ;)
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Someone hinted on Facebook that Gaumont had "made a deal" with Criterion, like maybe in exchange for exclusivity on the docs they're giving Criterion access to certain other titles?
- Tom Hagen
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 12:35 pm
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
I wouldn't count on it. The quantity of original supplements on new releases seems to be down quite a bit this year, probably a consequence of the amped up schedule of overall titles now being done each month.domino harvey wrote:Hopefully Criterion steps up with some exclusive material of their own then
- SpiderBaby
- Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 6:34 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
So for right now, Les Cousins only has a commentary and trailer.
- swo17
- Bloodthirsty Butcher
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
- Location: SLC, UT
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
A two-hour commentary and a trailer. And a booklet.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
If you don't already have the Madman disc, it can't be oversold how good Martin's commentary is, though
- NABOB OF NOWHERE
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
- Location: Brandywine River
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
It seems at present to be just that Criterion jumped the gun by publicising the docs before final negotiations had been concluded with Gaumont who have yet to finalise their own specs for the Sept 14th release date.
However some other snippets hint at an involvement with maybe JLG in the supplements and their own position viz the inclusion of english subs in their own future releases, particularly where restoration costs have been high.
There is however possible another issue at stake here which is Criterion's editorialising of supplements, most notoriously of the 'Cinema de notre temps' series that had producer Andre S Labarthe seething at Criterion's slicing up of episodes to suit its own needs.
Apparently the docs on the Gaumont releases are going to be far more of an overview of Chabrol's position in the Nouvelle Vague and not simply title specific as initially suggested by the Criterion listing so maybe they were up to their old tricks again.
This is however totally speculation on my part but it is another card in the deck.
Also echo Domino's endorsement of the Adrian Martin commentary . Totally absorbing.
However some other snippets hint at an involvement with maybe JLG in the supplements and their own position viz the inclusion of english subs in their own future releases, particularly where restoration costs have been high.
There is however possible another issue at stake here which is Criterion's editorialising of supplements, most notoriously of the 'Cinema de notre temps' series that had producer Andre S Labarthe seething at Criterion's slicing up of episodes to suit its own needs.
Apparently the docs on the Gaumont releases are going to be far more of an overview of Chabrol's position in the Nouvelle Vague and not simply title specific as initially suggested by the Criterion listing so maybe they were up to their old tricks again.
This is however totally speculation on my part but it is another card in the deck.
Also echo Domino's endorsement of the Adrian Martin commentary . Totally absorbing.
- NABOB OF NOWHERE
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
- Location: Brandywine River
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Might be worth waiting to see what Gaumont comes up with and get the Madman that was recently at a knock down price. Particularly for those of us with an aversion to triangles.
- NABOB OF NOWHERE
- Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:30 pm
- Location: Brandywine River
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Here you go - Chabrol specs are up. English subs so if you hate the criterion artwork you gets a choice. Cross-posted on the Gaumont thread too.
- ccfixx
- Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:37 pm
- Location: Rhode Island, USA
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Looks like Criterion has finalized their specs for Le beau Serge.
*New digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
*New audio commentary featuring Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol
*Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film, a documentary by Francis Girod on the making of Le beau Serge, featuring interviews with Chabrol and actor Jean-Claude 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
*New and improved English subtitle translation
*PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
*New digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
*New audio commentary featuring Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol
*Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film, a documentary by Francis Girod on the making of Le beau Serge, featuring interviews with Chabrol and actor Jean-Claude 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
*New and improved English subtitle translation
*PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Terrence Rafferty
- Drucker
- Your Future our Drucker
- Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
I just watched the first 20 minutes of Le Boucher and loved it, though the quality of the video was so bad. Is it fair to think of these as safe blind buys?
- knives
- Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Yes. Admittedly I haven't seen these particular two, but Chabrol kept a certain level of fun even with his lesser regarded titles that ones held in such high esteem as these two deserve a blind buy.
- Aspect
- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:36 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
The Pathfinder Chabrols do look like crap, but they were, for the most part, my introduction to Chabrol when I blind-bought the box set from Best Buy (those were the days...) a few years after I saw Merci Pour le Chocolat at a now defunct downtown Chicago movie theater. The films in that set (which is still available here) are all fantastic, with Le Boucher being a personal favorite. Since then I've picked up every Region 1 Chabrol release over the years and have not regretted one. Well, maybe Who's Got the Black Box... I say go for it and discover the generous, intelligent, witty, and suspenseful output of a director the likes of whom we'll probably never see again.
- domino harvey
- Dot Com Dom
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
Bad transfers are so ubiquitous for Chabrol films that they become second-nature. Chabrol on Blu almost seems perverse!
- Aspect
- Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 3:36 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
It does! We can only hope that these first 2 Blu Chabrols are the first in a wave of Blu Chabrols. I'm really excited about these releases, especially considering I've never seen them. The earliest Chabrols I've seen are A Double Tour and Le Bonnes Femmes, and they're two of my favorites.
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
Re: 580-581 Le beau Serge and Les cousins
If you want to catch up with the late-60s / early-70s golden period of Chabrol, the UK box sets are probably a better bet than the US editions. Once you remove VAT, the first set works out at about two pounds per film. They're better transfers, as I recall, and you won't miss Pathfinder's dubious extras (the commentary on their Les Biches is probably the worst I've ever heard, which is a mind-bogglingly low cultural limbo bar to shimmy under).