Cinema
Le Beau Serge
Claude Chabrol · 1958
Synopsis
François, a young man recovering from a long illness, returns to rest in his native village in the Creuse. There he meets again Serge, his childhood friend, now a bitter drunk: forced by an unplanned pregnancy to marry Yvonne and give up his studies, Serge has never recovered from the loss of their first child. François stubbornly sets out to pull him out of it.
Context
Chabrol shot this first feature in nine weeks, during the winter of 1957-1958, at Sardent, in the Creuse, thanks to an inheritance received by his wife. Gérard Blain and Jean-Claude Brialy play Serge and François, alongside Bernadette Lafont and Michèle Méritz. Presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 1958, shot on real locations, it is often regarded as one of the very first works of the New Wave.
Who it is for
A rural drama shot on location during the winter; the cold of the Creuse winter permeates every shot.
Prizes and reception
Award for best direction at Locarno in 1958 and the Prix Jean-Vigo in 1959; restored in 2K for the Criterion Collection.
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