Watch Claude Chabrol’s Films (And Thank Me Later)
What I learned from uncovering his art
“In the opening sequence of La Femme Infidele, the camera encircles the characters who are sitting at a table on the lawn. Why?
It seeks them. The principle of La Femme Infidele is that the movement always ends up by returning to its starting point, as if it never moved. At times, it moves to the left but returns to the right; at others, it advances but then recoils. It never returns from the same point, and it’s what the character wants.
He finds himself in his little happiness and he wants least of all to see it move . . .That’s the subject of La Femme Infidele — it becomes unbalanced and he pushes like crazy on the unbalanced side to re-establish balance.”
(Claude Chabrol)
I’ve always adored Claude Chabrol’s films.
I loved their cinematic flawlessness and their close examination of normality which is never what we expect it to be.
I enjoyed the acting, the intriguing presence of Chabrol’s wife Stéphane Audran (in most of the thrillers of his golden era), the unsaid but almost palpable thoughts that pour out of the scenes, the carefully chosen setting, where the colour blue is used to signal some sort of insanity, etc.
Chabrol is often referred to as the French Hitchcock. In the film “La Femme Infedele”, which displays all of the abovementioned characteristics, Chabrol plays with Hitchcockian elements like a boy with his toy soldiers. The film abounds with citations, but Chabrol is not only playing or paying homage: he is reading Hitchcock through his own lens, putting him into perspective.
If we borrow terms from semiotics, by referencing Hitchcock’s scenes and inserting them in different contexts Chabrol is presenting a sign (scene) and changing its signifier (the context).
And yes, all this has always been a major draw for me, and I suppose for many other people as well, often on an unconscious level.
But still, there is something else. Partially hidden and interwoven inside the plot there is a certain set of rules, or a precise outlook on life, which make these movies even more compelling.
When Chabrol shows us unfaithful wives, murderous husbands (and vice versa), unhappy marriages, and all possible descending curves in life’s trajectory, he whispers this, but we hear it loud and clear:
Each judgment is a trap
We judge people from our point of view, according to the self. Any kind of judgment is therefore totally flawed and should be put an end to.
Just think about it, and every time you try to judge someone be mindful and stop — why on earth doing something so senseless?
Search for profound symmetry
We need balance in our lives, and we often look for stability, but we shouldn’t fall for quick solutions and ready-made examples of quiet and harmonious life.
The truth is that under the surface of such an existence, an unidentified concoction is simmering, ready to erupt.
Accept your imperfections, but don’t build them a shrine
Be aware of your limits, and lick them in the shadow like any average cleanliness-prone cat, but I don’t need to find cat hair on my plate (if that makes sense).
References:
Yakir, D., & Chabrol, C. (1979). The Magical Mystery World of Claude Chabrol: An Interview. Film Quarterly, 32(3), 2–14. https://doi.org/10.2307/1212202
MILLER, D. A. (2010). IN MEMORIAM: THE FRENCH HITCHCOCK. Film Quarterly, 64(2), 14–18. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2010.64.2.14
