Often considered the first the film of what would become known as the French New Wave (though Jacques Rivette’s Paris Belongs to Us was the first to go into production), Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge received near unanimous critical acclaim upon its release in 1958. Chabrol’s debut isn’t as polished as the films that would follow from his peers, but the characteristically raw, seething intensity is out in full force.
After twelve years away, François (Jean-Claude Brialy), returns to his hometown Sardent in the French midlands to recuperate from a mild case of tuberculosis, and finds that much has changed since he left. The people he once knew seem to have settled into predictable, unsatisfying lives. Particularly surprising is the life of his former best friend Serge (Gérard Blain), who has become an alcoholic, stumbling drunkenly through town with his equally pathetic father-in-law, Glomaud (Edmond Beauchamp).
Serge and Glomaud are just the most obvious examples of the malaise of sadness that pervades the town. All the residents seem beaten down; devoid of hope of a better life. The doctor is resigned, watching people die as treatments fail; the priest has given up the pretense of even trying to help.
Told from François’ perspective, as someone who’s seen a different kind of life, Serge is the true center of the story, the magnetic core that everyone else is dangerously attracted to. With his cocky bad boy attitude, leather jacket, and unshaven face Blain is clearly channeling James Dean. Later New Wave films such as Godard’s Breathless would attempt to capture the same spirit in their characters, but Chabrol’s Serge has a rawness—likely due to its originality—that no other film could capture. Serge’ most important quality is his vulnerability. He’s a scared little kid inside that leather jacket, desperately searching for the security of a happy family. Serge doesn’t want to be the town drunk; he’s simply erecting defenses against the pain of his loneliness, and hiding his desire for something, anything more.
Serge married Yvonne (Michèle Méritz), after she turned up pregnant. However, the baby died shortly after birth. Now Yvonne is pregnant again, but Serge knows the outcome will be the same; a healthy baby is too much to hope for. François believes he can help, but he can’t stop himself from looking down on his old friend. Though François sees himself as above everyone else in town, he gets caught up with Yvonne’s younger sister Marie (Bernadette Lafont), a woman with a reputation as the local town tramp. Before long, François is embroiled in his own tawdry scandal.
With the assistance of cinematographer Jean Rabier, Chabrol shot the film in a raw, realistic fashion. Much of the film takes place in the streets of Sardent and the surrounding countryside. Interiors are shot in a cramped, claustrophobic style. When people appear in the scene, they look uncomfortable, as though they’re being squeezed out of the frame. We feel the discomfort and the squalor.
Le Beau Serge clearly owes a debt to the Italian neorealist’s that came before it. Roberto Rossellini’s influence, in particular, is quite obvious, as the tone and structure of the film is reminiscent of Desiderio, while the decision to use mostly non-actors was clearly inspired by Visconti’s La Terra Trema.
Shown at a theatrical aspect ratio of 1.34:1, this 1080p transfer represents another homerun for the Criterion Collection. Black levels are amazingly consistent. The dark detail, despite the fact that the film is more than fifty years old, is a sight to behold. There are small blemishes here and there—I spotted a scratch or two—but the clarity is such that few will even notice them.
The mono sound mix couldn’t be better. Dialogue is clear, music is presented appropriately. Of course, the lossless mix shows its age, but it captures the film perfectly.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The following special features are included:
- Trailer (3 min, 1080p) original trailer for Le beau Serge. In French, with optional English subtitles.
- Claude Chabrol: Mon premier film (52 min, 1080i) this 2003 documentary directed by Francis Girod revisits the town of Sardent, the location for Le beau Serge as well as the site of director Claude Chabrol’s introduction to cinema as a young man. It features interviews with the French director and actors Jean-Claude Brialy and Bernadette Lafont. In French, with optional English subtitles.
- L’invite du dimanche (10 min, 1080i) in this segment from the January 6, 1969, episode of the French television series L’invite du dimanche, director Claude Chabrol and journalist Bertrand Jerome return to the town where Le beau Serge was shot, eleven years after the release of the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (10 min, 1080i).
- Commentary – an audio commentary with Newcastle University professor Guy Austin, author of Claude Chabrol. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2011.
- Booklet – an illustrated fifteen page booklet featuring Terrence Rafferty’s essay “Homecomings”.
