# Claude Chabrol / French New Wave
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 4, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894 "2010-06-04T06:08:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894/1 "2010-06-04T06:08:26Z")
So, I have a decent knowledge of the French New Wave and am curious about what other Dopers would suggest from Claude Chabrol.
One of my favorite films ever is Truffaut’s **400 Blows**. Also, **Shoot The Piano Player** , early Godard and various films by Melville ( **Bob le Flambeur, Le Samourai & Le Doulos** ).
I was looking on Amazon for films by Claude Chabrol to add to my collection and thought I would ask my fellow Dopers for suggestions.
Whatcha think?
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### Author:  [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894/2 "2010-06-05T02:37:48Z")
So nobody has anything for me?
Oh well…
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### Author:  [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894/3 "2010-06-05T06:08:52Z")
Chabrol is far less stylized than many of his Nouvelle Vague contemporaries. His films are very dry, wry, and often look to subvert cultural norms and the established order of things. While someone like Godard loved putting his politics in text, Chabrol thrives on subtextual commentary, especially as it might relate to issues of class. I think a good place to start would be _The Beast Must Die, The Butcher_, or the very disturbing _La Ceremonie_. His films explore psychological complexities and motivations and often resist an easy sense of narrative closure, which makes them quite frustrating for some viewers. Definitely a YMMV filmmaker, but one still worth checking out.
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### Author:  [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894/4 "2010-06-05T15:31:56Z")
I thought _Les bonnes femmes_ (1960) was very interesting, with its blend of light & dark elements. I’ll second the recommendation of _Le boucher_ (1970), which is the type of creepy thriller that gets Chabrol a lot of Hitchcock comparisons, though there is an originality to Chabrol’s tone all the same. Stéphane Audran is featured in both of the above films.
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### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claude-chabrol-french-new-wave/541894/5 "2010-06-06T00:21:47Z")
Chabrol’s _L’enfer_ is quite good. It almost feels like a thriller. A hotel manager becomes obsessed with the idea that his wife is unfaithful. The acting is stellar, the lead starts out with ripples of uncertainty that balloon out of proportion. The photography is beautifully composed, or perhaps it’s the lighting, it’s ben awhile since I’ve seen it. I remember it feeling “normal” yet also stylized.
_L’enfer_ is not quite a “French New Wave” film, but it definitely represents Chabrol’s talent for being able to tease out a psychological thriller.