Claude Chabrol

Father of Thomas Chabrol and Matthieu Chabrol.

Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985". Pages 194-199. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.

Between 1978 and 1980 made commercials for Mamie Nova, R5, Gueule dAmour and Franco Russe.

Was a critic for Cahiers du Cinma in the 50s.

Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 2000.

He studied pharmacology at the University of Paris, before going into film-making.

His murder mysteries often reflected the influence of Alfred Hitchcock, on whom he co-authored (with Eric Rohmer) a critical analysis. Many of his other films were preoccupied with the follies of the bourgeoisie.

After completing his military service, he got his first job in the film industry in the Paris department of 20th Century Fox.

Simenon and Balzac were his main literary sources of inspiration.

He often cast in his movies: Henri Attal (29 times), Dominique Zardi (26 times), Stphane Audran (24 times), Thomas Chabrol (13 times), Bernadette Lafont (7 times), Michel Bouquet (7 times), Isabelle Huppert (7 times), Michel Duchaussoy (6 times), Jean-Claude Brialy (5 times), Jean-Pierre Cassel (5 times), Franois Cluzet (5 times), Juliette Mayniel (4 times), Jean Yanne (4 times), Maurice Ronet (4 times), Jean Carmet (4 times), Roger Hanin (3 times), Benot Magimel (3 times), Nol Simsolo (3 times). He directed several of these actors in some TV productions as well.

Fritz Lang was one of his main influences.

In 2009, he stated that the three worst movies ever made are: Fanny , Le jour et la nuit and his own film, Folies bourgeoises .

Les bonnes femmes , now regarded as one of his masterworks, was a critical and commercial failure when it was originally released. In her autobiography "Le Roman de ma vie", Bernadette Lafont remembers that, at one point during the movie premiere, a viewer furiously screamed that he wanted back the 5 francs he had paid for the ticket. Chabrol, who was sitting before him, turned around and gave them to him. Also, at the end of the screening, another spectator tried to get in a fist fight with the director. The two men were separated.

He was a great gourmet. While his wife Stphane Audran was shooting Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie , he used to prepare some delicious dishes that she would share with members of the cast and crew.

His relationship with Stphane Audran ended when he fell in love with his frequent collaborator Aurore Chabrol (nee Aurore Pajot). He always liked to claim that it was Stphane to throw him into Aurores arms as, during the shooting of La dcade prodigieuse , she couldnt attend his birthday dinner and jokingly suggested that he should jump on the script-girl instead. The script-girl was Aurore and the friendship between her and Claude developed into a love affection. Audran always claimed that the story isnt true.

Hes well-known for the very inconsistent quality of his resume, being credited with having directed some of the best movies of French cinema along with some of the worst. His frequent collaborator, writer Paul Ggauff , claims that Chabrol didnt even bother to supervise the final editing of the movies he hadnt cared for in the first place and that he would immediately move on to something else. Having directed some infamous titles actually became a source of pride for Chabrol, although, in the documentary Grand mange: Quest-ce qui fait tourner Claude Chabrol? , he stated that, at one point in his life, he became more careful and concerned about the quality of his projects and that he regards Les magiciens and Folies bourgeoises as his last movies that qualify as very bad.

He was famous for his drunken antics on movie sets. Stphane Audran remembers that, one day during the shooting of Le boucher , he drank so much wine that he had to be brought away with a cart.

James Gray is a great fan of Chabrol, having intended his noir The Yards as a homage to those of the great French director. The film opened at Cannes film festival to the audiences whistles, something that greatly angered Chabrol.

He once stated that the bus scene in La rupture where Hlne (his wife Stphane Audran ) tells her familys story to her lawyer was the occasion when he finally thought that Stphane had become an actress.

He never told which ones of his own movies were his personal favourites, comparing this kind of choice to that of a parent asked to pick a favourite son.

He cast Micheline Presle in Le sang des autres , one of the many projects he had accepted against the grain and chosen to handle in the most superficial way as possible. When Micheline asked him if he had any ideas about how she should have played her character, he replied that he didnt. The actress eventually played the role to good reviews, leading the director to tell her with self-irony that she had been much more praised than the film itself.

During the shooting of Landru , producer Carlo Ponti was so appalled by Stphane Audran s performance that he asked whos that slut whos playing Fernande? Chabrol (who was already engaged to Audran) slapped Ponti in the face and screamed thats my woman! The director and the actress married one year later.

His film La ligne de dmarcation was originally intended for Anthony Mann to direct, but the latter declined the offer and recommended Chabrol instead. Chabrol took the job against the grain and once claimed that he had been drunk during most of the shooting.

Studied pharmacology and law in his youth.

Spent several of his childhood years in Sardenne. Thats where his debut film, Le beau Serge , takes place.

While his wife Stphane Audran often stated to owe everything to him, some critics have tried to claim that it was the other way around, with Chabrols cinema benefiting a lot from the directors encounter with the actress. Chabrol himself wasnt too fond of this take on his long partnership with Audran, stating that Stphane had been a pivotal figure in the making of Le boucher by suggesting him to pair her with Jean Yanne for a film, but this was as far as her influence on his work went.

Said that he valued very much a good sense of humour in his actors and that his collaboration with Emmanuelle Bart in Lenfer was a difficult one because she was completely devoid of it.

Was able to do several of his early movies due to the financial backing of his first wife Agns Goute. After divorcing her to marry Stphane Audran , it became more increasingly difficult to him to pursue the projects he wanted and he had to strive a bit for a few years, losing his production company (AJYM) as well.

There is no new wave, only the sea.

[on his movie Ophlia (1963) ] I saw it recently and it was still,execrable.

I have always been fascinated by smiling killers.

I want the audience to know who the murderer is, so that we can,consider his personality.

Stupidity is infinitely more fascinating that intelligence. Intelligence has its limits while stupidity has none. .