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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 0 DVD: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), French ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Innocence With Dirty Hands (1975): Beautiful Julie Wormser (Schneider) is unhappily married to rich, drunk slob Louis (Steiger), so plans to kill him with the help of her panicky young lover Jeff Marle (Giusti). However, when the deed appears to be done, Jeff scarpers, leaving Julie to face the fallout. Who's Got The Black Box (1967): When US radar installations in Greece are jammed and an undercover NATO security man is killed, suspicion falls on his widow, who sets out to find the real culprits and prove herself innocent. The Flower Of Evil (2003): Francois (Benoit Magimel), the handsome young son, returns home from a 3-year stay in Chicago, and quickly rekindles a fiery romance with his cousin, Michele (Melanie Doutey). Meanwhile, his mother Anne (Natalie Baye) is running for public office, and has stirred up more than a bit of controversy. When a slanderous letter appears in the newspaper revealing family indiscretions - incest, adultery, murder, and even war crimes - the entire family remains firmly in denial of any wrongdoing. The dead giveaway is sweet, elderly Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) whose mischievous smile pegs her as the omniscient keeper of family secrets. Pleasure Party (1975): Phillipe and Esther live an apparently idyllic life with their daughter, Elise. In an attempt to preserve this bliss, Phillipe decides that he and Esther should each have affairs, being sure to tell each other openly about them. The plan backfires with tragic results a...Claude Chabrol Collection - Vol. 2 - 6-DVD Box Set ( La route de Corinthe / La rupture / Une partie de plaisir / Les innocents aux mains sales / Poulet au vinaigre / La fleur du mal ) ( The Road to Corinth / The Breach / Pleasure Party / In
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Chabrol is an acquired taste, so the two Arrow box sets are not only great value (especially at Amazon discount prices) but also a good way to get a taste for the cool detached droll pleasures of Chabrol's cinema.
Individually the films can seem slight but collectively Chabrol's approach becomes clearer & more enjoyable. Basically, he uses popular mainstream genres (eg the Hitchcockian psychological thriller) but uses them as a vehicle for his obsessions involving questions of guilt & justice, as well as for satire at the expense of the French bourgeoisie & authority. But it's probably a mistake to take the films too seriously, mostly Chabrol (like Hitchcock) seems to enjoy playing around with the stock plots, scenarios and characterizations of thrillers as a pleasure in itself.
Chabrol's good films work both as thrillers and as darkly comic "deconstructions" of the genre, but the less good films become little more than uneven potboilers. Almost all the films in box set volume one are good - deliciously plush & perverse efforts from Chabrol's late 60s / early 70s heyday. I have to say that this second volume (six films), on the other hand, is a rather motley collection.
"Road to Corinth" is cheapo 60s B movie spy thriller, though enlivened by the presence of Jean Seberg. "The Breach" is nutty over the top melodramatic farce. "Pleasure Party", about a man's pathological jealousy finally becomes untenable & genuinely nasty. Not a pleasant film. The seductive "Innocents with Dirty Hands", with Romy Schnieder as the murderess on St Tropez, is close to being classic Chabrol despite an overly convoluted plot.
The box ends with two films from Chabrol's late return to form. "Cop au Vin" is a decent 1980s murder mystery which allows Chabrol lots of opportunity for indulging in his Hitchcockian wickedness. "The Flower of Evil" (2003) is probably the most successful film here, revisiting archetypal Chabrol territory - the violent & perverse secrets that lie behind the facade of an upper middle class family and the question of what actually constitutes guilt. Excellent performances from the starry cast.
Anybody interested should definitely get Collection volume one first & then, if you acquire a taste for Chabrol, get this second volume - by which point you'll probably be addicted and more than happy just to sit back and enjoy watching them all without judging each individual film too harshly.
Individually the films can seem slight but collectively Chabrol's approach becomes clearer & more enjoyable. Basically, he uses popular mainstream genres (eg the Hitchcockian psychological thriller) but uses them as a vehicle for his obsessions involving questions of guilt & justice, as well as for satire at the expense of the French bourgeoisie & authority. But it's probably a mistake to take the films too seriously, mostly Chabrol (like Hitchcock) seems to enjoy playing around with the stock plots, scenarios and characterizations of thrillers as a pleasure in itself.
Chabrol's good films work both as thrillers and as darkly comic "deconstructions" of the genre, but the less good films become little more than uneven potboilers. Almost all the films in box set volume one are good - deliciously plush & perverse efforts from Chabrol's late 60s / early 70s heyday. I have to say that this second volume (six films), on the other hand, is a rather motley collection.
"Road to Corinth" is cheapo 60s B movie spy thriller, though enlivened by the presence of Jean Seberg. "The Breach" is nutty over the top melodramatic farce. "Pleasure Party", about a man's pathological jealousy finally becomes untenable & genuinely nasty. Not a pleasant film. The seductive "Innocents with Dirty Hands", with Romy Schnieder as the murderess on St Tropez, is close to being classic Chabrol despite an overly convoluted plot.
The box ends with two films from Chabrol's late return to form. "Cop au Vin" is a decent 1980s murder mystery which allows Chabrol lots of opportunity for indulging in his Hitchcockian wickedness. "The Flower of Evil" (2003) is probably the most successful film here, revisiting archetypal Chabrol territory - the violent & perverse secrets that lie behind the facade of an upper middle class family and the question of what actually constitutes guilt. Excellent performances from the starry cast.
Anybody interested should definitely get Collection volume one first & then, if you acquire a taste for Chabrol, get this second volume - by which point you'll probably be addicted and more than happy just to sit back and enjoy watching them all without judging each individual film too harshly.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Chabrol's subject is the strong emotions: jealousy, greed, guilt. His films mostly include crimes, but the investigation is a side-show, the policeman a minor character. Chabrol studies the perpetrator taking him or her through various stages. These are bleak films, the settings are off season seaside resorts, country houses, small towns or suburbs. The characters are mainly the bourgeoisie, no working class crime here. Compelling, beautifully filmed and constructed. Chabrol uses a small repertory group of actors who are clearly comfortable with him and he with them. The one surprise is, that while he has tackled Flaubert, Chabrol has never attempted Zola. Therese Raquin could have been written for him.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
At least 4 out of 6 films are very watchable. The first one Road to Corinth is too silly to be taken seriously. The last one The fower of Evil is too contrived for my liking. My favourite is Innocents with dirty hands with Romy schneider and Rod Steiger, whose acting skills are remarkable although the story is a bit convoluted and has a messy ending. Pleasure Party is a character study of the jealousy of a monstrous husband. The Breach (La rupture) shows class warfare and snobbism of bourgeoisie in France not too different from English society.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
French New Wave Director - Claude Chabrol.
A truly Great Film Director the late Claude Chabrol, a film Director who can handle any material to give such devastating effect; he always manages to get such good performances... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Paul Blue Eyes.
I have fallen in love with Chabrol's work through this collection
I purchased this collection to help with learning French, and I think it is a fantastic set of films by Chabrol with amazing storylines and twists and turns. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by M. Dugan
Like when your sleeve's snagged under your jacket
Chabrol loves the awkward unexpected stagey and this mixed bag goes there with wonderful results. there are many great performances and now familiar set pieces, the Nouvelle... Read more
Published on 23 April 2009 by Richard J. Jardine
Amazing!
This is just the collection to have on your shelves! This is great French cinema, and great acting with notably Michèle Bouquet.
Published on 21 April 2009
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