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| Claude Chabrol, master of mystery |
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| Wednesday, 20 February 2008 | |
 The man who has projected the greatest French actors on to the screen has an insatiable lust for life, as Sandrine Lemasson finds out.
He looked through his first cine-camera 50
years ago; before the posters have even
been ripped down for his latest release he’s
already working on the next … just an inkling
of the energy of the much-loved and highly
rated movie maker Claude Chabrol. Biting comedy, literary adaptations, political themes … nothing stops him. “What I try to do in my films is to understand the mechanics of the human being. Films tend to focus too often on the tragic elements of life. That’s a mistake. I tend to remember the funny side of people. That must be why I have such a deep belief in human nature.” The thriller is another genre he excels in. Known as ‘the French Hitchcock’ he adds his own very bitter vision of hypocrisy. In ‘Masques’, the hero, a famous television presenter, expresses it succinctly: “You only have to get everyone to believe your heart is in it somewhere and they’ll lap it all up.” Why does he like the genre? He admits simply: “Even if the film is a flop at least it’s not so boring!” In ‘La fleur du mal’ (2002) with Nathalie Baye, the plot is so complicated, “I even had to make myself a family tree so I didn't get lost,” he admits. Some of his most memorable films – he has directed 69 – are ‘Le beau Serge’, which helped launch the ‘Nouvelle Vague’ of the 50s, ‘Que la bête meure’ and ‘Le boucher’, both great classics of French cinema, ‘Les cousins’, said to have the most perfect direction in film history, and the unforgettable ‘Violette Nozière’, with Isabelle Huppert. Over the years, Huppert became one of his favourite actresses, taking the lead in ‘Madame Bovary’ and sharing it in ‘La cérémonie’ with Sandrine Bonnaire and Virginie Ledoyen. Contrary to popular opinion, he insists: “I never write parts for people,” and, referring to script writer Michel Audiard, “The film wasn’t as good when he wrote it with a particular actor in mind.” Whatever his tactics, there’s no denying his immense talent and appeal as the master of biting insight into the French bourgeoisie. “I know it so well because I’ve always been immersed in that social class… today it’s practically the only class left.” In his latest film ‘La fille coupée en deux’ (The girl cut in two) starring François Berléand, Ludivine Sagnier (also seen in ‘Swimming pool’) and Benoît Magimel, he returns to the theme of illusion: “The virtual universe I see as a trap for our society.” His complete works were crowned with the Prix René Clair by the Académie Française in 2005. “Only fatigue will stop me from carrying on,” he concludes, puffing on his cigar. |
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| Drive to help women boost their UK state pensions |
| Further to recent articles in French News about women's pensions, the UK Department of Work and Pensions has issued a press release explaining that "women pensioners could boost their state pension or even be in line for a windfall payment under special terms. | |
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