Henri-Georges Clouzot

[kaream]

Ha! You replied to my query, which because I appended an edit to it, was temporarily withdrawn. It ought to reappear shortly, but now out of sequence.

I had wondered what "M6/SNC" meant - thanks.

[Knappen]

OK.

I wrote that I bought the fresh DVD during a trip to Paris this weekend. M6 is a French TV channel which has also developped into a quality DVD label. Their releases look like this:

[kaream]

:-)
Not deleted - temporarily withdrawn for edit. I'm new here, still subject to monitoring, and didn't realize my original post would be removed for the edit.

Thanks for the info. I had wondered what your M6/SNC abbreviation stood for.

[kaream]

I'm going to try posting here at this Criterion forum a question that's been bugging me about Bardot in La Verite. The following three posts are from IMDb:

kaream (Tue Oct 19 2010 11:54:27)
It's no longer listed at Amazon.com - I haven't checked other sources - but several years ago I bought from a Marketplace seller a homeburned copy of La Verite that as far as I am able to figure out may have been ripped from Canadian TV. It had no subtitles, and at least one scene, of Bardot jumping out of bed with her breast in full view, having been cut. I don't really recall now, but it seems to me that when I saw it long ago in a theater it had a longer sequence of the bed scene but without further frontal nudity.

bardotek69 (Tue Oct 19 2010 12:18:43), UPDATED Tue Oct 19 2010 12:52:11
I've got it but it's downloaded from eMule and it doesn't have the scene you're writing about. It does have a scene in the bed, but B.B. is under a sheet. TIn the other scene She puts a record on Her vinyl player and dances in the nude, but we can see only her nude back.

kaream (Tue Oct 19 2010 12:46:12)
The theatrical version that I saw in France when it first came out very definitely had her naked right breast swinging quickly by, quite close to the camera, as she jumps out of bed. It made a big impression on me at the time -one didn't usually find naked breasts in films then - and I described it at that time to friends who had not seen the film, so this is not an instance of "remembering" years after the fact something that was never actually in the film.

I'm sorry to learn that it's apparently now gone forever, but that would fit with Bardot's subsequent protection of her public image.

Or am I misremembering after all, or completely crazy? Did anyone here see La Verite when it first came out, rather than a much later version?

Looking at the movie again now, this scene would not have been when she first puts the record player on and gets out of bed slowly, where you see only her legs starting to dance while she's still sitting on the bed. Instead it must be an entirely different scene, but I can't identify where it would have been. What I'm recalling is her leaping out of bed, angry and/or distressed.

I bring this question up here at this Criterion forum, because I've gradually learned to my dismay that for all the wonderful restoration work that Criterion does, they do not necessarily get it right, or find and release the best and/or most complete versions of a film. I'm especially disappointed by their fairly recent release of Rossellini's Germany Year Zero. It's true that Rossellini shot this film in German and dubbed it into Italian. But the German-language copy that Criterion found and issued was and still is in very poor condition, whereas the Italian dub, not included in their release #499, is in very nearly pristine condition.

Right now I'm not thinking of any other specific titles, but there have been several instances of Criterion issuing truncated copies of films, where other DVD releases are more complete.

[nolanoe]

You can see glimpse of Bardot's breast when she throws the cover over her head at the end of the scene in which she dances. You can find the clip on youtube - it's very close to the end. I would like to provide a screenshot, but that makes me feel like a pervert (even though an artistically and intellectually well educated one).

I imagine Clouzot going through the takes, screaming "TITS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS ONE!!!"

[Fred Holywell]

I've gradually learned to my dismay that for all the wonderful restoration work that Criterion does, they do not necessarily get it right, or find and release the best and/or most complete versions of a film.

True. I've discovered that there's a better version of the English re-cut of "Senso" out there. Titled "Livia", it's not necessarily longer or more complete, but it's in a lot better shape than the one Criterion released.

But back to Clouzot... There's a major Clouzot retrospective coming to Harvard University in a month or so. Will post more details when I get them, but for those in the area, you may want to keep an eye out for this one.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Coming next month on Gaumont a la demande - L'Assassin habite a 21, which means French subs only. In January Studio Canal bring out la Prisonniere. No news on subs/extras yet.

[Perkins Cobb]

The Clouzot retro will also be in NYC December 8-24. Full schedule not up yet, but they're promising La Prisonniere (which was missing from the last Clouzot retro in NY and LA) plus two films from the early 40s that HGC wrote but didn't direct and some other rarities.

[Fred Holywell]

Major Clouzot retrospective coming to Harvard University...

November 26 - December 18, 2011
The Complete Henri-Georges Clouzot

http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2011oc ... ouzot.html

A pivotal and divisive figure of Forties and Fifties French cinema, Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907 - 1977) made his name as a daring iconoclast through a series of hugely influential, often controversial, films whose stylistic audacity, off-beat humor and stinging critique of bourgeois society were far ahead of their time. Clouzot’s remarkable talent with mystery and thriller narratives earned him the unfortunate yet inevitable sobriquet of the “French Hitchcock” despite the two directors' notably different approach to suspense and despite Clouzot’s profound influence upon Hitchcock, with Les Diaboliques, for example, openly acknowledged as a model for Psycho. The phenomenal and lasting success of Les Diaboliques and Clouzot's other best-known film, the gripping action epic The Wages of Fear, continue to overshadow the larger arc of his risk-embracing career and major contributions to cinema. Still little known outside of France, Clouzot's other films are only gradually being rediscovered, slowly giving way to a fuller understanding of a fiercely original artist able like none other to masterfully intertwine adrenaline-igniting entertainment, trenchant political satire, ribald comedy and heartfelt tragedy.

[Perkins Cobb]

Except that Boston isn't getting Le Dernier des six or the complete Return to Life. That kind of crap is about the only reason I still live in New York.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Except that Boston isn't getting Le Dernier des six or the complete Return to Life. That kind of crap is about the only reason I still live in New York.

Yes the Clouzot scripted Le Dernier Six tees up Assassin nicely but otherwise une véritable fête !
If only this line-up could translate into a mammoth box set with all the bells and whistles somewhere. Dream and game on.

[Perkins Cobb]

Most of these are pretty good, too -- not just the canonical ones but also Manon and La Verite. Clouzot had a pretty high batting average, and it's hard to think of a filmmaker with a bleaker view of human nature.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Miraculously the latest batch of 3 Studio Canal releases - Corbeau / Quai des Orfevres/ Prisonniere - all have English subs Haven't checked the supplements yet but will update All listings on Amazon FNAC et al do not mention subs or supplements so this is real turn-up for the books.

[Werewolf by Night]

Are there any reviews or screenshots of those new Clouzots? I was just looking at my Criterion DVDs of two of those titles and thinking it was about time for a rewatch.

EDIT: Partially answered my own question by finding a review of Le Corbeau at DVD Classik.

[tenia]

I have all 3 discs and have already sone some caps of La prisonnière. I'll see to do some for Quai des orfèvres et put all this online (I also saw a similar request on blu-ray.com so it will also halp people there).
However, all 3 discs are very good looking. They don't look filtered at all, they don't look poorly encoded, it's overall very good looking.

[tenia]

Here are some caps for La prisonnière :

[otis]

Does anyone know if Lobster Films' recent Clouzot avant Clouzot box set comes with subtitles (French or otherwise)?

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Does anyone know if Lobster Films' recent Clouzot avant Clouzot box set comes with subtitles (French or otherwise)?

Absolutely none. I don't know if Lobster work on such a tight budget that they cannot do it but I think the vast majority if not all of their output is devoid of subs

[otis]

Thanks. Seems like they just don't see the need for subs. I asked them about this on Facebook and this was their reply:

Les films du coffret sont tous en langue française, il n'y a donc pas de sous-titres français sur ceux-ci.

[JSC]

I've watched the three Studiocanal releases of Le corbeau,
Le quai des orfevres and La Prisonniere on my projector
and all of them look very nice. Definitely worth picking up.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Thanks. Seems like they just don't see the need for subs. I asked them about this on Facebook and this was their reply:

Les films du coffret sont tous en langue française, il n'y a donc pas de sous-titres français sur ceux-ci.

That disregard for HoH subs is downright disgusting in my opinion. According to French law it is required for all films released after ( I think) 2012 but not required for those before,although many editors do actually make the effort. A company that prides itself in 'Saving french heritage films from the flames' to paraphrase their modus operandi should take its social responsibilities more seriously.

[Fred Holywell]

La Prisonnière (Kino Lorber) DVDBeaver review

[domino harvey]

Nice news. I was just going through his filmography, but have still to watch the final three films. Miquette is by far his worst film. It's really embarrassing.

Wow, I do not agree at all with that. I watched this today and found Miquette et sa mere to be one of his best, an all the more shocking realization considering it’s not his preferred genre. I can absolutely see how this would be interminable if you weren’t on its comic wavelength, because it is so specific in embodying stylistic vaudevillian stage play elements within the structure of a film depicting actors participating in the same. But sometimes going for broke just works and I thought this was a riot, especially the strong male trio of leads, Jouvet, Bourvil, and Saturnin Fabre (the MVP, and also somehow hammier than Jouvet), who all made me laugh consistently with their assorted wild bloviations. Let me put it this way: if you think John Barrymore in manic mode is amusing, you’ll like this. If not, avoid.

[therewillbeblus]

Wow, Miquette et sa mere is some kind of comic masterpiece! It seems like the only blu-ray is the Pathe, and it looks like it has English subs.. can anyone confirm that?

[domino harvey]

It should— there’s a copy of the DVD version on eBay that confirms it on the back cover, I imagine it’s the same for the Blu. I just ordered the Blu from DaaVeeDee