This Man Must Die
Thanks to the Institut français, we are pleased to present two films from Claude Chabrol from the same year, both among his finest achievements: an affair in bourgeois circles and a tale of revenge, in which ordinary men, driven to the brink, are willing to take extraordinary measures.
A man whose son was killed by a reckless driver decides to track down the killer on his own to seek revenge. All the ingredients are there to keep the audience on the edge of their seats: a tightly woven plot, masterful direction, cinematography that gives the film its poetic quality, and Jean Yanne, who excels in his role as a crude thug.
Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol was a French film director, producer, screenwriter, dialogist, and occasional actor. A member of the French New Wave generation, he was first a film critic and producer before beginning his career as a filmmaker. He is known for his sarcastic style and deep knowledge of cinema. He directed more than 70 films over a 50-year period, alternating between comedy of manners and drama, and covering film noir, genre films, and documentaries. An admirer of Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, and Jean Renoir, and a lover of detective novels and biting humor, Claude Chabrol loved to depict the hypocrisy and turpitude of the bourgeoisie, often provincial, with its vices and scandals hidden beneath a respectable facade. His work is a condemnation of a bourgeoisie greedy for money and obsessed with appearances. He is one of the few directors whose style and spirit gave rise to an adjective based on his surname (“Chabrolian”), which has entered everyday language and is recognized by certain dictionaries and encyclopedias. His films and actors have won numerous awards at international festivals. His career was crowned with the René Clair Award from the Académie française in 2005, the Berlinale Camera in 2009, and the Grand Prize of the SACD in 2010.
Photo: Robert Del Tredici | Collections de la Cinémathèque québécoise
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