Directed by Claude Chabrol • 1958 • France
Starring Jean‑Claude Brialy, Gérard Blain
Of the hallowed group of “Cahiers du cinéma” critics turned filmmakers who transformed French film history, Claude Chabrol was the first to direct his own feature. His absorbing landmark debut, LE BEAU SERGE (“Handsome Serge”), follows a successful yet sickly young man (Jean‑Claude Brialy) who returns home to the small village where he grew up. There, he finds himself at odds with his former close friend (Gérard Blain)—now unhappily married and a wretched alcoholic—and the provincial life he represents. The remarkable and stark LE BEAU SERGE heralded the arrival of a cinematic titan who would go on to craft provocative, entertaining films for five more decades.
Up Next in French New Wave
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The Lovers
Directed by Louis Malle • 1958 • France
Starring Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Marc BoryLouis Malle unveiled the natural beauty of Jeanne Moreau in his breakthrough, ELEVATOR TO THE GALLOWS. With his follow-up, the scandalous smash THE LOVERS (LES AMANTS), he made her a star once and for all. A deeply fe...
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The 400 Blows
Directed by François Truffaut • 1959 • France
Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert RémyFrançois Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), THE 400 BLOWS sensitively re-creates t...
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Hiroshima mon amour
Directed by Alain Resnais • 1959 • France, Japan
Starring Emmanuelle Riva, Eiji OkadaA cornerstone of the French New Wave, the first feature from Alain Resnais is one of the most influential films of all time. A French actress (Emmanuelle Riva) and a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) engage in a ...
