3 Classic Films by Claude Chabrol
Claude Chabrol seemed to be an icon to the French. His films weaved simple stories with such grace and complexity in the core, that you could not turn away. A director who worked in the realm of realism and also incorporated a psychology and suspense that was rarely seen. He drew inspiration from events that shaped him as a young man, and it showed in films.

Claude Chabrol is without a doubt one of the most prolific auteurs to come from the French New Wave and has been often referred to as “the French Hitchcock” due to his tendency towards thrillers exposing mankind’s innate duality. There is usually a dark side lurking just beneath the surface of even his most likable characters.

However, this label ignores some fundamental differences between Chabrol and Hitchcock. The most obvious (and perhaps the most important) of the differences lies in their approach to similar material.

Hitchcock’s thrillers focus on placing the audiences in the mindset of his various characters, and a subjective presentation always ruled the day. Chabrol, on the other hand, seems to have preferred a more objective approach to his material.

BETTY (1992)
In one of Chabrol’s darkest dramas, Marie Trintignant gives an astonishing performance as Betty, a woman whose alcohol-soaked life has finally fallen to pieces. She soon falls under the care of an older woman (Stephane Audran) with a similar background, but her benefactor’s sympathies may be misplaced.

TORMENT (1994)
Francois Cluzet plays Paul, a young husband who, along with his beautiful wife (Emmanuelle Beart) runs a country hotel. Paul soon becomes obsessed with his wife’s flirtations, but is it all in his head?

THE SWINDLE (1997)
Betty (Isabelle Huppert) and Victor (Michel Serrault) are a couple of small-time con artists looking for the next big game in this psychological thriller tinged with wry humor. Into their web stumbles a naive financial courier (Francois Cluzet) accompanying what might be their biggest score yet.

3 x BD50 | 1080p AVC | 315 min | 28 Gb + 31.5 GB + 41.2 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Francais
Subtitles: English
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

Extras:

Betty:
-- Re-Release Trailer (1:34; HD)

Torment:
-- Audio Commentary – Critics Wade Major and Andy Klein
-- Re-Release Trailer (1:24; HD)

The Swindle:
-- Audio Commentary – Critics Wade Major and Andy Klein
-- Interview (42:32; HD) – Actor Francois Cluzet
-- Re-Release Trailer (2:00; HD)