19th May 2012
French Filmmaking Icon And Pioneer Claude Chabrol Dies
16th September 2010
Claude Chabrol, the iconic French filmmaker and a pioneer of the
New Wave movement in the 1950s, died on Sunday 12 September. He was
80 years old.
Described by industry experts as "prolific", Chabrol directed more
than 60 movies plus a host of TV dramas. His last film was Bellamy,
a detective thriller starring French star Gerard Depardieu released
last year.
An occasional actor, Chabrol also played the role of a music
producer in the critically acclaimed Gainsbourg, a recent biopic of
the controversial but much loved French singer-songwriter Serge
Gainsbourg.
Chabrol first made an impact in French film in 1958 with Le Beau
Serge, considered one of the first films to come under the New Wave
banner. New Wave broke ranks with France's then traditional movies
(mostly historical dramas) by focusing on contemporary subjects and
themes.
He soon became known for his Alfred Hitchcock-influenced his
movies, including the thriller Le Boucher (The Butcher) in 1970 and
the nightmare-laden L'Enfer (Hell) in 1994.
As part of the New Wave movement, Chabrol's colleagues included
other French cinema giants such as Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer and
Francois Truffaut.
In addition to working with celebrated French actors Jean-Paul
Belmondo, Emmanuelle Beart and Isabelle Huppert, Chabrol won the
coveted Prix Rene Clair award from France's Academie Francaise, the
official seat of France's intellectuals.