After 10 years away, Francois returns to the village where he grew up and meets up again with old friend Serge. Serge used to be the envy of all because of his intelligence and beauty, but he is now only a shadow of his former self. Married to Yvonne, Serge has become an alcoholic after the couple lost their child. Francois is willing to do anything to help his friend and the two protagonists indulge in a transfer of personal guilt, then an ‘exchange of redemption’. ‘Le beau Serge’ was the first film of French critic-turned-director Claude Chabrol and is widely acknowledged as the first film of the French New Wave. Though not a murder melodrama, the film is heavily influenced by the works of Chabrol’s idol Alfred Hitchcock, ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ in particular. Two of the principal actors - Jean-Claude Brialy and Gerard Blain - also appear in Chabrol’s follow-up film, ‘Les Cousins’. Also available on VHS.
Credits: Producer, Jean Cotet ; director, writer, Claude Chabrol ; photography, Henri Decae ; music, Emile Delpierre, Geo Legros ; assistant directors, Philippe de Broca, Claude de Givray, Claude Cerval.
Cast: Gerard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Bernadette Lafont, Claude Chabrol, Philippe de Broca, Michele Meritz, Jeanne Perez, Edmond Beauchamps.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000270
Languages
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)