Handsome Serge = Le Beau Serge

After ten years away, Francois returns to the village where he grew up and meets up with his 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. Two of the principal actors - Jean-Claude Brialy and Gerard Blain - also appear in Chabrol’s follow-up film, “Les Cousins”. In French with English subtitles.