For five decades Claude Chabrol navigated the unpredictable waters of Cinema, leaving in his wake fifty-five feature films that remain among the most quietly devastating genre movies ever made. The Swindle sees Chabrol at perhaps his most playful as a pair of scam artists, Isabelle Huppert and Michel Serrault, get in over their heads. But who is scamming who and who do you trust in a life built on so many lies? The murder of a 10-year-old girl sparks rumors and gossip in The Color of Lies, as suspicion falls on René (Jacques Gamblin) the dour once famous painter, now art teacher, who was the last person to see her alive. Enigmatic, perverse, seductive, Isabelle Huppert encapsulates everything that makes Nightcap a film John Waters calls “Cinematic Perfection” in this tale of suppressed family secrets. Finally, in The Flower of Evil, incest, old money and intergenerational guilt come under the scalpel as an outwardly perfect bourgeois family begins to unravel when the wife involves herself in politics. Though influenced by Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Jean Renoir, Chabrol’s voice was entirely and assuredly his own, influencing in turn filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho, James Gray and Dominik Moll. His amused, unblinkered view of life and refusal to judge his characters makes his films timelessly relevant and accessible to all. Arrow Video is proud to present this second collection of films by Claude Chabrol with a wealth of new and archival extras.
For our thoughts on the first Claude Chabrol collection from Arrow Video, Lies & Deceit: Five Films By Claude Chabrol, please check out my review here.
For a look at Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
The four films in the Twisting The Knife box set return to Blu-Ray thanks to Arrow Video with brand new 1080p masters in their original aspect ratios. These films, save for The Flower Of Evil, were previously available in different configurations through releases from Cohen Media, which we have not been able to view previously. Each of these films have been restored and supplied to Arrow by MK2. By and large these four releases are very similar to one another and will be discussed as a group with any meaningful differences pointed out.
As a relative newcomer to the works of Claude Chabrol, I had never seen any of these films before, but it is not hard to see how gorgeous these transfers are across the board. There are certain elements of the immaculate production design that look almost three dimensional in their clarity. While all the films look very nice, The Color Of Lies appears to be the weakest of the group with less apparent detail than the other three. Black levels are very deep with no notable occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. All of the films have a bit of a yellowish tinge to them, but nothing ever appears unnatural.
The contrast is well defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found outside of a few minuscule moments. The carefully composed photography captures the various locales quite marvelously in high definition with natural grain intact and nicely resolved. There is a fantastic amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing across all four films. The new transfers show off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail, but admittedly the close-up shots hold up better than the long shots. These restorations have thankfully not been scrubbed of their natural grain, which resolves with nothing ever appearing clumpy. Arrow Video has done a terrific job with all of these transfers in a way that should make fans of the auteur quite joyful.
Audio Quality
All of the films in this set are given LPCM 2.0 audio tracks in the original French, with Nightcap and The Flower Of Evil being given an additional expansive DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in French. Each of these tracks represent these stories in a straightforward but impressive way sonically that gets you settled into the narrative. None of these films are particularly action oriented, but all of them have moments that add a bit of tension that can be felt in the room. The music throughout these four films brings a very memorable atmosphere to the proceedings that is represented well in the mix. Everything is presented with an excellent fidelity with only the rare instance of sound presenting as a bit anemic or boxy. Dialogue is the driving force of these narratives, and the tracks never falter when it comes to clarity. These tales mostly take place in more intimate environments or out in nature which presents subtle sounds that flesh out the story with some excellent ambient details. All of the various sounds in the mix seem precisely rendered so that nothing ever feels out of the ordinary. This presentation is free of any age-related wear-and-tear or damage. Arrow Video has to be commended with this effort.
Special Features
The Limited Edition Collector’s Set of the Arrow Video Blu-Ray of Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 80-page bound book featuring new writing by film critics Sean Hogan, Brad Stevens, Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Pamela Hutchinson. These works provide a great analysis of each film and Chabrol at large in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:
The Swindle
- Audio Commentary: Critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan provide a very lively and informative commentary track in which they discusses where this film fits into the career of Claude Chabrol, the experiences in their lives that reinforce that certain situations are not so exaggerated, recurring themes throughout Chabrol’s work, the unclear morals of the film, the careers of the performers and the creative team, the score and more.
- Chabrol’s ‘Soap Bubble’: A nearly 15-minute visual essay by scholar Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze in which she analyzes the place of games within this narrative, the allusions to Hitchcock and comic books, the questioning of reality as presented on screen, the tonal incongruity, how it rewards repeat viewings and more.
- Film As A Family Affair: A 38-minute interview with Chabrol’s stepdaughter Cecile Maistre-Chabrol, who worked as an Assistant Director on 14 of his films, in which she discusses what it felt like to work with her family, her early career, Chabrol’s process as a director, keeping a light tone on set, the most difficult part of filmmaking, the philosophical foundation of Chabrol, the times she acted in his films, living a life as “Chabrol’s daughter” and more.
- Introduction by Film Scholar Joël Magny: A nearly three-minute piece which frames the film with how it fits into Chabrol’s career at large and within French cinema.
- Scene Commentaries by Claude Chabrol: A 24-minute vintage piece in which Chabrol discusses some of his scenes from the film including the visual threesome he creates from his camera movement during the artful dancing scene, the motivations of his characters, shot composition, the themes of the film and more.
- Behind The Scenes: An eight-minute archival piece in which Chabrol and the performers discuss a little about the film including the larger ideas behind the project, their characters and more.
- A Conversation With Isabelle Huppert: A 26-minute piece with Huppert in which she reflects on her relationship with Chabrol including their initial meeting, his personality and approach to filmmaking, his gift for coming up with complex characters, her analysis of key films, and more that makes for a thoroughly entertaining watch.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
- Stills Gallery: A collection of images from the film and promotional materials are provided here.
The Color Of Lies
- Audio Commentary: Critic Barry Forshaw and author Sean Hogan return for another informative commentary track in which they discuss Chabrol and his fascination with lies, the performances in the film, the unlikable nature of most of the characters, the organization of space within the shots, the narrative connection to other Chabrol works and more.
- Nothing Is Sacred: A 14-minute visual essay from film critic Scout Tafoya in which he discusses the career of Claude Chabrol and his work in The Color Of Lies, the film’s concern with legacy both in film and in his own life, how art is used with the narrative and more.
- Introduction by Film Scholar Joël Magny: A two-and-a-half-minute piece which frames the film with how it fits into Chabrol’s career at large and within French cinema.
- Scene Commentaries by Claude Chabrol: A 20-minute vintage piece in which Chabrol discusses shot composition, the performances, the intentionality of tone, the slow reveal of character motivation, subtle nods he included in his shots and more.
- Behind The Scenes: A 26-minute vintage piece which takes you behind the scenes of the production of this film as Chabrol discusses working mostly with performers who are new to him, his ambition to reflect the current climate in a realistic way, the different style of performances, how he works with the actors and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The minute-long trailer is provided here.
- Stills Gallery: A collection of images from the film and promotional materials are provided here.
Nightcap
- Audio Commentary: Film critic Justine Smith provides a very considered and entertaining commentary track in which she discusses how the material is perfect for Claude Chabrol, how scathing this particular narrative is in its execution, analysis of the story and themes, the background of the creative figures involved, his subtle shifts away from naturalism and more.
- When I Pervert Good…: Another 11-minute visual essay from film critic Scout Tafoya in which he analyzes the late period of Claude Chabrol. recurring themes within his work, the dismantling of high society and more.
- Introduction by Film Scholar Joël Magny: A three-minute piece which frames the film with how it fits into Chabrol’s career at large and within French cinema.
- Scene Commentaries by Claude Chabrol: A 44-minute vintage piece in which Chabrol discusses setting up his dense narrative, working with the performers, distinct shot composition, the deeper meaning of certain interpretations, thematic developments and more.
- Isabelle Huppert, “Heroine Chabrolienne”: A seven-minute piece in which Huppert discusses what exactly it means to be a heroine with typical Chabrol qualities, the similarities and differences that arise from film to film, the complexity of her character in Nightcap and more.
- Interview with Jacques Dutronc: A 32-minute archival interview with the actor and singer/songwriter in which he discusses working with Chabrol, his relationship with Isabelle Huppert, the arc of his character, the links between music and cinema and more.
- Behind The Scenes: A 26-minute vintage piece which takes you behind the scenes of the production of this film where you get to act like a fly on the wall.
- Screen Test For Anna Mouglalis: The nearly 11-minute screen test for the lead actress is provided here.
- Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided here.
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the film and promotional materials are provided here.
The Flower Of Evil
- Audio Commentary: Film critic Farran Smith Nehme provides her typically thoughtful and entertaining commentary track in which she discusses how this film fits into Chabrol’s filmography, how Chabrol’s fondness for Hitchcock emerged in his writing, the themes and visual foreshadowing within the film, analysis of the characters, the careers of the talent involved and more.
- Behind The Masks: A 15-minute appreciation piece from author Agnes Poirier in which she discusses the themes that most interested Chabrol, his penchant for self-deprecation, the sheer quantity of his output and how it impacted his reception in France, memories she has of meeting the director, his place in French culture and more.
- Introduction by Film Scholar Joël Magny: A nearly four-minute piece which frames the film with how it fits into Chabrol’s career at large and within French cinema.
- Scene Commentaries by Claude Chabrol: A 50-minute vintage piece in which Chabrol discusses some of his scenes from the film including symbolism within the narrative, the motivations of his characters, shot composition, the themes of the film and more.
- Behind The Scenes: A 26-minute vintage piece which takes you behind the scenes of the production of this film where you get to act like a fly on the wall.
- Interview With Screenwriter Catherine Eliacheff: A 25-minute vintage interview in which this screenwriter focuses on how women are portrayed in Chabrol films, the creative construction of certain narratives, the threading together of different plotlines, the larger ideas behind certain moments and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.
- Image Gallery: A collection of images from the film and promotional materials are provided here.
Final Thoughts
Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol is another varied array of deliciously dark and twisted dramas that bring out the full spectrum of human psychology. Each film occupies a different space within Chabrol’s filmography, but they work together very effectively to scratch that itch of curiosity that comes from a well-constructed mystery. Claude Chabrol is a filmmaker who is still struggling to be recognized alongside many of his more famous peers on the scale of which he deserves, but with collections like this hopefully modern audiences will catch up with their praise. Arrow Video has released another gorgeous box set featuring a knockout A/V presentation, engrossing special features, and stunning packaging. This is an easy recommendation for those looking to explore more devious French cinema. Highly Recommended
Twisting The Knife: Four Films By Claude Chabrol is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.