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Claude Chabrol
RRP: £44.99
Our Price: £28.83 (subject to change)
Comments about the running times
Review date: 2007-10-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is not a review but I thought I'd comment on some observations made by Mario in an earlier review of the boxset. I noticed that he had compared the running time of the UK version of Les Biches with the US DVD and found it to be six minutes shorter. I checked the BBFC site and discoverd that the UK DVD was not cut, the discrepency comes from the time compression that films undergo when converted to PAL DVDs giving them shorter running times than at the cinema.
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Reviews
The Cut
Review date: 2007-09-10 Rating: 6 out of 10
I wanted to order this Claude Chabrol set, but I knew that in the UK the censorship is very strict - some films are ruthlessly cut before being released in the UK. So I decided to visit the "Arrow Films" site to check out the duration of the films - I chose "Les Biches", the first film of the "Claude Chabrol Collection". Duration: 94 minutes. Ok. Then I went to IMDB to see the run time of "Les Biches". Run Time: 100 minutes.
The film was cut by six minutes! A film that was released in 1968 was cut by 6 minutes! OK. And I also discovered that the American Amazon offers an uncut version of "Les Biches". Duration - 100 minutes.
I know that this "Claude Chabrol Collection" is a real bargain. But probably some of the other films besides "Les Biches" may be cut as well. So if you want to see uncut films, I think it's better to look somewhere else.
GOOD FILMS, GOOD VALUE
Review date: 2007-06-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
If you're thinking of buying this, you probably already know Chabrol and don't need me to tell you how great his films are. So let me say something about this particular release.The transfers are very watchable and the sound quite good. They could certainly be bettered, but the price is right and Chabrol movies are more about plot and thought than visual fireworks. They are mainly letterboxed. Despite the claim printed on the discs itself, no anamorphic presentation here (with the exception of Madame Bovary). But the subtitles CAN be desactivated using your remote control. The box is a bit cheap-looking, but I'm not complaining, giving the asking price. A free summer night, a cool drink and a Chabrol movie. Pure bliss.
Entertaining and watchable
Review date: 2007-03-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
He's known as the French "Hitchcock" and whatever that means it tells you that these films are very watchable. They usually revolve around a crime and its consequences often involving illicit love. Apart from Madame Bovary from 1991 (a bit out of place in this collection I think) the rest are classic Chabrol between 1968-1974 and five of them star his wife at the time and muse Stephane Audran who is simply stunning. You can't turn the subtitles off (if you wanted to) and there are no extras. The best? Juste avant la nuit - a man accidentally kills his lover who happens to be the wife of his best friend and is tormented by guilt and the need to confess. It has one of the best twists in the end that I've ever seen in a film. The rest are very satisfying too with scenes you'll want to watch again.
Great value for money
Review date: 2006-07-14 Rating: 10 out of 10
Some of Chabrol's best work of the 60s & 70s at budget price. So what if there are few extras when what you get are masterpieces like Le Boucher or Les Biches or La femme infidele for five pounds each. Chabrol is one of the greats of French cinema, an auteur whose films are intelligent, chic and enjoyable to watch. This collection is a great introduction to his cinema. And happily M.Chabrol, in his mid-seventies, is still making films.
Product Details/Specifications
Director(s):
Recording label: Arrow Films
Manufacturer: Arrow Films
EAN: 5027035004365
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 8
Format: Box set, PAL,
Release date: 2006-04-17
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running time: 916 minutes