Rialto Pictures is theatrically releasing five classic films by celebrated French director Claude Sautet, for the first time on DCP, July 24 – 30 in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal.
Claude Sautet (1924-2000) began his filmmaking career in the early 1950s assisting such directors as Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face) and Jacques Becker (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), and first tasted success with the crime thriller Classe Tous Risques (1960), but was unfairly overlooked as the French New Wave directors dominated the French cinema.
“Claude Sautet directed a number of popular films but has never enjoyed the same reverence afforded to other French greats like Godard, Truffaut and Rohmer. The unavailability of most of his films on domestic home video has also contributed to his undeserved obscurity. Thanks to the efforts of Studiocanal, we are able to release here (for the first time in DCP format) five of his classic films. The series already played in New York City to much acclaim and will play in Miami and other major cities throughout the summer and fall.” said Eric Di Bernardo, Sales Director for Rialto Pictures,
All these titles (see below) are showing for the first time in the new DCP format, and they are not currently available on Blu-ray or DVD.
FIVE SAUTET CLASSICS TO PREMIERE IN NEW DCP VERSIONS
JULY 24 – 30
AT LAEMMLE’S ROYAL
Rialto Pictures will release five films by beloved French director Claude Sautet, for the first time on DCP, at Los Angeles’ Laemmle Royal, for one week beginning Friday, July 24.
Claude Sautet (1924-2000), who began his filmmaking career in the early 1950s assisting such directors as Georges Franju (Eyes Without a Face) and Jacques Becker (Touchez Pas Au Grisbi), first tasted success with the crime thriller Classe Tous Risques (1960), but was unfairly overlooked as the French New Wave directors dominated the French cinema.
After spending much of the 1960s as a screenwriter – and earning a reputation as a master “script doctor” – Sautet re-emerged as a director to watch. His collaborations with Austrian-born actress Romy Schneider, leading-men Michel Piccoli and Yves Montand, screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie, and cinematographer Jean Boffety, yielded
romantic, yet haunting, films that epitomized the privilege and struggles of the French bourgeoisie following the political upheaval of the 1960s. The series features three of his legendary collaborations with Schneider – Les Choses De La Vie (1970), the “policier” Max et Les Ferrailleurs (1971), and César and Rosalie (1972).
The rarely seen Vincent, François, Paul and The Others (1974) and Sautet’s final film, Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud (1995), are also included in this series, showcasing the director’s growth and unflinching attention to the uncomfortable emotional realities of everyday life. All five titles will have their US premiere in new DCP format, and are not currently available domestically on home video.
LES CHOSES DE LA VIE (1970)
Runtime: 85 minutes
Cast: Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, Léa Massari
Winner, Prix Louis Delluc
Nominated, Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or
Pierre’s (Michel Piccoli) life flashes before his eyes following a car accident, focusing on his decision to leave his wife (Léa Massari) for a younger woman, Hélène (Romy Schneider).
“Sautet shows a fine directorial flair for ordinary people caught up in personal decisions and dramas.” – Variety
“An understatedly haunting, sophisticated, and insightful portrait of emotional attachment, indecision, and intimacy.” –Strictly Film School
MAX ET LES FERRAILLEURS (1971)
Runtime: 112 minutes
Cast: Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider, François Périer, Bernard Fresson
Max (Michel Piccoli) has only one thing on his mind: putting away criminals. When yet another bunch of professional criminals get away, Max unexpectedly runs into an old army buddy, Abel (Bernard Fresson), who has turned to a life of petty crime with a small band of hoodlums, the “ferrailleurs,” or junkmen, of the title. He hatches a plan to trick the group of amateurs into committing a major crime, using Abel’s girlfriend Lily (Romy Schneider) as unwitting bait.
“★★★★! A gleefully seedy study of lowlifes on both sides of the law.” – Time Out New York
CÉSAR AND ROSALIE (1972)
Runtime: 111 minutes
Cast: Romy Schneider, Yves Montand, Sami Frey
After her divorce, Rosalie (Romy Schneider) splits her time between her family and the wealthy César (Yves Montand). When David (Sami Frey), an old flame of Rosalie’s, appears, the two men battle each other for her affections.
“A fluky, wry ode on the imperfect, haphazard nature of romantic love.”
– Pauline Kael, The New Yorker
“The enchantment of Sautet’s film is his acknowledgment that it is in the daily living rather than the nightly bedding that meaningful relationships exist.” – New York Magazine
VINCENT, FRANÇOIS, PAUL AND THE OTHERS (1974)
Runtime: 114 minutes
Cast: Yves Montand, Michel Piccoli, Serge Reggiani, Gérard Depardieu
Three friends, Vincent (Yves Montand), François (Michel Piccoli), and Paul (Serge Reggiani), confront problems in work, love, and money. Sautet presents an all-too-true snapshot of mid-life crises in middle-class France.
“★★★★! Enormously satisfying!” – Leonard Maltin
NELLY AND MONSIEUR ARNAUD (1995)
Runtime: 107 minutes
Cast: Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Winner, Prix Louis Delluc
Winner, César Award for Best Actor (Michel Serrault) and Best Director (Claude Sautet)
Nelly (Emmanuelle Béart) is behind on her rent and saddled with an unemployed and uninterested husband. When she meets Monsieur Arnaud (Michel Serrault), an older and wealthier man, Nelly sees a chance to escape from poverty and loneliness. Arnaud enlists her help with transcribing his memoirs and, as their unconventional relationship blossoms, barely-contained emotions threaten to break free.
“An exquisitely witty, beautifully moving film! Classical French filmmaking par excellence!” – Time Out London