DIRECTORS, 4 EDITION SAUTET Other Films: The career of Claude Sautet was slow in getting underway, but by the 1970s he had virtually become the french cinemas official chronicler of bourgeois life. He had made his directing debut with a solidly constructed thriller, Classe tous risques, in 1960, but 1954 Touchez pas au Grisbi(Grisbi) a second film, L'Arme a gauche, did not follow until 1965 and was 1959 Les Yeux sans visages(Eyes without a Face)(Franju)(asst d) markedly less successful. Despite numerous scriptwriting assign- ments, his directing career did not really get underway until he completed Les Choses de la vie in 1969. This set the pattern for Publications a decade of filmmaking BY Sautet:book一 The core of any Sautet film is a fairly banal emotional problem-a man caught between two women in Les Choses de la vie or a married Conversations avec Claude sautet Institute Lumiere. 1994 woman confronted with a former lover in Cesar et rosalie. around this situation Sautet weaves a rich pattern of bourgeois life: concerns By SAUTET: articles- with home and family, with money and possessions, give these films their particular tone. This is a cinema of warm, convincingly depicted Interviews with Claude Beylie, in Ecran(Paris), December 1972 and characters for whom Sautet clearly has great affection and more than November 1974 a touch of complicity. Problems and motivations are always explicitly Claude Sautet, c'est la vitalite, with Francois Truffaut, in Avant- set out, for this is a style of psychological realism in which the Scene du Cinema(Paris), December 1974 individual, not the social, forms the focus of attention Interviews with Michel Ciment and others, in Positif Paris), Decem- The directors style is a sober, classical one, built on the model of ber 1976 and January 1979. Hollywood narrative traditions: action, movement, vitality. Though Romy Schneider: une actrice qui depasse le quotidien, in Avant- his style can encompass such set pieces as the boxing match in Scene du Cinema(Paris), 15 March 1979 Vincent, Francois, Paul... et les autres, Sautet is more concerned nterview with G. Legrand and I. Jordan in Positif(Paris), Decem- with the unfolding of a strong and involving narrative line. a key ber1983. feature of all his work are the confrontation scenes which offer such Je ne prevoyais pas ce debordement emotionnel, an interview with excellent opportunities for the talented stars and solid character M. Sineux and Y. Tobin, in Positif (Paris), September 1992. Interview in Jeune Cinema(Paris), October 1992. players who people his films Le jour se leve, in Positif(Paris), June 1994 autet's films from the mid-1970s to early 1980s-Mado, Une Douin, Jean-Luc, " Histoires pas si simples, in Telerama(Paris), 20 Histoire simple, and Une Mauvais Fils-are all characterized by July 1994 a total assurance and a mastery of the medium. This mastery, Interview in Filmihullu(Helsinki). no 4, 1996. however, is exercised within very precise limits-not in terms of the subject matter, which widens to take in the problems of affluence, On SAUTET: book- womens independence, and juvenile delinquency, but in the manner in which such issues of the moment are approached. Sautet's classi- Korkmaz, Joseph, Le Cinema de Claude Sautet, Paris, 1985 cism of form and ability to communicate directly with his audience is not accompanied by the resonances of social criticism which charac- On SAUTET: articles- terize the best north american cinema. Seeking to move his audience rather than enlighten it, Sautet uses powerful actors cast to type in Sineux, M," Entretien avec Philippe Sarde sur Claude Sautet et carefully constructed roles, but any probing of the essential contradic- quelques autres, in Positif(Paris), January 1979 tions is avoided by a style of direction that keeps rigidly to the surface Claude Sautet Issue"of Avant-Scene du Cinema(Paris), Janu- of life, the given patterns of bourgeois social behaviour. His approach 1984 is therefore condemned to a certain schematism, particularly in the Thomas, Kevin,"The Musical Style of Claude Sautet, "in Los handling of dialogue scenes, but his work gets its sense of vitality Times. 18 June 1993 from the vigor with which the group scenes-the meals and mold, Gary, ""Sex and Violins, in Washington Times, ll July 1993. excursions-and the typical locations of cafe or railway station are Armold, Gary, "Montand, Schneider and the Little White Lie, Washington Times, 1l July 1993 handled. sautet offers a facsimile of life. a reflection of current ley, derek, ""Film Reviews-Nelly Mr. Arnaud, in variery problems or issues, but contained within a form calculated not to (New York), 18 September 1995 trouble the spectator after he has left the cinema. This conformism Masson, Alain, Vincent Amiel and Michel Sineux, in Positif Paris), may seem limiting to the contemporary critic, but it will offer future October 1995 generations a rare insight into the manner in which the French middle Dumas, Danielle, L'intelligence du coeur, in Avant-Scene dt classes liked to see themselves in the 1970s In two of his most recent features, the popularly and critically Masson,A, "L,'insouciance et la fidelite, "and"Quelques images de well-received Un Coeur en Hiver(1992)and Nelly Monsieur films de Claude Sautet, "in Avant-Scene du Cinema(Paris), Arnaud(1995), Sautet continues to offer versions of French middle January 199 class bourgeois life in the 1990s. In keeping with Sautet's thematic and stylistic terrain, Un Coeur and Nelly both focus on a small group of individuals as they undergoDIRECTORS, 4 SAUTET th EDITION 867 Other Films: (incomplete listing) 1954 Touchez pas au Grisbi (Grisbi) 1959 Les Yeux sans visages (Eyes without a Face) (Franju) (asst d) Publications By SAUTET: book— Conversations avec Claude Sautet, Institute Lumière, 1994. By SAUTET: articles— Interviews with Claude Beylie, in Ecran (Paris), December 1972 and November 1974. ‘‘Claude Sautet, c’est la vitalité,’’ with François Truffaut, in Avant￾Scène du Cinéma (Paris), December 1974. Interviews with Michel Ciment and others, in Positif (Paris), Decem￾ber 1976 and January 1979. ‘‘Romy Schneider: une actrice qui depasse le quotidien,’’ in Avant￾Scène du Cinéma (Paris), 15 March 1979. Interview with G. Legrand and I. Jordan in Positif (Paris), Decem￾ber 1983. ‘‘Je ne prevoyais pas ce debordement emotionnel,’’ an interview with M. Sineux and Y. Tobin, in Positif (Paris), September 1992. Interview in Jeune Cinéma (Paris), October 1992. ‘‘Le jour se lève,’’ in Positif (Paris), June 1994. Douin, Jean-Luc, ‘‘Histoires pas si simples,’’ in Télérama (Paris), 20 July 1994. Interview in Filmihullu (Helsinki), no. 4, 1996. On SAUTET: book— Korkmaz, Joseph, Le Cinéma de Claude Sautet, Paris, 1985. On SAUTET: articles— Sineux, M., ‘‘Entretien avec Philippe Sarde sur Claude Sautet et quelques autres,’’ in Positif (Paris), January 1979. ‘‘Claude Sautet Issue’’ of Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), Janu￾ary 1984. Thomas, Kevin, ‘‘The Musical Style of Claude Sautet,’’ in Los Angeles Times, 18 June 1993. Arnold, Gary, ‘‘Sex and Violins,’’ in Washington Times, 11 July 1993. Arnold, Gary, ‘‘Montand, Schneider and the Little White Lie,’’ in Washington Times, 11 July 1993. Elley, Derek, ‘‘Film Reviews—Nelly & Mr. Arnaud,’’ in Variety (New York), 18 September 1995. Masson, Alain, Vincent Amiel and Michel Sineux, in Positif (Paris), October 1995. Dumas, Danielle, ‘‘L’intelligence du coeur,’’ in Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), June 1996. Masson, A., ‘‘L’insouciance et la fidelite,’’ and ‘‘Quelques images de films de Claude Sautet,’’ in Avant-Scène du Cinéma (Paris), January 1997. *** The career of Claude Sautet was slow in getting underway, but by the 1970s he had virtually become the French cinema’s official chronicler of bourgeois life. He had made his directing debut with a solidly constructed thriller, Classe tous risques, in 1960, but a second film, L’Arme à gauche, did not follow until 1965 and was markedly less successful. Despite numerous scriptwriting assign￾ments, his directing career did not really get underway until he completed Les Choses de la vie in 1969. This set the pattern for a decade of filmmaking. The core of any Sautet film is a fairly banal emotional problem—a man caught between two women in Les Choses de la vie or a married woman confronted with a former lover in César et Rosalie. Around this situation Sautet weaves a rich pattern of bourgeois life: concerns with home and family, with money and possessions, give these films their particular tone. This is a cinema of warm, convincingly depicted characters for whom Sautet clearly has great affection and more than a touch of complicity. Problems and motivations are always explicitly set out, for this is a style of psychological realism in which the individual, not the social, forms the focus of attention. The director’s style is a sober, classical one, built on the model of Hollywood narrative traditions: action, movement, vitality. Though his style can encompass such set pieces as the boxing match in Vincent, Francois, Paul . . . et les autres, Sautet is more concerned with the unfolding of a strong and involving narrative line. A key feature of all his work are the confrontation scenes which offer such excellent opportunities for the talented stars and solid character players who people his films. Sautet’s films from the mid-1970s to early 1980s—Mado, Une Histoire simple, and Une Mauvais Fils—are all characterized by a total assurance and a mastery of the medium. This mastery, however, is exercised within very precise limits—not in terms of the subject matter, which widens to take in the problems of affluence, women’s independence, and juvenile delinquency, but in the manner in which such issues of the moment are approached. Sautet’s classi￾cism of form and ability to communicate directly with his audience is not accompanied by the resonances of social criticism which charac￾terize the best North American cinema. Seeking to move his audience rather than enlighten it, Sautet uses powerful actors cast to type in carefully constructed roles, but any probing of the essential contradic￾tions is avoided by a style of direction that keeps rigidly to the surface of life, the given patterns of bourgeois social behaviour. His approach is therefore condemned to a certain schematism, particularly in the handling of dialogue scenes, but his work gets its sense of vitality from the vigor with which the group scenes—the meals and excursions—and the typical locations of café or railway station are handled. Sautet offers a facsimile of life, a reflection of current problems or issues, but contained within a form calculated not to trouble the spectator after he has left the cinema. This conformism may seem limiting to the contemporary critic, but it will offer future generations a rare insight into the manner in which the French middle classes liked to see themselves in the 1970s. In two of his most recent features, the popularly and critically well-received Un Coeur en Hiver (1992) and Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995), Sautet continues to offer versions of French middle￾class bourgeois life in the 1990s. In keeping with Sautet’s thematic and stylistic terrain, Un Coeur and Nelly both focus on a small group of individuals as they undergo a set of personal and emotional