IEC
#2: 1963
JEAN RABIER
Born: 16 March 1927, Montfort-l'Amaury, France, as Jean Bernard Rabier.
Died: 15 February 2016, Port-de-Bouc, France.
Career: Began as industrial artist. After meeting Prof. Marc Cantagrel, a dir of technical films, he joined the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM], Paris, in 1944 where he helped to prepare the courses and practicals. Became c.op in 1947.
His daughter Jeannine and his son Jean-Marc were his c.asst.
Jean Rabier has been most consistently and significantly associated with
the films of Claude Chabrol. Although Rabier has worked in black-and-white,
providing nicely atmospheric images in films such as 'Ophélia', his most integrated work is undoubtedly in Chabrol's color films.
Rabier's cinematography is distinguished at once by its incredible beauty and
expressiveness, as well as by its lack of the kind of boring picture-postcard
prettiness which is all too often associated with color cinematography.
In Rabier's best work for Chabrol, the cinematography is totally at the service of the director's theme: thus, in 'La femme infidèle', in which Chabrol depicts the violence and passion hidden within the apparently civilized bourgeoisie, Rabier emphasizes the beautiful patina of that bourgeoisie: the sheen of crystal, the impressionistic soft-focus prettiness of flower arrangements and manicured yard, and particularly the extraordinarily photographed face of Stéphane Audran, who is turned into an exquisite bourgeois goddess.
In 'Le boucher', Rabier's cinematography of the small-town landscape resembles nothing so much as a Cézanne painting; some of the film's final images, in which Rabier purposely drains his palette to photograph Audran's eyes as pools of light surrounded by darkness, reveal the influence of American film noir and never fail to move. As in 'La décade prodigieuse/Ten Days' Wonder', an explosion of color is present also in the climax of 'La rupture', in which Audran's gradual movement to blue and transcendence is captured visually by Rabier with the use of an increasingly longer lens, and, ultimately, a liberating rupture of laboratory-processed color which is one of the most memorable displays of virtuosity in all New Wave cinema. And yet this mastery of color expressiveness is achieved alongside a sense of improvisation and of natural light.
Finally, one must note as well the mobility of Rabier's camera, which - undoubtedly as a result of his collaboration with Chabrol and the requirements of the mise-en-scène - uses a wide variety of angles and perspectives and often constructs whole scenes around incredibly fluid and expressive camera movements. One immediately thinks of the final tracking shot of 'La femme infidèle', or the moving camera expressing the father's grief in 'Que la bête meure', or the very impressive tracking shot of several minutes' duration in the beginning of 'Le boucher' which effortlessly reveals the layout of the town. Perhaps the signature image of Rabier and Chabrol is the expressive lateral camera movement into or away from dark trees, which, generally surrounded by beautiful color images, works to convey visually the epigraph of 'La rupture' and the theme implicit in all Chabrol's work: 'What an utter darkness suddenly surrounds me!' - the darkness of the soul blotting out the color and beauty of the world. [Charles Derry on the filmreference.com website.]
| FILMS | |
|---|---|
|
1952 |
Crève-coeur [Jacques Dupont] c; doc/90m; cph: Henri Decaë; started as c.op, but replaced H. Decaë as ph after Decaë was wounded in an explosion and had to return to Paris |
|
1960 |
Les godelureaux/Wise Guys [Claude Chabrol] b&w |
|
1961 |
Cléo de 5 à 7/Cleo from 5 to 7 [Agnès Varda] b&w + c (titles over tarot game); (c.op: Alain Levent) |
|
1961 |
Les sept péchés capitaux/The Seven Deadly Sins/Seven Capital Sins [1. Sylvain Dhomme & MaxDouy ('La colère'), 2. Edouard Molinaro ('L'envie'), 3. Jean-Luc Godard ('La paresse'), 4. Jacques Demy ('La luxure'), 5. Roger Vadim ('L'orgueil'), 6. Philippe de Broca ('La gourmandise') & 7. Claude Chabrol ('L'avarice')] ds/b&w; 7 seg; ph seg 7; other ph: Jean Penzer (seg 1 & 6), Louis Miaille (seg 2) & Henri Decaë (seg 3-5) |
|
1961 |
L'oeil du malin/The Third Lover [Claude Chabrol] b&w |
|
1961 |
Ophélia [Claude Chabrol] b&w; filmed 1961-62 |
|
1962 |
Laviamoci il cervello - ROGOPAG [1. Roberto ROssellini ('Illibatezza'), 2. Jean-Luc GOdard ('Il nuovo mondo/Le nouveau monde'), 3. Pier Paolo PAsolini ('La ricotta') & 4. Ugo Gregoretti ('Il pollo ruspante')] b&w + c (titles and 2 crucifixion scenes 'La ricotta' + end titles film); ph seg 2 (20m); other ph: Luciano Trasatti (seg 1), Tonino Delli Colli (seg 3) & Mario Bernardo (seg 4) |
|
1962 |
Landru/Bluebeard [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1962 |
La baie des anges/Bay of Angels [Jacques Demy] b&w |
|
1963 |
Peau de banane/Banana Peel [Marcel Ophuls] fs/b&w |
|
1963 |
Les plus belles escroqueries du monde/Le più belle truffe del mondo/The Beautiful Swindlers [1. Hiromichi Horikawa ('Les cinq bienfaiteurs de Fumiko'), 2. Roman Polanski ('La rivière de diamants'), 3. Ugo Gregoretti ('La feuille du route'), 4. Claude Chabrol ('L'homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel') & 5. Jean-Luc Godard ('Le grand escroc')] fs/b&w-c; 5 seg; ph seg 4; other ph: Asakazu Nakai (seg 1), Jerzy Lipman (seg 2), Tonino Delli Colli (seg 3) & Raoul Coutard (seg 5) |
With Catherine Deneuve and Jacques Demy
"Les parapluies de Cherbourg"
|
1963 |
Les parapluies de Cherbourg/The Umbrellas of Cherbourg [Jacques Demy] us/c; 'For, it's in Jean Rabier's lushly luminous, Eastman-colored cinematography, in concert with Bernard Evein's deliciously decorated set design, where the film all but visually 'hums' as a tonal symphony. Entire scenes display color-coordinated characters, boldly and beautifully blending in with their surrounding environs and wall-papered interiors, in what often resemble Matisse and Dufy canvases, come magically and movingly to life, right down to a kind of vibrantly two-dimensional perspectivity.' [Peter H. Kemp on the 'senses of cinema' website.] |
|
1964 |
Le tigre aime la chair fraîche/Code Name: Tiger/The Tiger Likes Fresh Meat [Claude Chabrol] b&w |
|
1964 |
As ilhas encantadas/Les îles enchantées/Enchanted Isles [Carlos Vilardebó] c; (c.op: Augusto Cabrita) |
|
1964 |
Le bonheur/Happiness [Agnès Varda] c; cph: Claude Beausoleil; restored in 1996 & 2005 |
|
1964 |
Paris vu par.../Six in Paris [1. Jean Douchet ('Saint-Germain-des-Prés'), 2. Jean Rouch ('Gare du Nord'), 3. Jean-Daniel Pollet ('Rue Saint-Denis'), 4. Éric Rohmer ('Place de l'Étoile'), 5. Jean-Luc Godard ('Montparnasse et Levallois') & 6. Claude Chabrol ('La Muette')] 16mm-35bu/c; 6 seg; ph seg 6 (16m); cph: Albert Maysles; other ph: Nestor Almendros (seg 1, cph seg 4 & addph seg 5), Étienne Becker (seg 2 & cph seg 4), Alain Levent (seg 3 & cph seg 4) & Albert Maysles (seg 5 & cph seg 6) |
|
1965 |
Marie-Chantal contre Dr. Kha/Blue Panther/Marie-Chantal vs. Doctor Kha [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1965 |
Le tigre se parfume à la dynamite/Our Agent Tiger [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1966 |
La ligne de démarcation/Line of Demarcation [Claude Chabrol] b&w |
|
1966 |
Le scandale/The Champagne Murders [Claude Chabrol] ts/c |
|
1966 |
Un idiot à Paris/Idiot in Paris [Serge Korber] ts/c |
|
1967 |
Happening (un événement) [Marc Boureau] c |
|
1967 |
La route de Corinthe/Who's Got the Black Box? [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1967 |
La petite vertu/A Little Virtuous [Serge Korber] c |
|
1967 |
Les biches/Bad Girls [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1968 |
La femme infidèle/The Unfaithful Wife [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1969 |
Que la bête meure/This Man Must Die [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1969 |
Le boucher/The Butcher [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1969 |
L'homme orchestre/The One Man Band [Serge Korber] fs/c; filmed 1969-70 |
|
1970 |
La rupture/The Breach/The Breakup [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1970 |
De la part des copains/Cold Sweat [Terence Young] c |
|
1970 |
Juste avant la nuit/Just Before Midnight [Claude Chabrol] c; filmed 1970-71 |
|
1971 |
La décade prodigieuse/Ten Days' Wonder [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1972 |
Docteur Popaul/Play Now, Pay Later/High Heels [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1972 |
Les noces rouges/Wedding in Blood [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1973 |
nada/Nada/The Nada Gang [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1974 |
Une partie de plaisir/Pleasure Party [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1974 |
Les innocents aux mains sales/Innocents with Dirty Hands [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1975 |
Les magiciens/Death Rite [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1975 |
Folies bourgeoises/The Twist [Claude Chabrol] c; filmed 1975-76 |
|
1976 |
Alice ou la dernière fugue/Alice or the Last Escapade [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1977 |
Blood Relatives/Les liens de sang [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1977 |
Violette Nozière/Violette [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1980 |
Le cheval d'orgueil/The Horse of Pride [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1982 |
Les fantômes du chapelier/The Hatter's Ghost [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1984 |
Poulet au vinaigre/Cop Au Vin/Chicken with Vinegar [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1985 |
Inspecteur Lavardin [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1986 |
Masques/Masks [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1987 |
Le cri du hibou/The Cry of the Owl [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1987 |
À notre regrettable époux [Serge Korber] c |
|
1987 |
En toute innocence/No Harm Intended [Alain Jessua] c |
|
1988 |
Une affaire de femme/Story of Women [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1989 |
Jours tranquilles à Clichy/Quiet Days in Clichy [Claude Chabrol] c |
|
1989 |
Dr. M/Club Extinction [Claude Chabrol] c; addph: Martin Kukula, Alexander Honisch, Régis Bonvillain & Peter Arnold |
|
1990 |
Madame Bovary [Claude Chabrol] c |
| SHORTS & DOCUMENTARIES | |
|---|---|
|
1951 |
L'éveil d'un monde [Jacques Dupont] b&w; doc/?m; cph: Edmond Séchan |
|
1951 |
La grande case/The Long House [Jacques Dupont] 16mm/b&w; doc/25m; cph: Edmond Séchan |
|
1951 |
Okoumé [Jacques Dupont] 16mm/b&w; doc/15m; cph: Edmond Séchan |
|
1951 |
Palmes [Jacques Dupont] 16mm/b&w; doc/15m; cph: Edmond Séchan |
|
1951 |
Trains sans fumée [Marc Cantagrel] ?; doc/?m; cph: Marcel Paulis |
|
1952 |
Voilà nous! [Jacques Dupont] 16mm/b&w; doc/16m; cph: Edmond Séchan |
|
1953 |
La banque [Carlos Vilardebó] ?; doc/420mtr |
|
1953 |
Les araignées rouges [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1953 |
Le cercle enchanté [Marc de Gastyne] 16mm/b&w; doc/40m; cph (?): Albert Viguier & Alain Levent |
|
1953 |
L'homme, notre ami [Marc de Gastyne] ?; doc/30m; cph (?): Claude Beausoleil & Jean-Louis Picavet |
|
1953 |
Stock-car (À tout casser!) [Jacques Dupont] ?; doc/345mtr; cph: Henri Decaë |
|
1953 |
La vie au moyen-âge [Carlos Vilardebó] ?; doc (4 seg)/480mtr |
|
1954 |
Le carpocapse des pommes [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1954 |
Les pucérons [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1954 |
La travelure du pommier et du poirier [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1955 |
La débrouillage chimique [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1955 |
La tordeuse orientale [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1955 |
Les vers de la grappe [André Tadié & Henri Lacoste] ?; doc/?m; cph: A. Tadié |
|
1956 |
Israël... terre retrouvée [Marc de Gastyne] ?; doc/28m; cph: Henri Decaë |
|
1956 |
Propre à rien/Good for Nothing [Marc de Gastyne] c; short/25m; cph: Henri Decaë |
|
1957 |
Robinson [Marc de Gastyne] 16mm/c; short/35m; cph: Henri Decaë |
|
1960 |
Naissance de mille villages [Carlos Vilardebó] c; ?/18m; cph: Jean-Marie Maillols & Roger Montéran |
|
1960 |
Soleils [Carlos Vilardebó] ?; doc/397mtr; cph: Jean-Marie Maillols & Robert Carmet |
|
1961 |
Les fiancés du pont Mac Donald ou (Méfiez-vous des lunettes noires) [Agnès Varda] 16mm-35bu/b&w/silent (only music); short/5m; also featured in 'Cléo de 5 à 7' |
|
1961 |
Orchestre et diamants [Jacques Rancy] ?; short/510mtr |
|
1961 |
L'énergie est à vous/L'énergie et vous/Energie en u [Henri Storck] c; comm doc/20m (also shown on 4 screens; 4x 5m); incl excerpts from films by Bert Haanstra, Herman van der Horst, Emile Degelin & Roger Leenhardt; prod for the EEC |
|
1962 |
Plastiques/Plastieken [Henri Storck] c; comm doc/34m; cph: Jean Penzer; also shorter version: 'Matières nouvelles/Nieuwe stoffen' (1964/17m); for Solvay et Cie. |
|
1962 |
Six petites bougies [Roger Cotten] ?; doc/19m |
|
1962 |
La dormeuse [Maurice Pons] ?; short/20m; cph: Michel Humeau |
|
1964 |
[Le] [Un] fratricide [Charles Belmont] ?; short/12m |
|
1969 |
Chartres, ville d'art [Marc de Gastyne] c; doc/16m |
|
1970 |
Pitié pour la France de demain [Marc de Gastyne] c; doc/600mtr |
|
1973 |
La France de demain [Marc de Gastyne] c; doc/400mtr |
|
1977 |
Swingmen in Europe [Jean Mazeas] c; mus doc/90m |
|
1991 |
Petite trainée de pinceau [Laurent Frizon] c; short/10m |
| TELEVISION | |
|---|---|
|
1973 |
Nouvelles de Henry James [ep #1 'Le banc de la désolation' dir by Claude Chabrol] 6-part series, 1974 & 1976 |
|
1974 |
Histoires insolites [ep #1 'Monsieur Bébé', #2 'Les gens de l'été', #3 'Une invitation à la chasse' & #4 'Nul n'est parfait' dir by Claude Chabrol] 12-part series/16mm, 1974 & 1979; 1st season, 1974 |
|
1974 |
Nouvelles de Henry James [ep #2 'De Grey [- un récit romanesque]' dir by Claude Chabrol] aired 1976; see 1973 |
|
1978 |
Madame le juge [ep #5 '2+2=4' dir by Claude Chabrol] 6-part series, 1978 |
|
1978 |
Histoires insolites [ep #11 'La boucle d'oreille' dir by Claude Chabrol] 2nd season, 1979; see 1974 |
|
1979 |
Fantômas [ep #1 'L'échafaud magique' & #4 'Le tramway fantôme' dir by Claude Chabrol] 4-part miniseries, 1980; other ph: Claude Robin |
|
1981 |
Histoires extraordinaires [ep #5 (55m) 'Le système du docteur Goudron et du professeur Plume' dir by Claude Chabrol] 6-part series |
|
1981 |
Les affinités électives [Claude Chabrol] tvm/120m/16mm (1982) |
|
1982 |
La danse de mort [Claude Chabrol] tvm |
|
1982 |
M. le maudit [Claude Chabrol] tvm/b&w/11m/16mm; ep of series 'Ciné-Parade'; uses some original footage from Fritz Lang's 'M' |
|
1986 |
Florence ou La vie de château [Serge Korber] 6-part series, 1987 |
|
1988 |
Les dossiers secrets de l'inspecteur Lavardin [ep 'L'escargot noir' dir by Claude Chabrol] 4-part series, 1988-90; other ph: Pascal Marti |
|
1989 |
Les dossiers secrets de l'inspecteur Lavardin [ep 'Maux croisés' dir by Claude Chabrol] see 1988 |
|
1990 |
Night of the Fox [Charles Jarrott] tvm |
| FILMS AS CAMERA ASSISTANT/OPERATOR | |
|---|---|
|
1947 |
Paysans noirs/Famoro le tyran/Black Peasant [Georges Régnier] c.op; ph: Roger Arrignon |
|
1952 |
L'or des Pharaons/Le masque de Tout Ankh Amon/L'or du Nil [Marc de Gastyne; doc] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë; unreleased |
|
1953 |
La beauté de l'effort [Marc de Gastyne; doc] 1st c.asst; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1953 |
Boum sur Paris [Maurice de Canonge] c.asst; ph: Jean Bachelet |
|
1956 |
S.O.S. Noronha [Georges Rouquier] c.asst; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1957 |
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud/Elevator to the Gallows/Frantic [Louis Malle] 1st c.asst; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1957 |
Le beau Serge/Handsome Serge [Claude Chabrol] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1958 |
Les amants/The Lovers [Louis Malle] c.asst; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1958 |
Les cousins/The Cousins [Claude Chabrol] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1958 |
Les quatre cents coups/The 400 Blows [François Truffaut] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1959 |
Un témoin dans la ville [Edouard Molinaro] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1959 |
À double tour/Web of Passion/Leda [Claude Chabrol] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1959 |
Plein soleil/Purple Noon/Lust for Evil/Blazing Sun [René Clément] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1959 |
Les bonnes femmes/The Good Time Girls/Girls... Girls!! [Claude Chabrol] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
|
1961 |
Léon Morin, prêtre/Léon Morin, Priest [Jean-Pierre Melville] c.op; ph: Henri Decaë |
