La Verite (1960)

 Henri-Georges Clouzot's "La Verite"

By 1960, Henri-Georges Clouzot was director that fit perfectly into the categorization of the "tradition of quality" that had come to be known by French directors at the time. Coined by Francois Truffaut in Cahiers du cinema, "traditional of quality" was a set standard of excellence by the French filmmaking community that made films with "sophisticated framing, complicated lighting, and sleek photography." This is the exact quality that was rebelled against with the New Wave movement, which attempted to modernize the current format of French film style. Clouzot knew he could not keep up with this new style, but was able to exact these qualities found within the style in the typical formatting of excellence he was known by. On top of this, the inclusion of Brigitte Bardot only accelerated this notion, as she had come to represent a new kind of stardom in late 1950s, early 1960s France. She had come to represent a new style of femininity, one that was much freer and more sexually expressive. Using a writing team that consisted of four women, Clouzot crafted a screenplay that examined this new sense of rebellious modernity, along with its inevitable patriarchal pushback. This film was his 1960 courtroom drama, "La Verite." 

"La Verite" centers on Dominique as she is standing trial for murdering her lover, Gilbert. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that Dominique moved from a small, provincial town to Paris in order to figure out what to do with her directionless, leisurely lifestyle. She catches the attention of Gilbert, who actively pursues her for weeks, despite her disinterest in him. Because of her flippant attitude towards him, she actively sleeps around with other men. This enrages Gilbert, who only furthers his attempts to suppress her free lifestyle. Eventually, Dominique falls in love with Gilbert. However, his pursuit of his career becomes obsessive, as he becomes more distant from Dominique. Through various tense interactions, the two develop a very toxic relationship that everyone knows is going nowhere. After Gilbert leaves Dominique for her sister, she decides to kill herself in front of him. This goes awry when he begins to insult her and she reactively shoots him instead. Through these flashbacks, Dominique is belittled in the courtroom, not trusted with her story, and called 'whore' and 'bitch' under the breath of those in the audience, amongst other things. It becomes clear that Dominique is not favored in the case, as everyone believes she egged on and mistreated a standup gentleman. Dominique commits suicide in her cell and the case is dismissed.

The character of Dominique, and even Bardot herself, seems to represent a kind of modernization of the youth culture and of femininity itself. This culture and type of a new feminine spirit is on trial, as it were. Dominique is never made out to be a perfect saint. She is directionless in life and enjoys dancing and debauchery. But are these elements to her personality something to be considered with revile? To the courtroom, yes, as everything about Dominique seems to point to some sense of wickedness. To the viewer and to Clouzot, however, the response is no. The intensity with which all of the characters inside and outside of the courtroom are quick to condemn Dominique, not just for her murder, but for her very character and moral ineptitude, provides the necessary components of examining the newfound confoundment with France's contemporary climate and new youth movement. 

Clouzot, issuing a social viewpoint of these temperaments of modernity, still adheres to the before mentioned 'tradition of quality' that many had come to expect, rather than the experimental design of the French New Wave newcomers. I suppose you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but Clouzot manages to tell his story with an engaging lens as always. He even got Brigitte Bardot to give the best performance of her career. 

Despite the excellence of the film itself, there were many behind-the-scenes dramas occurring. Bardot and fellow co-star, Sami Frey, had an affair, which caused Bardot's then-husband Jacques Charrier to have a nervous breakdown (and was hospitalized for two months). Clouzot's own wife, Vera, also had a nervous breakdown during filming and died from a heart attack several months after the film's release. Clouzot had a heart attack as well, suspending filming for two weeks. Bardot's secretary of four years sold secrets to the press. And Bardot herself attempted committing suicide, much like her onscreen character. There was so much drama happening around the filming of "La Verite" that the public began to know the ins and outs and highly anticipated the film's release. When it was eventually released in November of 1960, it became the second highest selling film in France for that year, only tailing the American film "Ben-Hur." 

Safe to say after all the behind-the-scenes drama, his heart attack, and the insanity and death of his wife, Clouzot took some time off (about a year) and spent some time in Tahiti. He eventually returned to filmmaking, making "Woman in Chains" in 1968, which would go on to be his final film as a director.