La cérémonie
Directed by Claude Chabrol • 1995 • France, Germany
Starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert, Jacqueline Bisset
Claude Chabrol’s forty-ninth feature stands as the crowning achievement of his prolific career—a coolly riveting study of class dynamics, the psychology of crime, and the sordid secrets lurking beneath the veneer of everyday life. A fascinatingly enigmatic, César Award–winning Isabelle Huppert is the chaotic yin to Sandrine Bonnaire’s tightly coiled yang. They are, respectively, a small-town postal worker and a maid to a wealthy family, a pair of outsiders who form a mysterious alliance that gradually, almost imperceptibly, goes haywire. With a master’s control of sound, editing, and suspense, Chabrol constructs a tour de force of sustained tension that delivers each brilliant shock with ice-pick precision.
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La cérémonie
Directed by Claude Chabrol • 1995 • France, Germany
Starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Isabelle Huppert, Jacqueline BissetClaude Chabrol’s forty-ninth feature stands as the crowning achievement of his prolific career—a coolly riveting study of class dynamics, the psychology of crime, and the sordid se...
Extras
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Caroline Eliacheff on LA CÉRÉMONIE
In this interview, coscreenwriter Caroline Eliacheff shares her thoughts on true-crime stories and what they reveal about society.
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Sandrine Bonnaire on LA CÉRÉMONIE
In this 2020 interview, actor Sandrine Bonnaire describes Claude Chabrol’s approach to directing actors and how she envisioned the character of Sophie in LA CÉRÉMONIE.
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Isabelle Huppert and Claude Chabrol: Crossed Portraits
In this program, directed by Jean Pierre Devillers, actor Isabelle Huppert and director Claude Chabrol reflect on their special bond as collaborators and friends. It aired on French television on December 23, 1998.
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LA CÉRÉMONIE Selected-Scene Commentary
This program presents five scenes from LA CÉRÉMONIE, with commentary by director Claude Chabrol.
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The Making of LA CÉRÉMONIE
This program presents a behind-the-scenes look at the making of LA CÉRÉMONIE in 1995, featuring director Claude Chabrol and actors Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire.
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Bong Joon Ho on LA CÉRÉMONIE
In this interview, conducted in 2023, filmmaker Bong Joon Ho pays tribute to one of his cinematic heroes, director Claude Chabrol.
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Offscreen Sound in LA CÉRÉMONIE
Professor Jeff Smith demonstrates how Claude Chabrol manages to play his audience like a piano, evoking suspense, isolation, and class conflict through an expertly tuned soundtrack.
