Rent The Cousins (1959)
3.5 of 5 from 74 ratings
1h 49min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Made barely a year after Claude Chabrol's debut Le Beau Serge, Les Cousins featured the earlier film's same starring pair of Jean - Claude Brialy and Gérard Blain, here reversing the good-guy/bad-guy roles of the previous picture. The result is a simmering, venomous study in human temperament that not only won the Golden Bear at the 1959 Berlin Film Festival, but also drew audiences in droves, and effectively launched Chabrol's incredible fifty-year-long career. In Les Cousins, Blain's character journeys from the country to Paris to crash at the luxurious flat of his worldly and decadent cousin, portrayed by Brialy, during the study period for an upcoming law exam which both have set out to undertake. It becomes clear soon enough that only one of the cousins is terribly committed to his work; as sexual promises and alcohol intervene, the set-up becomes untenable for the provincial, - and a tragic slide ensues.
A gripping and urbane examination of city and country, ambition and ease, Les Cousins continues to captivate and shock audiences with its brilliant scenario, the performances of Brialy and Blain, and the assuredness of Chabrol's precocious directorial hand.- Actors:
- Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Juliette Mayniel, Guy Decomble, Geneviève Cluny, Michèle Méritz, Corrado Guarducci, Stéphane Audran, Paul Bisciglia, Jeanne Pérez, Françoise Vatel, André Chanal, Gilbert Edard, Clara Gansard, Jean-Louis Maury, Virginie Vitry, Jean-Marie Arnoux, Robert Barre, Michel Benoist, Gaby Blondé
- Directors:
- Claude Chabrol
- Producers:
- Claude Chabrol, Roland Nonin
- Writers:
- Claude Chabrol, Paul Gégauff
- Aka:
- Les Cousins
- Studio:
- Eureka
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Claude Chabrol, The Instant Expert's Guide to François Truffaut, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1959, Top 10 Golden Bear Winners, Top Films
- Countries:
- France
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- Unknown
- Run Time:
- 109 minutes
- Languages:
- French
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- A 47-minute Documentary About the Making of the Film
- L'Homme qui vendit la Tour Eiffel (The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower), a short film by Chabrol from 1964
More like The Cousins
Reviews (1) of The Cousins
Cousin Privilege: Chabrol’s Lesson in Moral Decay - The Cousins review by griggs
It’s no surprise The Cousins picked up the Golden Bear, or that Akira Kurosawa listed it amongst his hundred favourite films. For only his second feature, Chabrol already knew what he was doing. What starts as a breezy, slightly wry student comedy slowly turns sour—a story about how charm, money, and moral laziness eat away at everything decent.
The set-up’s simple: one cousin from the country arrives in Paris, all hope and good manners; the other—rich, bored, and a bit of a snake—shows him the ropes. You can almost smell the Gauloises and cheap wine. By the time the parties end and the records stop spinning, you realise how hollow it all is.
It’s stylish, sharp, and quietly brutal in that way French films often are—a film that sneaks up on you, looking like a student romp but landing like a gut punch.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.