The Claire Denis Collection

The Claire Denis Collection

Chocolat (1988), Nenette et Boni (1996), Beau Travail (1999) and White Material (2009)

Rating: 4/5

Summary: Four films from the acclaimed French director Claire Denis form Artificial Eye's latest box set that should satisfy Euro film junkies.

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Artificial Eye make some excellent box sets, allowing viewers to sample a diverse range of filmmakers' greatest hits at an affordable price.

This one contains four films from the celebrated French director Claire Denis: Chocolat (1988), Nenette et Boni (1996), Beau Travail (1999) and White Material (2009).

Denis' films often tread a semi-autobiographical path as evidenced the most in her 1988 debut 'Chocolat' (not the Johnny Depp one!) which is contained here. 50s Cameroon is the vivid setting for her narrative that tracks family fragilities. With 'Nenette et Boni' and 'Beau Travail', the themes of sexual temptation via compelling abstract approaches offer the viewer a shimmering experience. The latest in the collection, 2009's 'White Material' throws in a siege thriller element that fits better than the somewhat melodramatic operatics from the previous films.

And this is what you can expect to find in the four disc DVD set:

CHOCOLAT
Claire Denis’ international breakthrough, this masterful examination of the lure, fear and intangibility of ‘the other’, revolving around the lives of a white family in the final days of colonial Cameroon, epitomises the director’s vision in precise, vivid clarity.
(France 1988, 100 mins. approx)

NÉNETTE ET BONI
A tender, touching portrait of two teenage siblings driven apart by the strains of society, Nénette et Boni is shot through with symbolism, humour and an intimacy of expression that make it one of Claire Denis' most sensitive, humane and accessible films.
(France 1996, 100 mins. approx)

BEAU TRAVAIL
By turns balletic, horrific, mesmerizing and surreal, Denis’ re-telling of the ‘Billy Budd’ story in the French Foreign Legion combines literature, music, poetry and dance to create a stunningly beautiful, profoundly moving cinematic vision like no other.
(France 1998, 90 mins. approx)

WHITE MATERIAL
As breathtaking as any thriller but with all the hallmarks of intelligence you would expect from Denis’ finest work, this story of a coffee plantation owner trapped in the midst of a brutal civil war features an extraordinary performance from Isabelle Huppert (Amour, The Piano Teacher).
(France, Cameroon 2009, 101 mins. approx)

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