THE ROAD TO CORINTH

France, 1967, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jean Seberg, Maurice Ronet, Christian Marquand, Michel Bouquet.
Directed by Claude Chabrol.

The Road to Corinth is an espionage film – directed by Claude Chabrol who is not noted for his films in this genre although he made several during the 1960s. Chabrol is much better known for his intense domestic dramas, his crime dramas and crime thrillers which he made over a period of fifty years.

The film was a star vehicle for Jean Seberg who was in France during these years and appeared, especially in the late 1950s, in Jean- Luc Godard’s Breathless. Chabrol uses two of his regular stars, Maurice Ronet and Michelle Bouquet. Bouquet was still working forty years later in many French films including films for Chabrol. The film also stars Christian Marquand who had a long career in films appearing in quite a range for distinguished directors including Visconti’s Senso, Lady Chatterly’s Lover in 1955 and films with Brigitte Bardot. He directed two films, one of which was the oddball version of Terry Southern’s Candy in 1968.

The film now seems rather dated – although, it was popular and trendy at the time with interest in NATO activities in Europe, the Mediterranean, and the smuggling of Black Boxes for counter-espionage activities.

1. An entertaining spoof thriller? How seriously was it mean to be taken? The introduction and the focus on dream and reality? The use of the conventions of the spy thriller and their being made unrealistic, comic? The value of the spoof? The tradition of the American spoof and the Perils of Pauline? Chabrol's reliance on the thriller genre but romanticising it and making it spectacular?

2. The background of Greece and 1967, the takeover of the Colonels? The bright sunlight of Greece - but the darker tones, especially with the prologue and the sequence with the magician, his arrest, torture and death? The parable in the prologue? The impact of the film for the French audience, international audience? The French touch and treatment? The overtones of op art - a film of the '60s?

3. Colour photography, the beauty of Greece and mountains, sunlight, water, the ruins? The importance of the special effects, especially for the stunts? The use of the Corinthian Canal etc.? The blend of ruins, modern buildings and nature? Machinery as menacing in the beautiful Greek landscapes? Special cinematic devices of editing, angles, compositions for incongruity? Special touches e.g. the warehouse, the flowers on the corpse, the murderous monks? The musical score?

4. The international flavour of the film with the casting, especially Jean Seberg? Chabrol and his writing and direction? His appearing in the film - and his sending himself up in his two appearances? The informer and his hamming his performance? The orthodox priest and his being stabbed by the passing 'priest' and the three murderous priests stabbing him to death?

5. The impact of the prologue: the magician, the atmosphere of the dream, arrests and their arbitrariness, the cruelty of torture? The magician - who was he? His killing himself? Background of espionage, international politics? Torture, magic, death? Did the film retain such a serious tone throughout?

6. The world of espionage: spies and their being dropped in, Robert Ford and his abilities, danger? Dex and his exploits? Shanny and her perils? The continued mounting dangers, accusations? Shanny becoming victim? Imprisonment? The world of villains and their international network? Murders? The build-up to the climax with the villain and his lust, death? Offbeat ending?

7. How well did the film sketch the character of Robert and of Dex? Their operations and their detail, familiarity from other films? Sharps and his control? The suave manager? Comparing them with the stock-in-trade villains? Robert and his love for Shanny? Dex and his meetings with Shanny? Sharps and his involving her? The American wife, the sex object, the victim of violence? Her associations with death?

8. The choice of Jean Seberg as Shanny? Fashions, wealth, loving her husband, the meetings with Dex? The interviews with Sharps? Her husband's death? Arrests, pursuits? Perils - e.g. dangling over the Corinthian gulf? An object of lust? Her exploiting this? Prison, dangers, chases? The end and the plane?

9. Sharps at work, his advice, eating, the shop, his observation and control?

10. Kalhaides as the arch villain? The satire with his eating and his private store? His capacity for violence? The tableaux? His lust for Shanny and his toppling to death?

11. The detail of the killers? The conventions of hired assassins? The carnation on the victims?

12. The monks, the disguises, murder - and the satire on the Church and its liberalism of the '60s?

13. The references to classical Greek art, drama? The tableaux echoing the Greek tragedies? The relationship of serious tragedy to modern spoofs? The contrasts? The light touch of serious themes?