Jean-Pierre Melville: which movies should I see?

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The NFT are showing all his films. which one are 'essential'.

or c/d of course

http://www.bfi.org.uk/showing/nft/melville/index.html

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 3 July 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Go see Le Samourai, of course. Le Doulos is kinda meh from what I remember.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Thursday, 3 July 2003 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah see Le Samourai, but be prepared to be slightly dissapointed. At least i was. I dont mind it being all about style, but the style wasnt too interesting or imaginative to me. I cant think of any reason why that film is admired more than, for a random noir example, "Out of the Past." but i need to see it again.

Bob le Flambeur is good too, but also a little sleepy. melville's films seem to portray a 15 year old's sense of "existential cool" (as the critics say) but i find them a little shallow. as draining a standard noir story of all incident or action somehow makes it philosophical? i dont know, maybe it does.

― ryan (ryan), Thursday, 3 July 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

bob le flambeur is great. other than that, my favorites are:

les enfant terribles
le deuxieme souffle (second breath) [this one is astonishingly good]
l'armee des ombres [a mixed bag but the good parts are as good as any wwii film i know]

― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 3 July 2003 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Le Cercle Rouge is fantastic, and I love Le Doulos.

I've heard good things about Un Flic, which is fairly widely available on DVD.

― ham on rye (ham on rye), Thursday, 3 July 2003 23:25 (twenty-two years ago)

L'Armee des ombres
Bob le flambeur
Le Cercle rouge
Le Deuxieme Souffle
Le Doulos
Les Enfants terribles
Un flic
Le Samourai
Le Silence de la Mer

― Girolamo Savonarola, Saturday, 5 July 2003 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

watched 'le cercle rouge' yesterday and really enjoyed. I did wonder why oh why the robbers didn't take mattei hostage in the end (surely it was the only way they could escape).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 8 July 2003 09:14 (twenty-two years ago)

''and if i can get a really good lawyer...then i can sue you for damages''.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 14 July 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

the new trailer of Army of Shadows looks superb:

view it @ http://www.rialtopictures.com/shadows.html#

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Friday, 31 March 2006 00:46 (nineteen years ago)

"Army Of Shadows" is possibly my favorite Melville. I can watch it over and over.

― Jay Vee's Return (Manon_69), Friday, 31 March 2006 21:03 (nineteen years ago)

I'm so happy about this. I haven't seen it at all...

― The Equator Lounge (Chris Barrus), Saturday, 1 April 2006 00:30 (nineteen years ago)

I saw it at the NFT last week and it is superb.

Amazing how he manages to transform a WW2 Resistance movie into a Gangster movie, with men in hats and overcoats conspiring in monochrome streets. But brilliantly paced and the setpieces are fantastic.

― David N (David N.), Saturday, 1 April 2006 23:53 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

I tried to see it Friday night, ended up seeing it Saturday. It was great- the perfect matching of director and subject matter.

― Redd Temple Player (Two Headed Dogg) (Ken L), Monday, 1 May 2006 01:58 (nineteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

classic classic classic
far and away Melville's finest (for me)

― davelus (davelus), Monday, 22 May 2006 21:16 (nineteen years ago)

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