Le deuxième souffle (2007)

After watching this, I don't see why they had to make this remake. There are not many changes from the 1966 version by Jean-Pierre Melville. One big change I noticed was the location of the robbery: in the 1966 version it was on a remote road, in this new version it was in a warehouse - to protect the informer because if the attack was on the road, it would be dangerous for him as only 3 people knew the secret route.

I haven't read the book by José Giovanni, on which both movies are based, but I believe if the remake was based on that, it would at least more different, than working based on Melville's film. Many scenes are the same: the escape from prison, the train chase (which reminded me of the anecdote how Melville made Lino Ventura do the stunt himself), Orloff's room, the clothes [I read that in the 60's Parisians didn't wear trench-coats and fedoras anymore],... 

Escaped from prison, Gu (Daniel Auteuil) joins his mistress Manouche (Monica Bellucci) and her loyal bodyguard Alban (Eric Cantona) in Paris. Manouche helps Gu to escape to Italy and wants to go with him. In Marseille, Orloff (Jacques Dutronc - looks taller than usual) offers a last job so Gu can have money before going. The job is to rob a van contains gold ingots, with Venture Ricci (Daniel Duval), Antoine and Pascal, who are searching for the 4th man. Gu agrees, the job goes well, but smart Inspector Blot (Michel Blanc) knows Gu is behind the robbery and traps him, so other gangsters hear that Gu is a grass. Gu determines not to go across to Italy before clearing his name.

homage to Le samouraï-->

Daniel Auteuil is a good actor, but he is not Lino Ventura. Funny, I always think of Lino Ventura as a wrestler-turned-actor (and Auteuil as a real actor), but to me Lino Ventura is Gu. The same goes to Michel Blanc, because Paul Meurisse is Inspector Blot.

Although Melville's film is in black and white, when he made a colour movie the next year, he put in his trademark: cold, bleak colour with bluish tint. My copy of Le cercle rouge from Criterion is in wrong colour (so I believe: too yellow) and I plan to get the version from Canal or BFI. This version of The Second Wind is also too yellow (it's the director's choice, of course), so you can see I don't like the colour of it. Another thing I like in Melville's films is although the stories are about gangsters and violence, on screen there are nothing so violent - especially compared with today's standards. Director of this new version, Alain Corneau, digs up the hidden violence, so we can see blood spurts and torn flesh - like watching a Quentin Tarantino movie. Well, I complained because the torture scene of Paul Ricci (in this version his name is Venture Ricci) had been taken out from the 1966 version - due to censorship, but am I happy because it is available in the new version? No, I am not. Well, at least those who care for Manouche can be relieved because in this version we can see Orloff will be taking care of her.

2007 version : too yellow

Les enfants terribles (1950)

This was on TV last night. I wonder if TV5 is doing a Melville marathon, because next week it will be Bob le flambeur.

Based on Jean Cocteau's famous novel (he also did the screenplay, narrated the movie and imposed Melville to cast his protegé Edouard Dermithe to play Paul) , Les enfants terribles is about two siblings, Elisabeth and Paul, who live in their own world. The relation between them is like incest. They play games with their own rules and often force their friend Gérard to join, like when they force him to steal a big water-pot. In the beginning of the movie, we see Paul still goes to school until the incident when his friend Dargelos, whom he secretly admires, throws a snowball which contains a stone to him. The weak Paul is injured and has to stay at home. Elisabeth now has to take care of Paul and their sick mother. After the death of their mother, Elisabeth finds work in haute-coutueur where she meets Agathe. She brings Agathe home and Paul is amazed with her resemblance to Dargelos (they were played by the same actress: Renée Cosima). Elisabeth is married, but her husband soon dies. Agathe and Paul falls in love with another and both confide in Elisabeth, but Elisabeth tells Agathe and Paul opposite things. Broken hearted, Paul kills himself with poison from Dargelos, and soon after, Elisabeth shoots herself; although the slogan "suicide is a mortal sin" is written on their mirror. The last scene when Elisabeth falls onto the floor after shooting herself is like the death of the man who wants to kill Silien in Le Doulos.

Even though people say Dermithe didn't play well, but his resemblance to Nicole Stéphane (Elisabeth) is amazing. See the poster. There are lots of close-ups on Stéphane and we can see that her Roman profile is similar to the marble bust (without the moustache). Apart from Elisabeth's death scene, my 2 other favourite shots are: 1) when Paul drags his blanket on the chequered tiles 2) The opening credit which shows Elisabeth's dream : a silhouette of hers standing on the right, a tree of the left, and Paul lying on the billiard table covered with a blanket. This image from the opening credit is, in my opinion, the most beautiful thing in the movie.

Le deuxième souffle (1966)

This movie was based on José Giovanni's book, so I could guess that the story would be about police vs recidivist. The center character, Gu, played by Lino Ventura, is not only a recidivist, but also a fugitive. His girlfriend plans his escape to another country, but he joins a dangerous heist to have 200m before leaving France.

In my first viewing, the movie was difficult to understand, especially the first part. There were too many characters, at least when compared to Jean-Pierre Melville's other movies I had seen. I was thinking to stop the DVD and started again from the beginning, but decided to go on. In my 2nd viewing, I listened to the commentary by Ginette Vincendeau and Geoff Andrew, which was very useful. [Before that, I read Vincendeau's book 'An American in Paris'. ] I think this was the first time Ginette Vincendeau gave commentary during the whole movie, usually she only gave introduction or commented on several chosen chapters.

Le deuxième souffle (=The Second Wind. I have no idea what the title means. Gu's 2nd chance? Because this happens after he escaped from jail.) is Melville's last black and white movie. He would keep making b&w movies if the producers let him. However, I prefer his colour movies because I love how he chose the colours. My father couldn't remember if Un flic was in colour or b&w 1 day after watching and he was amazed when I told him that it was in colour.

I like the heist scene here, how the guys waiting that one of them finally examines the ants. The commentary mentioned how little the amount of blood, and that is exactly what I like about Melville's works. I recommended Le Samouraï to a friend, telling her about this beautiful movie about a hitman, but almost no violence, and that the blood in the whole movie I could remember was the scratch on Alain Delon's hand.

Le deuxième souffle was made after 3 years of inactivity. Melville said he had waited for a good subject. The result, as we have seen, was wonderful. I was somehow disappointed with the disappearance of the torture scene. After more than 40 years, I hoped that perhaps in the new release, the scene would be restored, but no. As Ms. Vincendeau said in the commentary, that would explain why Fardiano felt guilty enough that he agreed to write a confession. Does Fardiano think that Gu will let him go after writing it? The closing scene is very good: Inspector Blot (played by Paul Meurisse in one of his best roles) 'gives' Fardiano's confession to journalists. Blot and Gu belong to opposite sides, but they respect each other. What will Blot gain by exposing the confession? But in this case, he restores Gu's honour so Gu doesn't die in vain.

Bob le flambeur (1956)

Bob le flambeur (=Bob the gambler) is Jean-Pierre Melville's first gangster film. No big actor in this because at that time he couldn't afford one. When I first watched this, I was so impressed with the opening scene, where the director took time to explain about the district of Montmartre in Paris. "Montmartre is both heaven (Basilica of the Sacré Cœur is shown. The next frame shows a bus, shot from behind railings. The music is cleverly arranged that I think the bus is descending) and hell (the nightclubs are chosen to describe hell)."

In this movie, the usual elements in Melville movies are available: gangsters, police, an informant, betrayal, detailed plans made before the big robbery, characters dressed in trench-coats and fedoras... except that in the end there is no robbery because Bob wins so much in the casino that he forgets the time. The ending scene, the conversation between Bob and the police, is funny. They are talking about how a good lawyer perhaps can negotiate well, so that Bob can spend less time in jail. "With a better lawyer, you could be acquitted," said the police, to whom Bob replied, "With a really top lawyer, I could sue for damages."

À bout de souffle (1960)

I heard so much about this Jean-Luc Godard movie and wondered what it would be like. Apart from the jump cuts style, which looks like watching an old copy of a movie (because of several frames are missing - and in this case deliberately by the director), I see nothing else significant. Perhaps I was tired when I watched this. I think the long scene between Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Patricia (Jean Seberg) in the bedroom is interesting in a way; the dialogues are poetic. Director Jean-Pierre Melville appears in front of the camera as writer Parvulesco.

Michel Poiccard steals a car and shoots a police who follows him. Hunted, he stays with his American girlfriend, Patricia, while looking for his friend who owes him money so that they can escape to Italy.

So far, from all movies with Belmondo I have seen, I like Léon Morin, prêtre the best.

Léon Morin, prêtre (1961)

Somehow I had an impression that Léon Morin, prêtre (prêtre = priest) was a movie of religious discussion between a priest and one of his flocks. Yes, it's the main part of the movie, but there are much more than that. There are details about what happened in 1942-1945: the fate of the Jews, the difficulty to get shoes, collaborators, and some few good Germans. Set in occupation days, started when Italian soldiers were still in France, followed by the entrance of Germans, and ended until the French liberation. The story takes place in a small village where Barny (Emmanuelle Riva), a widow who works in a school's administration, goes to a church to have his half-Jewish daughter baptized. Barny herself doesn't believe in God. In the church, she meets Léon Morin (Jean-Paul Belmondo) in the confession box and after a brief discussion, he tells her to come to his place to borrow books. Since then, once a week, Barny always comes to the priest's place to borrow and return books and have discussions with him. Later, she is converted and falls in love with the young priest.



The movie is wonderful and I found myself attached to the screen the first time I watched it. Also enjoyed the religious discussions. Compared to other Jean-Pierre Melville works I have seen, where usually women are rare, in this one men are rare - if the soldiers and townspeople aren't included; and there are much more dialogues. In a time when a war is on, I suppose all young men must be going to the battles or hiding in the woods (as Resistance) , and that makes Léon Morin the most handsome man in the village and all women are attracted to him. Since the story is told from Barny's point of view, it would be interesting to know what he thinks, what goes on in his mind. Is he really a saint or he almost falls to temptation? He notices the women, too: he advices Barny to paint her toenails, sees that Marion is missing one earring and since he covers her knees, it means he notices them in the first place. I'm convinced that Morin enjoys his meetings with Barny and among all women in the movie, she is his equal. Is Barny converted because she sees the truth or because she loves the priest?

Le doulos (1962)

In French underworld, 'doulos' means 'hat' and the person who wears it is 'an informer'. Therefore, in English the title is translated as 'The Finger Man', which I think refers to Jean-Paul Belmondo's character, Silien. From the beginning of the movie, we are led to believe that Silien cannot be trusted. At first I also wondered about this, because in movies by Jean-Pierre Melville there is always honour among thieves, and that betrayal is the greatest sin.

The film starts by introducing us to Serge Reggiani's character, Faugel, who is recently out of prison. Faugel visits his fence, kills him, and takes the jewelry, money, the revolver and bury them. He has his girlfriend Therese to watch over a big house for their next job. On the D-day he asks Silien to bring over the tools, and go with Remy. The police come and Remy is killed, while Faugel himself is wounded. His friend Jean hides him, but thanks to Silien, the police can find Faugel and jail him.

The movie features 8 minutes scene shot in one take, when the police interrogate Silien. Melville was so proud of this scene, a proof that he could do it. After watching 4 of his works, where usually the story flows like water, I didn't expect any twist in Le Doulos. When Silien first tells his story, I was considering if he was telling the truth or not. I like the ending, that Silien takes time to look into the mirror, tidy his hair, and straighten his hat; before collapsing.

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

Buddha once drew a circle with a red chalk and said that people who were meant to meet, would come together in the red circle. See the poster. I think the three men inside the circle are: Corey (Alain Delon), Vogel (Gian Maria Volontè), and Jansen (Yves Montand). The one outside perhaps Mattei (André Bourvil). Just out of prison, Corey meets Vogel, a fugitive who happens to hide inside his car trunk, and together they will plan a jewelry heist, with the help of an ex-police sharpshooter Jansen.

I can't decide which one I love the most: Le Samouraï, L'armee des ombres, or Le cercle rouge. Each movie is unique. There is more suspense in Le cercle rouge, though, in my opinion. From the beginning of the movie, we see how Vogel escapes from the custody of Commisaire Mattei, and then how a prison guard sneaks into Corey's cell to tell him about the jewels, the roadblock inspections, the murder in the woods, the heist, and finally the police's trap.

Compared to other Jean-Pierre Melville works I have seen (4 so far), this movie has more colours. The version I watch is the Criterion DVD (region 1). At first it was hard to decide which version to get, for according to DVD Beaver, the Criterion's colour is messed up, too yellow. I don't know if this is the cause which makes me feel the movie is more colourful. In the end, I decided to get the Criterion because the extras were very tempting. And I do enjoy them very much, especially the anecdotes and the interviews with Melville and the cast.

In a time like this, when No Country for Old Men becomes the Best Picture of the year, I hope we have more film-makers like Melville.

L'armée des ombres (1969)

L'armée des ombres (Army of Shadows) begins on 20 October 1942 when Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura), a high ranking specialist, is being transported to a Vichy camp. Later he is brought to the headquarters of Gestapo in Paris, but is able to run away. Gerbier belongs to the Resistance and in this movie we see a small group of them.

The director, Jean-Pierre Melville, made this movie based on Joseph Kessel book. Blue green colour dominates the film and like the title, the movie is gloomy with shadows. There are not many actions and the director avoided melodrama as much as possible. In the poster we see a man tied to a chair and we perhaps will think about tortures, but there is not physical torture like that and only see distorted faces as the result. One of the most powerful scenes must be the execution of traitor Paul Dounat. This young man waiting in agony while his would-be executors discussing what method should be used. He died with tears in his eyes and his executors have troubled expression.

The cast is solid, including Simone Signoret as Mathilde, the only female in the small group, but is very reliable. We can see how brave she is when she arranges to save Felix (Paul Crauchet) who has been caught by the Germans. However, when she becomes their weak link, the group must take a bitter step and eliminate her.

Jean-Pierre Cassel plays Jean François, who sacrifices himself by letting the Gestapo catches him so he can help in saving Felix. His sacrifice turns out to be useless. Worse, as he is caught under a false name, his friends - including his brother (Paul Meurisse) who is also in the Resistance but don't know he joins the group and vice versa - don't know what is happening to him.

The movie ends on 23 February 1943, when Mathilde is killed. Then we learn the tragic end of her 'killers'. The end credit song is very beautiful. Although slow, like most of Melville's works, the movie is rich with details, like the involvement of French police in the black market, how show business was in the war, and how far the Brits could help. The DVD contains very helpful commentary by historian Professor Ginette Vincendeau.

Le Samouraï (1967)

Le Samouraï is the 2nd Jean-Pierre Melville work that I've seen. Melville never had a formal training as a director, so his style was very unique. When I first watched another of his work, Un Flic, it seemed to be slow; but at the 2nd viewing, I was in a better mood and amazed by the wonderful photography. Therefore, I knew what to expect when I was about to watch Le Samouraï. This movie is about solitude (and I read it's about schizophrenia, too) , a lonely hitman who lives in a minimalist flat with a bird. Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, the contract hitman whose eyes often look blank and empty, and I think it's a perfect way to portray an unhappy man; a dreamer who seems to live in another world. The choice of the bird as a pet is also interesting. Why a bird, and not a dog or a cat? -but as the story goes, the bird proves its usefulness, more effective than a dog or a cat, as it alerts the owner but not the intruder. The images are very beautiful and silence is used to build the suspense.

The movie begins with a shot of Jef's room, and while the credits roll gradually the audience can see that a man is lying on the bed, smoking. At first I thought the sound was of a fan in the ceiling, but there is no fan and it's the bird's. Another thing that amazes me is how dialogues are only used when necessary, and that makes this movie very elegant. After seeing 2 Melville works, I think he liked to maintain silence to build the suspense, and that time (in the movie) was very important. Melville's two movies I have seen have excellent picture quality. They are even clearer than recent movies. I think it's because the amount of light was generous (although some shot in darkness were blurry), and perhaps the pale colours he used were also important. My favourite scene are: the rain falls on Jef's car window, gives an excellent effect on his face, and when he feeds the bird.


Although entitled Le Samouraï, this is a French movie, set in Paris in 1967. Some of the costumes are not fit for the time (the fedora, trench-coat), but this was deliberately done, and they look great on-screen. Another thing that doesn't make sense is how so many police tail Jef all over the city, while the main witness without doubt states that he is not the killer and he has a solid alibi. In all, this is a very beautiful movie and what we need to do is to sit back and enjoy. Is there anything such as a perfect film? -but as a medium, this serves perfectly the director's intention.

Alain Delon Screen Icons

Let's say I'm in a mood to see movies with good-looking actors. There are 5 movies in the Alain Delon Screen Icons boxset.

Plein Soleil (1960) - before Talented Mr Ripley, Patricia Highsmith's novel becomes alive with this movie. Alain Delon plays Tom Ripley, who is sent by Philippe Greenleaf's father to save his son from a decadent life in Rome. Although poor, Tom is inteligent and his talents include forging signatures and immitating voices. Upset because Philippe treats him badly, Tom kills him and steals his money and later moves towards Philippe girlfriend, Marge. The ending is good: Tom happily sits on a chair under the sun while the police are ready to catch him. I myself prefer if he can get away from his crime and live happily ever after with Marge.

L'Eclisse (1962) - This is an art movie by Italian director Michaelangelo Antonioni and too difficult for me. The black and white pictures are wonderful, each frame is beautiful, but often the story goes very slow with no dialogue at all. The heroine is Vittoria (Monica Vitti), who has just suffered the break-up of a relationship. When she meets Piero (Delon), a stockbroker, she learns to fall in love again only to find that their worlds are different. What I like about this movie is how they stage the Italian Stock Exchange and to see what the business is like in the 60's.

Un Flic (1972) - I think what stands out from this one is the bank robbery in the beginning of the movie and the helicopter heist which seem very real and believable. Delon plays a cop (=flic) who has an affair with one of the robbers' girlfriend, played by Catherine Deneuve. There are parts in this movie where I can see how clear and blue Alain Delon's eyes are, so I can say the transfer is excellent, despite the grainy end credits.

Traitement de Choc (1973) - This one is a thriller. Annie Girardo plays Hélène Masson, a rich manager who is having a therapy at the Devilers centre. Delon plays the doctor who can make the old become younger and stonger. Hélène feels something is wrong but none believes him until she finds the doctor's terrible secret: take the essence from his young employees who are all illegal workers.

Flic Story (1975) - based on a true story set after the WW2. Paris cop Roger Borniche (Delon) tries to put dangerous criminal Emile Buisson who has escaped from a mental asylum into jail. During the pursuit, Buisson killed 36 people, including his mates who he thinks have betrayed him. This one is very enjoyable and Delon's Borniche reminds me of Lucky Luke, always has a cigarette in his mouth, lit or not; while Buisson who can kill without thinking is a fan of Edith Piaf's songs.

From all 5, my favourites are Plein Soleil and Flic Story, although I have to admit that I also like seeing young Alain Delon as a stockbroker running around in the Stock Exchange building in L'Eclisse.