Bob Le Flambeur (1956) ***1/2
Bob Le Flambeur (Bob The Gambler) (1956), director Jean-Pierre Melville's precursor to the French New Wave, is one of those films that I feel like I should like a lot more than I do. Largely this is due to its reputation as one of the greatest crime films (as well as a favorite film of many directors I admire). I do like the film (which I’ve seen twice now) a lot, but I prefer the detached cool and slightly grittier edge of Melville’s later film Le Samouraï (1967) (my review here).
There is a breezy noirish charm to BLF that is undeniably attractive but I have to admit to splitting this latest viewing up into two sittings (something I rarely do) because I was losing interest in the film’s first half and I wanted to resume when I felt more attentive. For some reason, BLF is a film that just feels long. The sparse narration doesn't add anything to the film and—this is a small critique—the crew assembled for the heist seems unreasonably large. Auguste Le Breton co-wrote the adaptation from Melville's original story. Le Breton collaborated a year earlier on Jules Dassin's Rififi (my review here), which is a better film with better heist planning and execution scenes.
But there is plenty to appreciate about Bob. I love the frankness of the sexuality—in particular regarding the character Anne (Isabelle Corey)—absent at the time from American films. Titular character Bob’s (Roger Duchesne) chummy relationship with the police was unique and influential to future films. An interesting technique used in regards to the music of BLF is that it varies in almost every scene, creating a diverse, if at times jarring, score. The pacing in the second half is more exciting but there is a sort of “feel-good” ending (avec dialogue delivered straight to camera) after the death of a main character that is memorable but kind of odd.
You can find my Jean-Pierre Melville Feature Films Ranked list here.
There is a breezy noirish charm to BLF that is undeniably attractive but I have to admit to splitting this latest viewing up into two sittings (something I rarely do) because I was losing interest in the film’s first half and I wanted to resume when I felt more attentive. For some reason, BLF is a film that just feels long. The sparse narration doesn't add anything to the film and—this is a small critique—the crew assembled for the heist seems unreasonably large. Auguste Le Breton co-wrote the adaptation from Melville's original story. Le Breton collaborated a year earlier on Jules Dassin's Rififi (my review here), which is a better film with better heist planning and execution scenes.
But there is plenty to appreciate about Bob. I love the frankness of the sexuality—in particular regarding the character Anne (Isabelle Corey)—absent at the time from American films. Titular character Bob’s (Roger Duchesne) chummy relationship with the police was unique and influential to future films. An interesting technique used in regards to the music of BLF is that it varies in almost every scene, creating a diverse, if at times jarring, score. The pacing in the second half is more exciting but there is a sort of “feel-good” ending (avec dialogue delivered straight to camera) after the death of a main character that is memorable but kind of odd.
You can find my Jean-Pierre Melville Feature Films Ranked list here.
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