I first watched a Jean-Pierre Melville (real name Grumbach) film about twelve years ago. It was Le Samourai. It instantly became one of my favourite films and I left the cinema thinking “How come I’ve never heard of this guy before?” and “Why have I not heard of this film before?”
Now in his centenary year HOME cinema in Manchester has screened a season of his best-known films and I was blown away again. I came away thinking that he really is the Bresson of the crime drama. Spare, low-key, incisive. Minimal dialogue in which every line counts. Detail. Ritual. One of the things that most impressed me was the way he lets scenes “breathe”.
I saw:
Bob le Flambeur (1956)
Le Doulos (1963)
Le Deuxieme Souffle (1966)
Le Samourai (1967)
Army of the Shadows (1969)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Un Flic (1972)
I have also seen Le Silence de la Mer (1949), although not as part of the season.
I love the way he uses sound: the opening of Le Samourai where the only sound is the chirping bird; the dog barking during the burglary in Le Doulos; the crashing waves at the beginning of Un Flic. I love the way he uses colour: the washed out, muted tones but with the occasional splash of vivid colour which may be created simply by a lamp-shade on a desk. I love his humour, such as his focus on footwear.
He is a master at building tension too – look at the scene in Army of the Shadows where Lino Ventura is about to escape from the police near the beginning. The only sound is a ticking clock. You know he is going to try to escape by distracting the guard but you don’t know WHEN he will do it. Melville draws this scene out without dialogue for as long as possible where-as lesser film-makers would have rushed it. This is what I mean by letting scenes breathe.
And who could forget the 30 minute wordless heist scene in Le Cercle Rouge. Simply stunning, it out-Rififi’s Rififi. It sets the bar for all subsequent heist films.
His most personal film is Army of the Shadows, based on his time in the French resistance during the Second World War. I couldn’t begin to convey the brilliance of this film. It has one memorable scene after the other.
The only film in the season which I was disappointed by was Le Deuxieme Souffle, although it was a terrible print of the film so I really need to see a cleaned up version. Initial impressions are that it wasn’t as focussed as the other films.
Melville’s style is unique. His films are infused with his love of all things American, but filtered through a distinctly Gallic sensibility.
I’m pleased to say that Criterion are releasing a restored version of Le Samurai in November, and I will be the first to buy it.
So here’s to Jean-Pierre Melville, father of the New Wave, poet of the underground.