Bob Le Flambeur (1956)

The Story

Melville’s highly influential, playful gangster film lovingly sketches Montmartre as both a realistic geography and a cartoon milieu of two-bit criminal Paris. An homage to the mood and atmosphere of the American gangster film, its low-budget joie de vivre and existential world-weariness paved the way for the nouvelle vague. Evocatively shot and featuring a magnificently cool and knowing performance by Roger Duchesne as the compulsive gambler Bob.

Synopsis by Adrian Danks.

Rating

PG

Language

English, French (english subtitles)

Cast

Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, André Garet

Director

Jean-Pierre Melville