Juliette Greco plays Therese, a nun-in-training who returns to “civilian” life to care for her young sister Denise (Irene Gatter). When Denise is compromised by love-’em-and-leave-’em stud Max (Philippe LeMaire), Therese forces Max at gunpoint to propose marriage to the hapless girl. Fascinated by this extreme behavior, Max falls madly in love with Therese…Read More »
Jean-Pierre Melville
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Jean-Pierre Melville – Quand tu liras cette lettre AKA When You Read This Letter (1953)
1951-1960DramaFranceJean-Pierre Melville -
Jean-Pierre Melville – Léon Morin, prêtre AKA Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
1961-1970ArthouseDramaFranceJean-Pierre MelvilleJean-Paul Belmondo delivers a subtly sensual performance in the hot-under-the-collar Léon Morin, Priest (Léon Morin, prêtre), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The French superstar plays a devoted man of the cloth who is desired by all the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. He finds himself most drawn to a sexually frustrated widow—played by Emmanuelle Riva—a religious skeptic whose relationship with her confessor turns into a confrontation with both God and her own repressed desire. A triumph of mood, setting, and innuendo, Léon Morin, Priest is an irreverent pleasure from one of French cinema’s towering virtuosos.Read More »
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Jean-Pierre Melville – Le samouraï (1967)
France1961-1970CrimeJean-Pierre MelvilleMysteryQuote:
In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology—maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece Le samouraï defines cool.Read More » -
Jean-Pierre Melville – Les enfants terribles (1950)
Jean-Pierre Melville1941-1950ArthouseDramaFranceQueer Cinema(s)The dangerously obsessive relationship between a psychologically manipulative brother and sister who isolate themselves and draw others into their mind games.Read More »
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Jean-Pierre Melville – Deux hommes dans Manhattan AKA Two Men in Manhattan (1959)
1951-1960Film NoirFranceJean-Pierre MelvilleThrillerSynopsis:
A French UN delegate has disappeared into thin air, sending reporter Moreau (Jean-Pierre Melville) and hard drinking photographer Delmas (Pierre Grasset) on an assignment to find him. Their only lead is a picture of three women.Read More » -
Jean-Pierre Melville – Un flic AKA A Cop (1972)
1971-1980CrimeDramaFranceJean-Pierre MelvilleQuote:
Edouard Coleman (Alain Delon) spends his days and nights chasing criminals, but doesn’t see the crook right under his nose. Simon (Richard Crenna), a smooth nightclub owner, works with a small crew to execute daring heists with big payoffs, while the beautiful Cathy (Catherine Deneuve) is torn between them. As cop and criminal do what they do best, paths converge and old scores must be settled. The 13th and final film from Gallic great Melville (Bob Le Flambeur, Army of Shadows) doubles-down the ice-blue look that had been the director’s signature in Le Samourai and Le Cercle Rouge, both starring the equally cool Delon.Read More » -
Jean-Pierre Melville – Le Cercle Rouge AKA The Red Circle (1970)
1961-1970CrimeDramaFranceJean-Pierre MelvilleSynopsis:
Master thief Corey (Alain Delon) is fresh out of prison. But instead of toeing the line of law-abiding freedom, he finds his steps leading back to the shadowy world of crime, crossing those of a notorious escapee (Gian Maria Volonté) and alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand). As the unlikely trio plots a heist against impossible odds, their trail is pursued by a relentless inspector (Bourvil), and fate seals their destinies. Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le cercle rouge combines honorable anti-heroes, coolly atmospheric cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces to create a masterpiece of crime cinema.Read More » -
Jean-Pierre Melville – Le deuxième souffle (1966)
1961-1970CrimeDramaFranceJean-Pierre MelvilleVeteran gangster Gustave (Lino Ventura) escapes from prison to find his sister is being blackmailed by some petty thugs in this crime thriller. He plans one last caper to steal enough money in hopes of retiring to a tropical paradise. He and his gang are sought by a detective (Paul Meurisse), the cop who plays by the book and avoids the sadistic torture practiced by his less-honorable cohorts. Soon Gustave is caught between the police and the double-crossing gangsters and discovers too late that there is no honor among thieves.Read More »
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Jean-Pierre Melville – 24 heures de la vie d’un clown AKA A Day in the Life of a Clown (1946)
1941-1950FranceJean-Pierre MelvilleShort FilmA day in the life of Beby the clown. Filmed between shows at Circus Medrano, at home and in the streets of Paris, with his faithful partner and friend the clown Maïss.Read More »
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