BOB LE FLAMBEUR previously at Film Forum in New York City

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From the director of Le Samourai & the writer of Rififi
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NEW TRANSLATION & SUBTITLES!

"THE CINEMATIC BIRTH OF THE COOL!
MELVILLE'S DROLLEST,
MOST LIKABLE GANGSTER MOVIE!...
A SUPERB RIFF WITH A BOFFO FINALE!"

-- J. Hoberman, Village Voice

(1955) Through the night streets of Montmartre saunters silver-haired Bob Montagné (Roger Duchesne), ex-gangster and, as per his nickname "Le Flambeur" (high roller, or compulsive gambler), moving from poker to craps to the track to roulette to baccarat and back, at the break of dawn, to the one-armed bandit he keeps in his posh pad with a view. Ever-dapper in snap-brim and raincoat, with the occasional tux thrown in, Bob shows neophyte hood Daniel Cauchy the ropes, looks out for lusciously amoral mignon Isabelle Corey ("France's newest pin-up girl! The discovery of 1956!" shouted the trailer), and gets rides from pre-war antagonist Inspector Guy Decomble (later the French teacher in Truffaut's 400 Blows); although there may be time for a last, and greatest heist, the casino at Deauville - but in an outrageous climax, it all hinges on one final, ironic deal of the cards.

Melville's first original screenplay, co-scripted with French pulp novelist Auguste Le Breton (following Melville's disappointment at not filming the author's Rififi), and the first of his gangster films, here done as both homage and comic riff, and in its incredibly evocative shots of a noir Montmartre, "a love letter to a Paris which no longer existed." Bob was, in its sheer exuberance, a blast of fresh air in the 50s atmosphere of the cinéma de qualité, and a precursor to the free shooting style of the nouvelle vague. (There are two homages to Bob in Godard's Breathless, including a cameo by Melville himself.) Unreleased in the U.S. until 1982 (although, re-titled Fever Heat, it did show on 42nd Street in the 50s), and seldom seen theatrically since, Bob returns in a beautiful print, with striking blacks and whites providing the ideal night-time tour of 50s Paris, while the argot-riddled dialogue has been recently translated by Lenny Borger, who last year accomplished a similarly Herculean task with his recent subtitles for Rififi.

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Showtimes: 3:45, 7:50

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The silver-haired Bob (Roger Duchesne) plays the tables at Deauville for exceptionally high stakes in the climatic scene of Jean-Pierre Melville's 1955 masterpiece of French film noir, Bob Le Flambeur

Roger Duchesne. For more photos Click Here

BOB LE FLAMBEUR poster available ONLY at Film Forum, during the film's run. $20 tax included. Click here to see larger version of poster

BOB LE FLAMBEUR poster available
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BOB LE FLAMBEUR [DVD]
DVD or VHS

Hard-Boiled: Great Lines from Classic Noir Films by Peggy Thompson Saeko Usukawa, Lee Server (Introduction)

French Film Noir
by Robin Buss

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Questions/Comments? E-mail Film Forum. Box Office: 212-727-8110. Repertory screen is programmed by Bruce Goldstein. (Schedule subject to change). © 2001, The Moving Image, Inc. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission. Website Manager: Richard J. Hutchins. This page was last updated on August 5, 2008

"THE CINEMATIC BIRTH OF THE COOL! MELVILLE'S DROLLEST, MOST LIKABLE GANGSTER MOVIE!... A SUPERB RIFF WITH A BOFFO FINALE!"

"THE CINEMATIC BIRTH OF THE COOL!
MELVILLE'S DROLLEST,
MOST LIKABLE GANGSTER MOVIE!...
A SUPERB RIFF WITH A BOFFO FINALE!"