Purple Noon

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Plein Soleil Release Date: 1960 Director: René Clément Netflix Link IMDb Link

It’s probably evident throughout this blog that I’ll watch pretty much anything with one of my favorite actors in it. I’ve waded through a lot of direct-to-video nonsense due to my irrational completism. That torrid, romance novel cover alone would normally steer me away from this film. Purple Noon falls into the ‘I wouldn’t have even bothered watching this if not for Alain Delon’ category.

Purple Noon was remade as The Talented Mr. Ripley. I haven’t seen the remake, nor am I likely to, but if it’s anything like the original, I certainly wouldn’t bother now. I can’t imagine that Matt Damon could come anywhere near Delon’s awesomeness, and really, Delon is the only reason to watch this film.

Purple Noon is supposed to be a thriller. Perhaps I’m a little jaded on the concept of what is thrilling, but this wasn’t it. Hitchcock did it better in Rope. By that I mean that we know whodunnit and the tension lies merely in whether the killer will be caught and how.

If you’re interested in seeing Delon in a swimsuit, it’s worth a watch, but others really needn’t bother. Although, I would probably recommend this version over the remake (that I haven’t seen), but 9 times out of 10, I’d do that anyway.

Bob Le Flambeur

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Release Date: 1956 Director: Jean-Pierre Melville Netflix Link IMDb Link

Aaaaah, Melville. I’ve been watching his films sparingly since there aren’t that many of them and he’s one of my favorite French directors. Melville just doesn’t have a bad film and this one is on par with everything else I’ve seen by him. It does have a heist, but the character, Bob, is less of a laconic gangster than Melville normally portrays. He is a worldly, old-time, happy-go-lucky, ex gangster who is trying to make it straight. Bob finds himself at odds with the world around him and, eventually, is forced into his old gangster ways by circumstance. The world is changing while he stands still, in contrast to his plucky protege, Paolo, who embraces change easily while Bob struggles.

Claude Chabrol, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard are generally credited with starting The French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague), but most of the elements can be seen right here in Bob Le Flambeur, years before Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge (1958), Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959) or Godard’s Breathless (1960). Nouvelle Vague’s deep contrast shadows, hand-held camera, voyeuristic visual style, on-location shooting, unusual editing sequences, and narrative with lots of hip street lingo and indirect social commentary can all be found in this film. Melville rarely gets any credit, yet his influence on the world of film is incalculable. Godard acknowledges that this is his favorite Melville film and it’s quite obvious just how much influence it had. Everyone from Godard and Truffaut, to Scorsese and Tarantino have borrowed from it.

In context, Bob Le Flambeur was well ahead of its time, but even half a century later, it has an interesting, intricate story (written by the director) with great characters and cool direction. Bob Le Flambeur is a must-see for fans of French cinema.

Red Sun

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Soleil Rouge Release Date: 1971 Director: Terence Young Netflix Link IMDb Link

I avoided this movie for forever. I am really not a fan of westerns (without Clint Eastwood), but Red Sun happens to be one of the last readily-available Toshiro Mifune movies I hadn’t seen. I bit the bullet only to find out that, as an added bonus, Red Sun also stars Alain Delon. Wait, What?! Toshiro Mifune, Charles Bronson and Alain Delon in the same movie? A French version of a spaghetti western with Comanche indians, samurai and Charles Bronson? How the hell did that happen? Seriously, how did this movie ever get made? Anyway, I’m glad it did since it’s not half as bad as I was expecting. It has an unusual story, loosely based on historical fact, but I wouldn’t exactly call it historical. If nothing else, it’s certainly entertaining to see Mifune traipsing through the American west in full samurai gear next to Bronson in search of Delon. I also enjoyed watching Mifune kick Bronson’s ass. It’s a mindfuck to see Delon and Mifune speaking English (and not too badly either). Because of my adoration of Mifune, I have waded through more mediocre to terrible films than I thought possible, especially films from his later years (e.g. The Bushido Blade), but Red Sun is better than most.

Boudu Saved From Drowning

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Boudu Sauvé des Eaux Release Date: 1932 Director: Jean Renoir Netflix Link IMDb Link

If you are willing to put up with the less than stellar transfer, Boudu Saved from Drowning is magic. Funny and controversial, it stands the test of time. The titular character is a fairly unlikable chap who does everything wrong; he disrespects the generosity of the man who saved him partly because he didn’t want to be saved and partly because he simply doesn’t know any better. When you live outside, it’s only natural to spit on the floor. Boudu is one part comedy, one part study of human nature and two parts social commentary on class structure. The cast is excellent, the dialog is clever and the cinematography is interesting. Watching it today, you can see how much influence this film had, including, but not limited to, the remake of it; Down and Out in Beverly Hills. Boudu is worth watching for fans of French cinema.

Girl On A Motorcycle

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Release Date: 1968 Director: Jack Cardiff Netflix Link IMDb Link

Girl On A Motorcycle is sooooo very 60′s in style, tone and execution. It has all of the youthful rebellion and angst one has come to expect from its particular vein of films from that decade. It also has its share of groovy soundtrack music, psychedelic dream sequences and hyper-color double negative “love” scenes. Most of the film unfolds in the form of flashbacks and the narrative is out of sequence. The bulk of the dialog is internal from the perspective of Marianne Faithfull consisting of that typical “what does it all mean?” and “where do I fit in?” existential jibber jabber. If you like hep 60′s cinema along the lines of Easy Rider, you’ll probably dig it.

Novo

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Release Date: 2002 Director: Jean-Pierre Limosin Netflix Link IMDb Link

Having had first-hand experience with memory issues not unlike the protagonist of Novo, I’m drawn to films with loss of memory at their core. Usually, I’m disappointed. This film, while not entirely accurate, does a fairly good job of portraying what it’s like not to be able to remember things from five minutes previous. It’s frightening, you panic, and you have to have a very good system to be able to cope. As usual, the filmmakers failed to understand the difference between short and long-term memory and lumped them into one big bucket of amnesia. However, they do make the point that short-term memory can improve. The brain compensates by building new pathways, and eventually, short-term memory does get better. While not great, Novo is an interesting twist on the staid amnesia plot.

Le Deuxième Souffle

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1966 Director: Jean-Pierre Melville Netflix Link IMDb Link

Le Deuxième Souffle (The Second Wind) is not as good as some Melville films, which still puts it far and away above the rest of its genre. The plot is meticulously detailed with a jailbreak, a police manhunt and a heist. So much so that it’s almost like several films in one. Unusual for a Melville film, the female lead does more than just get slapped around or make sandwiches. In fact, the female character is an integral part of the plot. However, the mainstay is the men and their interactions. Trust, betrayal and honor are at the core. If you are unfamiliar with Melville, this would not be the film I’d recommend to start. I’d recommend Le Cercle Rouge, Le Doulos and Le Samourai ahead of it. However, if you’re a fan of gritty French crime dramas, it’s definitely worth a watch.

Tokyo!

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2008 Director: Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Joon-ho Bong Netflix Link IMDb Link

I wasn’t expecting all that much with this trio of vignettes so I was pleasantly surprised by what I received. Each of the three stories is a far-fetched fable, beautifully filmed and acted with more than a little surreality and fantasy infused. Three different directors telling three tales with the only common threads being Tokyo, and the complete isolation and ostracism it can create. All of the main characters are outsiders, either by choice or circumstance, much like the directors themselves. Even though they all have differing perspectives and plots, all three short films fit nicely together into a total package that is definitely worth watching.

Le Samorai

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Release Date: 1967 Director: Jean-Pierre Melville Netflix Link IMDb Link

It just doesn’t get much cooler than Alain Delon, the poster boy for French antiheros. And when you pair him with the ultimate French gangster film director, Jean-Pierre Melville, you end up with a stylish and sophisticated gangster classic. Typical of Melville, the main characters are laconic men who are masculine without machismo. While the technology in this film is dated, the story still holds up and actually does parallel that of a samurai; keeping your word and doing what you have to do in the name of honor, regardless of the consequences. Realistically, Melville’s samurai is more of a ronin – a samurai without permanent employment – think Lone Wolf And Cub or Yojimbo. Le Samorai is the perfect blend of French, existential, gangster angst and lone-wolf, samurai honor. With sparse dialog and taught suspense, Le Samorai is a slick and understated classic.

Tokyo Eyes

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1998 Director: Jean-Pierre Limosin Netflix Link IMDb Link

Tokyo Eyes was not as good as I would have hoped, but I still liked it for some unknown reason. It could be because there’s a little bit of Fight Club-ish mischief in here which is always appreciated. It has some plot holes and it was entirely too “love story” for me to really get into, but its interesting premise saved it from being merely another overly dramatic romance. With a strange and tiny cameo from Takeshi Kitano, and solid performances from the lead actors, there’s not too much to complain about with this film which is why it gets 4 stars, but I wouldn’t strongly recommend it.