Jean-Pierre Melville

[knives]

I saw Un Flic recently too and had similar feelings. Sure it might not be Melville at his absolute best (though I think it might feature his best scene with Michael's sad dismissal), but it is still a pretty good movie that I'm really glad he made.

Out of curiosity is there anywhere not off the market to see Melville's two obscurities? They're the only ones I have left to see and it seems such an easy group to complete.

[Brian C]

Amazon has a MAGNET OF DOOM DVD under the title AN HONORABLE YOUNG MAN. A quick google search turns up no reviews, however.

[Drucker]

I've liked nearly every Melville I've seen, but I've watched them all once and they haven't stayed with me, so a re-watch is in order. That said, seeing Le Samourai last month cemented it's place in my head as an absolute masterpiece. If I'm being honest, there is a bit of complexity to some of the longer Melville films, and missing a subtitle or two has confused me in the past. LS is so straightforward and so economical in its storytelling that there's very little risk of that. I also love the ambiguity of Delon. Unlike protagonists fighting for the French Resistance/against Nazis/or old-timers going for one last heist, I don't feel like there's a straightforward reason to sympathize or root for Delon. And by the end, we are left with just as much mystery about his death as we are about his life. Not to say that Melville's films are clear good guys vs. bad guys parables, but this open-ended reading of this film really stands out.

[FrauBlucher]

For most of the running time, I found myself head over heels for Quand tu liras cette lettre (1953). Philippe Lemaire gives one of the great asshole performances as a skeevy lothario who forces himself on women, eventually raping one and driving her to suicide. The subsequent rape revenge is unexpected and diabolical in its own way, and Melville really nails the ultimate punishment for such toxic masculinity. And then…

Spoiler

I naturally thought that Lemaire was leading Juliette Greco on when he professed his love for her, as it came out of nowhere and would fit well with his character— how else to turn this to his advantage than to flip the tables on the woman who blackmailed him into doing the (horribly unfair to the victim) “right thing”? But then it becomes clear he is sincere, and what’s worse, Greco falls for it. Both arrive on this without the film justifying their about-faces. The film is missing a good ten minutes of narrative necessity to justify these emotional changes, and they are not present in the picture. While this means the film goes off the rails in the last twenty minutes, I did like the ending, with absolutely no one caring about Lemaire’s death— loved the nonchalant hosedown of the train!

Even with this huge caveat, this is still a highly enjoyable film from Melville, and one that deserves a rediscovery when/if it receives an English-friendly release.

Saw this tonight as part of the Melville series at the Gene Siskel Film Center this month, and while I share your issues with the big plot twist, I also find myself feeling like Therese's motives were not really well resolved by the film.

Spoiler

At the end of the film, when she's giving her vows, she references the failure of her "plan to deliver Max back to Denise" as if that was her intent all along. Was this a wink to the audience, to let us know that we misunderstood her intent in going to take the train to Max? Or was she just in denial about how she felt and how close she was to giving in to her lust for Max?

I don't even know if this is a problem with the film, but as it led to its denouement I was frustrated by how vaguely defined Therese's motives seemed. Maybe watching it again will shed some light on the question? Either way, I'm not so sure she fell for anything ... but she might have, I guess. She's an interesting character, at least.

I agree with you that Max's death was masterful in its pitilessness.

Overall, a strange film. Almost like a Cannes-set reworking of A Streetcar Named Desire. I understand that Melville more or less disowned it later in his career but there's a lot to like about it.

I saw this yesterday. It has been given a 4k restoration. Rialto (studio canal has nothing to do with this) has the rights so I could see this ending up with Criterion.

I have to agree with both Domino and Brian C about the issues of the plot twist. But I found it entertaining enough not to have that throw me off the pony. The ending worked for me as well. Best use of a hose I’ve seen in any film.

[GoodOldNeon]

Quand tu liras cette lettre is currently streaming on MUBI, as are Le silence de la mer and Deux hommes dans Manhattan. Unfortunately it's not the recent 4k restoration.

[Stefan Andersson]

René Chateau loses the rights to Deuxieme Souffle after 03/05/2025:
https://www.dvdclassik.com/forum/viewto ... 1&start=30

[therewillbeblus]

Tied a bow on Melville by finally seeing my last two unwatched titles, to mixed results:

For most of the running time, I found myself head over heels for Quand tu liras cette lettre (1953). Philippe Lemaire gives one of the great asshole performances as a skeevy lothario who forces himself on women, eventually raping one and driving her to suicide. The subsequent rape revenge is unexpected and diabolical in its own way, and Melville really nails the ultimate punishment for such toxic masculinity. And then…

Spoiler

I naturally thought that Lemaire was leading Juliette Greco on when he professed his love for her, as it came out of nowhere and would fit well with his character— how else to turn this to his advantage than to flip the tables on the woman who blackmailed him into doing the (horribly unfair to the victim) “right thing”? But then it becomes clear he is sincere, and what’s worse, Greco falls for it. Both arrive on this without the film justifying their about-faces. The film is missing a good ten minutes of narrative necessity to justify these emotional changes, and they are not present in the picture. While this means the film goes off the rails in the last twenty minutes, I did like the ending, with absolutely no one caring about Lemaire’s death— loved the nonchalant hosedown of the train!

Even with this huge caveat, this is still a highly enjoyable film from Melville, and one that deserves a rediscovery when/if it receives an English-friendly release.

I liked this too, but didn't read the third act that way at all

Spoiler

I think it's extremely ambiguous whether Lemaire actually has feelings for Greco or not, and even if he does, they seem born more out of self-interest (i.e. willing himself to fall in love to escape a situation of social imprisonment) than actual, genuine love. Similarly, she may have confused feelings of attraction for him, but maintains a position of disgust nonetheless, at least alongside that fleeting attraction. Even when Lemaire is alone with the woman in the nightclub trying to get her to tail Greco, she mentions that he's falling in love and he replies, "I'm not bleeding yet," which is an ambiguous line yet delivered in a manner reflecting selfish motives to evade a prescribed fate.

I actually liked the film better as it went on (the first act's wind-up didn't do much for me) because of how it reached heights of melodramatic ambiguity and just kept going with it til the bitter end!

[MichaelB]

René Chateau loses the rights to Deuxieme Souffle after 03/05/2025:
https://www.dvdclassik.com/forum/viewto ... 1&start=30

Given the French source, I'm assuming that's May the 3rd rather than March the 5th.