Bob le Flambeur (1956)

 Jean-Pierre Melville's "Bob le Flambeur"


I've always read that many of the most prominent French New Wave directors were really drawn to Jean-Pierre Melville, especially his 1956 film "Bob le Flambeur." While I cannot say that I was very keen on the film myself, I do understand some of the visual elements that really drew them in. For example, the use of handheld camera was an incredibly stark and notable visual in one of the sequences. This use of handheld would become a feature of the French New Wave film movement. On top of this, the playful single jump cuts were also elements of "Bob le Flambeur" that transitioned into the burgeoning New Wave.

"Bob le Flambeur" centers on an aging gambler and former bank robber who attempts one last job of robbing the casino in Deauville. He gathers an ensemble to help him perform this feat, only for things to go sideways and he ends up arrested. 

The film did not interest me as much as I was expecting it to. It shared similar qualities to Stanley Kubrick's "The Killing" released in the US in the same year. Although I am not very gung-ho for that particular film either, I found it far more engaging than "Bob le Flambeur." I thought certain elements of the film really attracted me and the interpersonal relationships far more engaging than the former. However, I felt a lack of consequence to anything that happened unfortunately. It just did not catch my attention. That being said, I still consider it a solid film. I see its merits both visually and thematically. I just won't be revisiting it any time soon.



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