Bob le flambeur (1956)

Director:

Jean-Pierre Melville

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (dialogue)
Auguste Le Breton (writer)

Release Date:

1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Bob, a old gangster and gambler is almost broke, so he decides in spite of the warnings of a friend...

Plot Keywords:

Casino | Police | Gambler | Deauville | Robbery

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Isabelle Corey	...	Anne
Daniel Cauchy	...	Paolo
Roger Duchesne	...	Robert 'Bob' Montagné
André Garet	...	Roger
Gérard Buhr	...	Marc
Guy Decomble	...	Commissaire Ledru
Claude Cerval	...	Jean, le croupier
Howard Vernon	...	McKimmie, le commanditaire
Colette Fleury	...	Suzanne, la femme de Jean
Simone Paris	...	Yvonne
René Havard	...	Inspecteur Morin
Germaine Licht	...	La concierge
Jean-Marie Rivière	...	P'tit Louis, un gangster
Chris Kersen	...	Un gangster (as Kris Kersen)
Henry Allaume	...	Un gangster (as Allaume)

Also Known As:

Bob the Gambler
Fever Heat (USA)
Jean-Pierre Melville's Bob the Gambler (Australia)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Spain:13 | UK:PG | Portugal:M/12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Organisation Générale Cinématographique

Trivia:

Jean Cocteau did an uncredited rewrite of the script at one point for Jean-Pierre Melville. Most of the script was rejected because it focused too much Bob and Paulo's relationship rather then Melville's original intentions.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Bob goes to ask for money to the race horse owner, you can clearly see the shadow of the camera on the ground.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in À bout de souffle (1960)

Perfected the clichés that made every filmmaker want to rob casinos.

"Bob the high-roller," as he was called in the translation I watched; loves gambling. He's also a thief. Everyone thinks he's retired, including the police sergeant he keeps in touch with. But he suddenly gets a taste for it again, and decides to put a group together and rob a casino. Remade un-memorably with Nick Nolte as The Good Thief, this black and white French original created the clichés that made the whole world sing, from Ocean's Eleven (1960), Reservoir Dogs (1991), Casino (1994) and every other breezy heist movie ever made. Stanley Kubrick said he stopped making crime movies because Melville made the perfect one here.

Great characters, a memorable score with jazzy sections, great performances, and probably the best pacing and story of any heist/noir/crime movie from the 30's, 40's or 50's. This is just guaranteed compulsively good entertainment, and as a first experience from Jean-Pierre Melville, instantly encourages me to see everything else he did. My next steps will by Le Cercle Rouge, Army in the Shadows and Le Samourai.