Melville and Demy Films

Army of Shadows (1970) - Melville. Co-stars Simone Signoret and Lino Ventura. 145 minutes. Story follows members of the French Resistance during WW II. Uneven movie. Good points: Somber and realistic. Excellent acting. Good beginning and ending, with a few good scenes in between. The movie and the people felt "real" Cons: The movie is far too long and 25 minutes could have been cut without loss. Minimal dialogue and character development. At times the pace is glacial. Summary: Good, but needed a faster pace and a better script. Rating **1/2

Le Samouri (1967) Melville. Effective noir about a Parisian hit man played by Delon. Alan Ladd was better but Delon is good. Lots of atmosphere and a minimum of dialogue or plot. Some nice moments, but a little long - a 70 minute story expanded to 95 minutes. Rating **1/2

Le Cercle Rouge (1970) Melville. A newly released Con meets up with an escaped killer and pulls off a Jewell heist. Well acted by Delon and Montand, this seemed an updated French version of a 40s film noirs. Everyone is cool and tough with minimal dialog. Some good scenes, especially in the first 30 minutes, but story-wise its a 90 minute picture stretched out to 140. And much of the movie seemed flat or empty; the characters aren't well developed and nothing was done to make the two criminals likable or interesting. The high IMDB rating (8.1) baffles me. Rating **1/2

Bay Of Angels (1963) Demy. Interesting character study of two French Gamblers on the Rivera. A neophyte gambler is drawn into a relationship with Jeanne Moreau, an addicted gambler. Well photographed and acted - and its cool seeing Cannes and Monte Carlo circa 1963. Moreau looks dazzling. The movie shows the almost demented nature of the gambling addict with its highs and lows. Cons: Watching someone play roulette over and over is dull. Further, Moreau's addiction/craziness also became tiresome after awhile. The ending was unbelievable. More interesting than enjoyable. Rating **1/2

Lola (1961) Demy Dedicated to Ophuls, several romantic stories revolve around Lola a Cabaret dancer and unmarried mother. A well paced film, with charming, likable characters - not very realistic but sincere. Anouk Aimee is excellent as the girlish, emotional, Lola. The photography is well done. Flaws:Primitive sound (especially the dubbed English dialogue) and some wooden acting. Summary - A simple, likable film - a good warm-up for the more sophisticated "Umbrellas of Cherbourg". Rating **1/2