Although not as familiar to Western audiences as Godard and Truffaut, in France,
Jean-Pierre Melville is an esteemed member of their film hall of fame who between 1950 and 1970 directed twelve films that earned him critical acclaim and the title of Godfather of noveau vague (The French New Wave).
Le Cercle Rouge released this week on a prestigious
Blu-Ray from Studio Canal produced in 1970, and arguably his masterpiece, was his final film before his sudden death in 1973 from a heart attack. He was fifty-six years old. On the same day Corey (
Alain Dellon), the suave, aristocratic thief, is released from a stretch in prison, the murderous Vogel (
Gian Maria Volonte) makes a daring exit from a moving train and escapes the custody of the cerebral Commissaire Mattei. Corey and Vogels paths cross after Corey robs his old mob boss then flees town, only for Vogel to stow away in the trunk of his car. The two mismatched criminals enlist the help of an ex police sharpshooter called Jansen (the sublime
Yves Montand) and hatch a plan to commit a jewelery heist that will leave them sitting pretty for the rest of their lives. But big egos, a lack of trust for each other and mobster Rico and Commissaire Mattei fast on their tales mean our anti-heroes traverse a rocky road where the stakes are life and riches or death and ruin. Watching Le Cercle Rouge for the first time is a mind-blowing experience, particularly if you are a gangster/heist movie connoisseur. On the one hand it all seems horribly clichéd; if this were a new movie, released today, it would be panned for its complete lack of originality. However, this was before Tarantino, before Woo, before Mann and before Scorsese; this was the film that inspired all those filmmakers; and the essence of the stories that these great, contemporary men capture and convey, and their styles, are all clearly inspired by Melville and perhaps Le Cercle Rouge even more than Le Samourai, or Le Doulos, which were his other notable cops and robber films. The action is beautifully choreographed, the unfolding of the narrative is well paced and the characters are wonderfully unique. Corey is the definition of cool, while the homicidal, egotistical Vogel provides a great opposite. Theyre too larger than life characters, whose chemistry rivals that of Jules and Vincent in Pulp Fiction or Charlie and Johnny in Mean Streets. And Commissaire Mattei is another memorable character: relentless in his pursuit of Vogel and justice, merciless to criminals, but a lover of cats with an apartment full of his beloved pets. The film is not without flaws. While it is a stylistic gem, with great attention and detail paid to colours and lighting to reflect tone and mood, which is very complimentary to the aesthetic of the piece, Melvilles overemphasis on style and tone affects the films pace and rhythm; so viewers who like their action hard and fast may find it painfully slow.
Its also not necessarily the most female friendly of films, though few of Melvilles films would pertain to that category. Melville was a womaniser, brought up on the works of Howard Hawks and John Ford, who made movies that were ostensibly focused on their heroes who were invariably male. And as Melville relates the sensibilities of his idols throughout his films, his stance on women puts their seemingly chauvinistic ideals to shame. The film is void of any female character with any sense of nobility or character, they are merely functioning, beautiful, eye candy; the kind you would see in any modern, generic, British lads mag movie. These things aside, the experience of seeing a film that was so ahead of its time and certainly has stood the test of time, but for some reason is woefully underexposed, make Le Cercle Rouge a must see. So for a truly sublime heist movie, which the great filmmakers of the past thirty years openly admit to owing a great debt to, and one that puts to shame most of the recent gangster/ heist movies spat out by the Hollywood derivative movie-making machine, watch Le Cercle Rouge.
Quality
The transfer appears to be flawless and gives added depth to the detail that was already in great abundance; furthermore it serves to bring the colours alive that Melville employs wonderfully to reflect mood and tone to many of his scenes. What is really satisfying with this transfer is the way that although it cleans the print and enhances the colours and detail in the film, the Blu-Ray does not give it a glossy effect that so many other Blu Rays have done and indeed early DVDs did. The result is the grainy often dirty effect that Melville desired for this picture is kept in tact.
Extras
Although it is not crammed full of extras, the Blu-Ray does contain some very interesting and insightful material. The introduction by
Ginette Vincendeau a professor of cinema, specialising in French cinema history at Kings College, London gives some very detailed information about the production and different interpretations of the film and Melvilles intentions. While the documentary, Code Name: Melville, is a great exploration of the director: his works, his life and his legacy.
Le Cercle Rouge is available on
Blu-Ray from Studio Canal right now.