“ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?”

By Raymond Benson

Although apparently it was not a hit when it was first released in 1956, Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le flambeur (aka Bob the Gambler) grew in reputation over the ensuing years and soon became a classic French film noir, often cited as one of the better crime films from that country in any decade.

Melville was an artist known for his minimalistic style that influenced many of the younger rebels who initiated the French New Wave. While Melville himself is usually not considered to be a New Wave director, he has been called the “godfather” of the movement. Both Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut have acknowledged him as a mentor of sorts, and in fact, Godard cast him in a small role—as a filmmaker—in his debut picture, Breathless.

Bob le flambeur is mostly a character study about a former thief/bank robber (played by the charismatic Roger Duchesne) who did time, is out of jail, and is attempting to lead a life without crime. His one vice, however, is gambling, and he can’t stop. Whenever he has money, he spends it on a dice game, at the races, at cards, or at the casino. He acknowledges that he has runs of bad luck… but when he’s feeling lucky, the world is his oyster. He tends to do kind things for people, such as help out a young woman, Anne (Isabelle Corey) who is one night away from being a streetwalker, or also showing a young protégé, Paolo (Daniel Cauchy), the ropes with regard to high stakes and the philosophical risks of life itself. Then temptation strikes—there’s the possibility of making a big score by robbing the safe at a casino with the help of a team of specialists. How the plot plays out produces the kind of irony that is reminiscent of what is displayed in, say, Kubrick’s The Killing.

The picture is an early one in Melville’s career, and he would go on to direct other, perhaps better, titles (Le Samouraï, Army of Shadows, Le Cercle rouge), but Bob le flambeur may be his best known work because of its striking style, the melancholic mood it evokes, and the central performance by Duchesne. It is a standout among the many French noirs being made in the 1950s.

Kino Lorber presents a beautifully restored 1920x1080p high definition transfer that looks gorgeous, and it comes with an audio commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton. Also included is the approximately half-hour documentary, Diary of a Villain, about the influence of the picture and its striking style. The theatrical trailer and other Kino Lorber trailers round out the package.

Bob le flambeur is recommended for any fan of film noir and/or French cinema. You’re sure to be a winner with this one.

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