Bob le Flambeur 4K UHD - Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Bob the Gambler" or "Fever Heat')

directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
France 1955

Suffused with wry humor, Jean-Pierre Melville’s Bob le Flambeur melds the toughness of American gangster films with Gallic sophistication to lay the roadmap for the French New Wave. As the neon is extinguished for another dawn, an aging gambler navigates the treacherous world of pimps, moneymen, and naïve associates while plotting one last score—the heist of the Deauville casino. This underworld comedy of manners possesses all the formal beauty, finesse and treacherous allure of green baize.

***

From Jean-Pierre Melville, the legendary director of Le Doulos, Le Samouraï, Army of Shadows and Un Flic. Suffused with wry humor, Bob Le Flambeur melds the toughness of American gangster films with Gallic sophistication to lay the roadmap for the French New Wave. As the neon is extinguished for another dawn, an aging gambler (Roger Duchesne) navigates the treacherous world of pimps, moneymen and naïve associates while plotting one last score—the heist of the Deauville casino. This underworld comedy of manners possesses all the formal beauty, finesse and treacherous allure of green baize. Boasting a wonderful screenplay by Melville and Auguste Le Breton (Rififi, Razzia) and stunning black-and-white cinematography by Henri Decaë (The 400 Blows, Purple Noon).

***

Both a tribute to classic American gangster films and a source of inspiration for French New Wave filmmakers, Bob le Flambeur is the first in a series of stylish noirs that Jean-Pierre Melville made in the mid-'50s. Co-scripted by the popular crime writer Auguste Le Breton (Rififi), this is the story of ex-bank robber and compulsive gambler Bob (Roger Duchesne), who plans a heist at the Deauville casino. As in many films of this genre, he assembles a team of old friends and new acquaintances to do the job, and is determined to pull it off despite the fact that the odds are stacked against him. The overall tone is admirably lighthearted, however, and despite many stylistic and thematic references to American caper movies, the whole enterprise remains genuinely French. "This is a kind of film that we want to make!" exclaimed the young and rebellious François Truffaut back in 1955. Jean-Luc Godard, in his turn, acknowledged Melville's influence by giving him an extended cameo in Breathless.

Posters

Theatrical Release: April - 1955 - France

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Comparison:

Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Kino - Region FREE - 4K UHD

Box Cover
		Bonus Captures:	Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 150 - Region 0 - NTSC	Kino Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Kino - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD
Runtime	1:42:48	1:42:19.299	1:42:13.166
Video	1.31:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.73 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	Disc Size: 36,045,922,800 bytes Feature Size: 28,918,609,920 bytes Average Bitrate: 33.93 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video / 1080P 23.976 fps	1.37:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 78,489,279,629 bytes Feature: 77,298,978,048 bytes Video Bitrate: 94.50 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Bitrate 4K Ultra HD:
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps	DTS-HD Master Audio French 1563 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1563 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English, None	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Video interview with Daniel Cauchy (“Paulo”) (21:58) • Radio interview with Jean-Pierre Melville (23:59) • Theatrical trailer (unrestored - 3:26) • 24 page liner notes DVD Release Date: April 16th, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 27	Release Information: Studio: Kino Disc Size: 36,045,922,800 bytes Feature Size: 28,918,609,920 bytes Average Bitrate: 33.93 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video / 1080P 23.976 fps Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton • Diary of a Villain - Documentary (25:45) • Theatrical Trailer (3:39) Blu-ray Release Date: July 2nd, 2019 Standard Blu-ray case Chapters 9	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.37:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 78,489,279,629 bytes Feature: 77,298,978,048 bytes Video Bitrate: 94.50 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video Edition Details: 4K Ultra HD • Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton Blu-ray • Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton • Diary of a Villain - Documentary (25:45) • Theatrical Trailer (3:39) • Diary of a Villain - Documentary (25:45) • Theatrical Trailer (3:39) 4K Ultra HD Release Date: August 13th, 2024 Black 4K Ultra HD Case inside slipcase Chapters 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Kino 4K UHD (November 2024): Kino have transferred Jean-Pierre Melville's Bob Le Flambeur to 4K UHD. The Kino 4K UHD package includes the previous 2019 Kino Blu-ray (see below for complete review.) This 4K UHD transfer is cited as a "UHD SDR Master by StudioCanal – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative".

Like 4K UHD transfers of The Long Wait, and I, the Jury, and many others below, Kino's 2160P transfer of Bob Le Flambeur does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision.) We have seen many other 4K UHD transfers without HDR; Mondo Macabro's Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, Cult Films Django 4K UHD, Umbrella's 4K UHD transfer of Peter Weir's The Last Wave and Criterion's 4K UHD transfers of I Am Cuba, The Others, Rules of the Game, Branded to Kill, In the Mood For Love, Night of the Living Dead and, further examples, Masters of Cinema's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Kino's 4K UHDs of Last Year at Marienbad, Nostalghia, The Apartment, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, In the Heat of the Night, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as well as Koch Media's Neon Demon + one of the 4K UHD transfers of Dario Argento's Suspiria.

With almost triple the bitrate the 2160P= improves in the expected areas; contrast layering, grain support, detail etc. but mostly the higher resolution has the film presentation looking its most film-like for home digital. I don't know if HDR would have made it any superior because it looks pretty flawless to me as is. The improvement with be dependant on your discerning eye and the size of your home theater system.

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages recently: Play Misty for Me (software uniformly simulated HDR), Signs (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Simple Plan (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fright, The Tenant (software uniformly simulated HDR), Gummo, Demon Pond, Happiness, Cheeky (software uniformly simulated HDR), Produced By Val Lewton , The Long Good Friday, The Ladykillers (software uniformly simulated HDR), Torso (software uniformly simulated HDR), All of Us Strangers, Last Year at Marienbad (NO HDR applied to disc), Peril & Distress (And Soon the Darkness / Sudden Terror) (NO HDR applied to disc), The Case of the Bloody Iris (software uniformly simulated HDR), Reptilicus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Risky Business (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Conversation (software uniformly simulated HDR), Perfect Days, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Le samouraï (software uniformly simulated HDR), Castle of Blood (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pat Garret and Billy the Kid (HDR), Fist of Legend (HDR), American Gigolo (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Long Wait (no HDR,) Bound (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Valiant Ones (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mute Witness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Narc (software uniformly simulated HDR), Peeping Tom (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Terrors House of Horrors (software uniformly simulated HDR), High Noon (software uniformly simulated HDR), Picnic at Hanging Rock (Criterion) (software uniformly simulated HDR)

NOTE: 46 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

On their 4K UHD, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit - a bump over the Blu-ray) in the original French language. The effects include some minor aggression with violence and horses at the racetrack. The score is credited to first-timers Eddie Barclay and Jo Boyer and suit the film well - playing subtly in the background. There are optional English subtitles (see sample) and the Blu-ray disc is Region 'A'-locked and the 4K UHD is Region FREE.

The 4K UHD has no video supplements but does include the previous Nick Pinkerton (Goodbye, Dragon Inn: 1 - Decadent Editions) commentary. He does a great job of balancing anecdotes about the principles and adding some analysis of the subtext and themes. I thought it was very much worth a listen for fans of both Melville and this particular film. The Blu-ray disc and the supplement, Journal D'un Malfrat (Diary of a Villain,) is included in this 4K UHD package (covered below.) There is a slipcase with vintage poster art.

Bob le flambeur was Jean-Pierre Melville's fourth film and the first in a string of gangster-related efforts. He uses an avant-garde style with cinematographer Henri Decaë (Louis Malle's Elevator to the Gallows, Franklin J. Schaffner's The Boys from Brazil and Melville's own Le Cercle Rouge.) Outside of racetracks, Bob Montagné (Roger Duchesne) is nocturnal with hotel, cafe and nightclub neon signs providing heavy Noir shroud with the Parisian locales. Slinky Isabelle Corey plays fatal-femme Anne in her first major role. She would go on to work with Roger Vadim, Mario Bava and Roberto Rossellini. Bob le flambeur, narrated by Melville, had a strong influence on Paul Thomas Anderson's impressive Neo-noir Hard Eight. It's sterile, pulpy and witty - full of clichés and the dark cinema tropes that fans find addictive. It's quite brilliant and serious Melville devotees should consider double-dipping. Those that don't own the film should pick up this masterwork via Kino's 4K UHD. Immediately.

***

ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - (June 2019) - Fans of Jean-Pierre Melville have waited patiently for some of his best work to come to Region 'A' Blu-ray. Thankfully Kino have started the ball rolling with a favorite; 'Bob le Flambeur' via a 4K Restoration. It looks wonderful on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate. Black levels are richer and deeper than the 2002 Criterion DVD - the image is brighter and has more detail as well as slightly more information on all four sides. The image has textured and consistent grain and, frankly, this looks even better than I anticipated. Wow.

NOTE: We have added 26 more large resolution Kino Blu-ray captures for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

The audio is transferred via lossless DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original French language. The effects include some minor aggression with violence and horses at the track. The score is credited to first-timers Eddie Barclay and Jo Boyer and suits the film well - playing subtly in the background. There are optional English subtitles (see sample) and the Blu-ray disc is Region 'A'-locked.

Kino include an audio commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton (Sight & Sound, Film Comment etc.) who does a great job of balancing anecdotes about the principles and adding some analysis of the subtext and themes. I thought it was very much worth a listen for fans of both Melville and this particular film. We also get Journal D'un Malfrat (Diary of a Villain) a new, French language, 26-minute documentary by Dominique Maillet with input from Serge Bourguignon, Thierry Crifo etc. discussing Bob le flambeur - the production, critical reception and its importance in Melville's career. It has English subtitles. There is also a theatrical trailer for the film (in French with burned in English subtitles) and trailers for other Melville films.

It was wonderful to see this after so many years and in the glory of 1080P - looking so much more film-like. The commentary and documentary add further value to this strong Blu-ray package. A very easy recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: Oh Criterion - how much money have you caused me to spend? It almost makes reviewing their discs superfluous. How many adjectives can you use? Another strong example of why they are the best DVD production company in the world. Beautiful contrast, tight, great subtitles, crucial extras - and just the right amount of grain. There is no reason not to own this one.

Gary W. Tooze

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Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray