Bob le Flambeur

(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.

Posters

Theatrical Release: April - 1955 - France

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut, Leonard Mayhew	French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader	Agnes Varda by Alison Smith	Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris by Ginette Vincendeau	Notes on the Cinematographer by Robert Bresson	Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 2) by James Quandt	French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni	Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana

Check out more in "The Library"

DVD Review: Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 150 - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:42:48
Video	1.31:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.73 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	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

Comments:

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.out of