Jean-Pierre Melville : An American in Paris

Rating:
Summary: Trenchant study of Melville
Review: Ginette Vincendeau's study of Jean-Pierre Melville, subtitled An American in Paris, is a superb addition to anyone's library of works on film directors and is a perfect complement to the now sadly unavailable set of interviews by Rui Nogueira, Melville on Melville.

The subtitle is a nice touch. Melville was, for his time, a radical filmmaker who embraced American film noir and, for that matter, American film in general. His influence can easily be perceived in the work of many other directors, both contemporary with his time, and later, including, among others, Truffaut, Tarantino, and John Woo. Indeed, Tarantino and Woo are mentioned here, as is Truffaut and Godard. Melville's famous falling out with the latter is highlighted--this followed a period in which Godard professed admiration for Melville. The turnabout is of some real interest.

As this is a current book, Vincendeau naturally did not have the opportunity to speak to Melville directly, as did Nogueira. But she does much with what is known of Melville and offers insights into his character that Nogueira did not. Her dissection of his films is truly first-rate; she analyzes both the films, objectively, and Melville's personal involvement in each of them. Her discussion of the director's perspective on society--what makes it tough, what makes it bearable, what gives it meaning--dovetails nicely with her observations on his work as a filmmaker.

One of the great things about buying the Criterion DVD release of Le Cercle Rouge is that it includes an excerpt from the Nogueira book in which Melville himself talks about that film. The Vincendeau book is indispensable for those who want a penetrating examination of one of the greatest of all French filmmakers.

Highly recommended.