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Cercle Rouge, Le

certificate PG Certificate
1970
Colour
France, Italy
Language(s): French
Subtitles: English
Published/distributed by BFI
ISBN/EAN: 5035673005927
Ratio 1.85:1
Region 2
Price: £19.99
(Including VAT at 17.5%)
<back
Cercle Rouge, Le 
Melville, Jean-Pierre
Jean-Pierre Melville has always been my spiritual idol John Woo

Following the BFI's acclaimed theatrical revival of Le Cercle rouge (The Red Circle) in 2003, which also featured in the hugely successful, extensive Melville retrospective at the NFT, part of the Crime Scene 2003 festival, BFI Video releases his masterful take on the American crime thriller. Le Cercle rouge perfectly combines the Hollywood gangster film with Melville's uniquely French style.

In the tradition of The Asphalt Jungle and Rififi, the central set-piece of Le Cercle rouge is the robbery. The modern model for countless heist movies, from Ocean's Eleven to David Mamet's Heist, Alain Delon stars as Corey, a master thief, Yves Montand as Jansen, an alcoholic ex-cop and Italian star Gian-Maria Volont as escaped criminal Vogel. The trio meticulously plan and spectacularly execute a daring robbery of an upmarket Parisian jewellery store against impossible odds - with tragic consequences. The star-studded cast was completed by the French comedy legend Andr Bourvil who steals the show as Inspector Mattei. (He sadly died shortly before the film was released).

Melville famously said of Le Cercle rouge, that his aim was to shoot film noir in colour, and the coolly muted cinematography by Henri Deca creates a dark existential world against which the film's characters play out their tragic fates.

Cited as an influence by contemporary film-makers Jim Jarmusch, John Woo and Quentin Tarantino, Jean-Pierre Melville is one of cinema's true auteurs and Le Cercle rouge, his penultimate film, the pinnacle of his career.

Extras
* Introduction and feature commentary by Melville expert Ginette Vincendeau
* Video interview with the film's assistant director Bernard Stora
* Original trailer
* Director's biography
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