Le Samourai [Criterion Collection]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Long considered a classic of European film noir, this existential gangster drama from French director Jean-Pierre Melville was released in the United States only in a severely truncated, re-edited, and overdubbed version entitled The Godson. Thirty years after its initial public airing, Le Samourai (1967) finally saw a limited American release in its intended form. Alain Delon stars as Jef Costello, a professional Parisian assassin-for-hire who, by nature of his work's solitary demands, has no friends. Although he is loved by Jane Lagrange (Natalie Delon, the star's real-life wife), Costello knows that Jane already has a lover. After he successfully wipes out a nightclub owner at the behest of his boss, Costello discovers that he was seen by the club's pianist, Valerie (Cathy Rosier). Although he survives a police lineup thanks to a lie offered up by the fearless Valerie, Costello's alibi disintegrates rapidly and his shadowy employer takes out a contract on him. As he seeks revenge on his betrayer, Costello must also stay one step ahead of a wily, determined superintendent (Francois Perier). Melville's film influenced several other filmmakers and projects, most notably director John Woo's The Killer (1989). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer
  • New video interviews with Rui Nogueira, author of Melville on Melville and Ginette Vincendeau, author of Jean-Pierre Melville: An American in Paris
  • Archival interviews with Melville and actors Alain Delon, Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon, and Cathy Rosier
  • Theatrical trailer
  • New and improved English subtitle translation
  • Plus: a 29-page booklet featuring film scholar David Thompson, filmmaker John Woo, and selections from Melville on Melville

AWARDS

• Telluride Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 1996

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Alain Delon - Jeff Costello
       Natalie Delon - Jan Lagrange
       Cathy Rosier - Valerie
       Francois Perier - The Inspector
       Michel Boisrond - Wiener
       Jacques Deschamps - Police Clerk
       George H. Billy - 2nd client in nightclub
       Catalano - Police inspector
       Jack E. Leonard - Garcia
       Robert Rondo - 3d inspector
       Catherine Jourdan - Hat-Check Girl
       Roger Fradet - 1st inspector
       Carlo Nell - 2nd inspector
       Andre Thorent - Policeman
       Robert Favart - Barman
       Georges Casati - Damolini

• Director:

  Jean-Pierre Melville

• Producer:

  Eugene Lepicier

• Screenwriter:

  Jean-Pierre Melville

• Book Author:

  Joan McLeod

• Cinematographer:

  Jean Charvein, Henri Decaë

• Composer (Music Score):

  François de Roubaix

• Editor:

  Yolande Maurette, Monique Bonnot

• Production Designer:

  Francois de Lamothe

• Production Manager:

  Georges Casati

REVIEW:

• The epitome of screen cool, policier specialist Jean-Pierre Melville masterfully dissects the life of a loner hitman after he leaves behind a beautiful witness to a nightclub assassination. Opening with a fake nugget of samurai wisdom, Melville emphasizes the self-imposed isolation of Alain Delon's impassive Jeff Costello, as he lies alone in his monochrome apartment before his next job. Amid ultra-mod 1960s nightclub interiors and Henri Dacae's icily stylish cinematography, Melville meticulously details Jeff's well-honed methods for stealing cars, shooting victims, and covering his tracks. A line-up identification and a celebrated police pursuit through Paris's Metro enhance the suspense about whether this consummate professional can be caught, as an inkling of human connection threatens Jeff's carefully controlled existence. Originally released in the U.S. in an edited, dubbed version meant to capitalize on the popularity of The Godfather (1972), Le samourai was restored to its original form in the 1990s, although its visual flourishes, procedural flair, and Delon's existential sangfroid had long since infiltrated the international neo-noir lexicon. It directly inspired John Woo's The Killer (1989) and Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (2000), among others. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi