Le samouraï (1967)

Note Générale:

8,1/10   

Réalisateur:

Jean-Pierre Melville

Scénaristes:

Jean-Pierre Melville (writer)
Georges Pellegrin (writer)

Date de sortie:

25 octobre 1967 (France)

Genre:

Thriller | Crime | Drame

Accroche:

De kaldte ham Samoraien - den ensomme morder

Intrigue:

Hitman Jef Costello is a perfectionist who always carefully plans his murders and who never gets caught...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hitman | Alibi | Tiger | Robbery

Avis des utilisateurs:

Melville's Masterpiece

Ensemble

Alain Delon	...	Jef Costello
François Périer	...	The Superintendant
Nathalie Delon	...	Jane Lagrange
Cathy Rosier	...	Valérie, la pianiste (as Caty Rosier)
Jacques Leroy	...	Gunman
Michel Boisrond	...	Wiener
Robert Favart	...	Barkeeper
Jean-Pierre Posier	...	Olivier Rey
Catherine Jourdan	...	Hatcheck Girl
Roger Fradet	...	1st inspector
Carlo Nell	...	2nd inspector
Robert Rondo	...	3d inspector
André Salgues	...	Garage keeper
André Thorent	...	Policeman / cab driver
Jacques Deschamps	...	Policeman

Autre(s) titre(s):

Frank Costello, faccia d'angelo (Italy)
The Godson (USA)

Durée:

105 min | USA:101 min

Pays:

France | Italy

Langue:

Français

Couleur:

Couleur (Eastmancolor)

Rapport de forme:

1,85 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:16

Lieux de tournage:

Châtelet, Paris Metro, Paris 1, Paris, France

Société:

Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique (CICC)

Anecdotes:

Favourite movie of Johnnie To

Goofs:

Erreurs factuelles: When rounding up suspects the inspector refers to the population as 10 million. The 1968 population of Paris city proper was only 2.6 million. The population of the urban area was only 8.2 million.

Guillemet:

Superintendant: Don't you love him?
Jane Lagrange: No.
Superintendant: Really? I'd have said you did. Laying yourself on the line for him like that, I thought you must love him.
Jane Lagrange: You're not the psychologist you imagined.

Connexions:

Référencé sur Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008)

Melville's Masterpiece

I just recently saw this film for the first time (a la Criterion) and I was completely blown away. This film can be summed up with a single word: minimalism.

This is a work of true cinema. Hollywood tends to forget that cinema is first and foremost a visual art. Le Samurai is a film that could've been made as a silent movie. The director establishes meaning not with dialog but with the best tools available to a director; editing, mise en scenes, cinematography and composition. There is a constant feeling of solitude and isolation. Even when the protagonist finds himself in large groups, his face is pale, his eyes are cast downward and he is still a constant outsider.

On another note, the film looks surprisingly modern. There's none of the graininess of many other 60s and 70s films. Rather, the lighting and the whole visual aesthetic is pitch perfect, from the black and white nightclub (dualism) to the sparse gray apartment to the subterranean eeriness of the Paris subway.

Personally, I would not recommend this film to people not interested in real cinema, people who like 'movies' rather than 'film', simply because there's a strong possibility it will seem extremely annoying and boring to you. On the other hand, if you're a fan of serious cinema, do yourself a favor and watch this film.