Le samouraï [4K UHD + Blu-Ray] (Criterion Collection) – UK
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Le samouraï [4K UHD + Blu-Ray] (Criterion Collection) – UK Only
Le samouraï [4K UHD + Blu-Ray] (Criterion Collection) – UK Only
Melville's greates film, beautifully restored.
A policier that doesn’t age. Borrowed from Hollywood and then borrowed back, the story of the lone assassin, the great Alain Delon, is a perfect Greek tragedy. Watch it and marvel.
Good - but not for everybody
I first saw this about 50 years ago and it made an impression. I was not disappointed the second time around even though I could only get Spanish dialogue. It doesn’t matter because the film is visually explicit and many passages are without speech. It’s well directed, well acted and well photographed but because of its subject matter it’s not something that you would want to see more than a couple of times.
A classic film restored to its true beauty.
Le Samoura is one of my favourite films, and I am delighted with the picture quality of this remastered dvd. I liked its being purely in French, although in much of the film there is little dialogue which makes it easier to follow..
Not my favourite Melville “hats and macs” film (that’d be a gunfight between Bob le Flambeur and Le Cercle Rouge), but with Alain Delon as icy as ever you can hardly go wrong. Melville’s very French take on Hollywood noir may not be to everyone’s taste, but it hits the spot with me. It’s very stylised, but I prefer that to American overacting and the locations are spot on. As the supplier says, this is a Korean offering but the English subtitles worked fine for me.
The item came really fast, in perfect condition.Everything is as described. The story is great – real film noir,picture quality is perfect.100 % entertainment.The french Blu-ray disc is the only blu-ray edition, which is good.The price is cheap so, don’t hesitate – BUY IT NOW!
Pretentious? Non!
Consistently fascinating visually with all sorts of subtle ironies. Beautifully played. Laconic dialogue. The twists are largely irrelevant but sustain it for those less interested in the style. Reminds me a bit of Boorman’s Point Blank as the fascinating cityscapes are both brilliantly filmed with real colour detail. Slow in some ways but leaves you wanting more. Arty but engrossing.
YOU'LL WANT TO STEAL A CITROEN DS...
LE SAMOURAI follows monosyllabic hitman Jef Costello (the impossibly cool, hatefully handsome Alain Delon) as he contract kills the owner of a swanky jazz club and is then double-crossed by his anonymous client. The Chief of Police is determined to unpick Jef’s multi-part alibi (which includes the lovely Nathalie Delon), Jef seeks revenge… The film is styled and mannered to an almost absurd degree – not least Jef himself, who is surely the world’s most conspicuous assassin with his trench coat and fedora – and Meville indulges his trademark fascination with process to an extent that may test the patience of some viewers. And yet it completely beguiles. Melville reduces Delon to a cipher, his story to its essential iconic components and his palette to a virtual monochrome for a masterclass in pure cinema. With the added pleasure of seeing Jef on the run across the real streets of Sixties Paris and the retro appeal of large handheld telephones, comically big bugging devices and quaint police vehicles, LE SAMOURAI has it all. You’ll want to steal a Citroen DS, change the plates, buy a gun…
If you got the excellent Optimum Melville box set you will know that Le Samourai was conspicuously absent. I don’t think it’s ever been officially released in UK – which is odd given that it is Melville’s most famous film (there must be licensing / distribution issues). But have no fear – this Korean edition currently available on Amazon at a reasonable price is perfectly ok – in French with good optional English (or Korean) subtitles & region 2 (it played fine on my fairly basic dvd player). It actually seems to be the American Criterion edition repackaged for the Korean market, so there are also some extras including an intro from Ginette Vincendeau speaking to camera in English. Great film of course.
Note: There may be other editions from other regions floating about now and in the future – this review is for the Korean edition puchased on Amazon June 2013.
This deluxe edition ( attention French spoken/subtitles only, no English ) is sheer beauty. A true must have for the French nouvelle vague and Melville fan. Sublime acting by Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon and the beautiful Cathy Rosier. Highest possible recommendation.
So cool, I am putting my jumper on...
This 1967 film, shot in Paris, gives you two of the best; the director, Jean-Pierre Melville, and the lead actor, Alain Delon. In this production, they are both seen at the very top of their game. The moody direction and lighting from Melville, the coolest acting style of `less is more’ from Delon. The clothes, the hats, the cars, all scream 1960s, and urban cool.
The very good-looking Alain Delon out-cools every actor of his time, in the role of the lonely hit man. It is not about Japanese Samurai, as I fear that the title may mislead. This is merely a euphemism for the rigid rules that Delon’s character lives by, in the shady underworld of Parisian low-life he inhabits. He even drives a Citroen DS, my favourite car ever, so I admit to bias. (and to using the word ‘cool’ too much)
Stylish, minimalistic, and with an excellent Jazz soundtrack, this is one of my favourite films of all time.
This is a truly remarkable film, which makes one almost sympathetic to the cold, callous, feelingless Alain Delon, whose task is to murder for money. It is the true film noir, in which we watch in helpless fascination whilst the unsmiling and fastidious assassin kills on demand, to return to his soulless, undecorated apartment with its lonely budgerigar and endless supply of bottled water. The film is all atmosphere, and yet the detail is gripping and the characterisation superb: the chief of police who is determined to track down his elusive suspect is a work of art in himself! Watch it, enjoy it, and don’t worry about the message: this is not really the code of the samurai brought to life, but a French improvement on the Hoillywood gangster movie, by a master of his art – who renamed himself after Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick! What more could one ask? Well done, the French. Your artless samourai critic adjusts his fedora, informs Mademoiselle Natalie Delon that he no longer needs her, and goes out in search of his destiny, armed only with a huge collection of skeleton keys and an encyclopeodiac knowledge of the metro…
Grea
Very stylish and cool, though not to innovative when it comes to storytelling or camerawork. In the end it was a great movie experience, even if i might have hyped it a bit before i saw it.
The dvd itself is perfectly fine quality, both audio and video, but the link and description hadnt correctly described this as being a Korean version, so the packaging is primarily in Korean text, with some small bits of English here and there. The spine of the DVD has the title in French, then the title in Korean letters. The back is 75% Korean letters.
At the end of the day, this doesnt impact the ability to watch the video, so I’m not that bothered, but the incomplete description when I ordered it is the reason I havent given this the 5 stars that the movie itself certainly merits.
As for Le Samourai – just as smooth, slick and atmospheric as I had remembered it. I’m not the most nostalgic guy around, but this made me want to live in Paris in the 60s!
Alain Delon is the perfect blank-faced “gangster with a code”, who plans a hit flawlessly, but when things go wrong anyway, proceeds fearlessly.
A must-watch!