Le Deuxième Souffle (Second Breath) (1966) by Jean-Pierre Melville
Sunday, October 8, 1989, 8:00 pm
Jean-Pierre Melville’s Second Breath
Le Deuxième Souffle (Second Breath, 1966, 125′) is Melville’s existentially tough gangster movie which explores the underworld of professional thieves, killers and cops. Honor and bonding exist between them, but Melville states, “I believe that betrayal is one of the basic motivations behind men’s actions—much more than love.” As with Melville’s other films (Le Doulos, Bob Le Flambeur) visual style is austere and the characters remain impassive. Also: Brady Lewis’ The Suicide Squeeze (1986, 27′), a ‘40s-style whodunit. “If Robert Breer made detective movies, they might look like this.” (William Judson)