Jean Pierre Melville’s Classic Le Cercle Rouges Getting A 4K Upgrade

Le Cercle Rouge (1970)

Studiocanalย  have announced the release of the first ever 4K restoration of one of the greatest heist movies of all time, Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle). Written and directed by one of Franceโ€™s most celebrated and truly original filmmakers, Jean-Pierre Melville, yours to own in Novemberย  on 4K UHD for the very first time, as well as on Blu-ray DVD and Digital, coming complete with brand new bonus content and is an exciting addition to the Vintage World Cinema collection.

Though Melville is often regarded as the โ€˜godfather of the Nouvelle Vagueโ€™, Le Cercle Rogue a great example of the daring and innovative filmmaking that would see the controversial director influence many artists and filmmakers, from Godard to Tarantino to Johnnie To.

An aristocratic thief, a fugitive and an alcoholic ex-cop are caught together in the thrall of destiny as they plan to carry out the ultimate robbery. Alain Delon (Le Samouraรฏ), Gian Maria Volontรจ (A Fist Full of Dollars) and Yves Montand (Jean de Florette) star as the elegant, mis-matched trio locked in an elaborate and dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the inscrutable police inspector (Andre Bourvil โ€“ La Grande Vadrouille), who is determined to foil their attempts to pull off the perfect crime, despite being drawn irresistibly to his prey. As the day of the heist dawns, the story unfolds, with all four players determined to cheat fate.

Though remembered now primarily for his intense, spare 1960s gangster films, French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville had a startlingly varied career, encompassing wartime dramas, psychosexual character studies, and a collaboration with Jean Cocteau. Melville famously worked mostly independently, even building his own studio. It was this fierce do-it-yourself attitude, and such startling, uncompromising films as Les Enfants Terribles and Bob le Flambeur, that appealed to the filmmakers of the French New Wave, who adopted Melville as a godfather of sorts (Godard even famously gave him a cameo in Breathless). During the New Wave, however, Melville went his own way, making highly idiosyncratic crime filmsโ€”classically mounted if daringly existentialโ€”that were beholden to no trend, including Le Doulos, Le Deuxiรจme Soufflรฉ, and Le Samouraรฏ. His most personal movie was L’Armรฉe des Ombres, which, though misunderstood upon its initial French release in 1969, is now widely considered a masterpiece. Melville died of a heart attack in 1973 at the age of fifty-five.

DVD / Blu-Ray Extras
  • NEWย THE PERFECT CIRCLE
  • – UNDER THE NAME OF MELVILLE
  • – INTERVIEW WITH BERNARD STORA
  • – INTERVIEW WITH JOSร‰ GIOVANNI
  • – GINETTE VINCENDEAU PRESENTS LE CERCLE ROUGE

PREORDER LINK:ย https://amzn.to/3nykUpV

Le Cercle Rouge will be available to own on 4K UHD, as well as on Blu-ray DVD and Digital, from 23rd November .


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Paul

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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