TIFF Cinematheque’s SUMMER IN FRANCE takes a different look this year with a Jen-Pierre Melville tribute.
Jean-Pierre Grumbach was born in 1917 in Paris, France, the son of Berthe and Jules Grumbach. He took the name of Melville after the war, after his favourite American author Herman Melville. His family were Alsatian Jews. After the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Grumbach entered the French Resistance to oppose the German Nazis who occupied the country.
After the war, Melville entered film directing, opening his own studio and initially making minimalist films. His films are known for featuring thee great name French stars -Alain Delon, Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
His films have a characteristic look and bear common themes. His themes are often gangster capers where double-crosses and prison (escaped convicts or gangsters coming out after serving their sentences) are tied into the story. Melville’s films…
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