Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne
Bresson hasn’t yet freed himself from convention in the way he would in his subsequent efforts.
French
Forbidden Games
It observes humanity in the face of tragedy and grief and remains buoyant despite the weight of its subject matter.
Port of Shadows
The film is wonderfully atmospheric, with a fog hanging over the city night and day.
Le Corbeau
Once the letters started, everyone succumbed to the worst aspects of themselves, displaying latent capacities for evil.
Alphaville
Alphaville posits that consciousness can be awakened from the brainwashed coma of societal control through poetry—that the answer to corrupt society is personal creativity and expression.
Army of Shadows
Melville understands that action can deflate the sense of suspense—the real battles we see are fought within the minds of the Resistance members, as they are thrust into futile situations and must set aside their moral qualms for the sake of the greater good, which they know they will likely not live to see.
Le Samouraï
He is skilled at his profession, but takes no joy in it—not a glamorized hitman, but an isolated man, stripped of his humanity, enduring a downward spiral toward his own personal eschaton.