2 French film noirs from the 50's...

There are many noir films that are great, made across many decades, and which I absolutely, unequivocally love.  But my own personal favorite noir decade is the 1950s, and this noir-ist is not afraid to admit that two of my favorite 50's films are... French!  Sacre bleu!!!  American noir is certainly part of the cornerstone of the noir library, but I personally don't think that anyone does it better than the French.  These movies are among my all-time favorites noirs from any country or decade...

Rififi (1955)-Starring Jean Servais as Tony le Stephanois, and directed by Jules Dassin, an American working in Europe during the blacklist period, Rififi (original title-Du rififi chez les hommes) is one of the finest examples of film noir, regardless of nationality.  Written by Auguste le Breton, who also wrote the noir classic Bob le flambeur (see below), Jean Servais plays Tony le Stephanois with a fearless, world-weary detachment.  Dassin consented to shoot only on rainy, bleak days, and it perfectly mirrors the mood of the story, a hard accounting of the seamy French underworld.  The heist scene, filmed entirely without dialogue and lasting approximately 15 minutes, is taut, tense and exciting without a word being spoken.  This is a film without flaws – the acting, directing, as well as the script and story are fast, smart and to-the-point. Yes, Rififi is that good, one of the best noir films you'll ever see. And Dassin himself plays the part of Cesar, the Milanese safecracker, under the name Perlo Vita. If you've never seen this film, run, don't walk, to find it...

Bob le flambeur (1956)-Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and also written by Auguste le Breton, Bob le flambeur stars Roger Duchesne as Bob, a distinguished, generous older man who used to be a gangster but is now a compulsive gambler-older but wiser, very dignified and tres cool-but seemingly on a long losing streak.  Mr. Duchesne's performance is mesmerizing, and Isabelle Corey does a terrific job as the nonchalant Anne, the sexy girl Bob rescues from the streets.  The supporting cast (Daniel Cauchy, Guy Decomble, Andre Garet, etc.), is also excellent.  This is film noir with both grit and style...

I don't want to reveal any plot points, because both movies are clever and well thought out.  And though written by the same writer and involving major heists,  you'd be wrong to think that they're similar.  Both are street-wise, smart and snappy, and the subplots of each remain important to the outcomes of the movies, but these are pictures with very different tones directed by two accomplished directors.  Each is a complete original unto itself – nothing quite like it before, and nothing quite like it since. This is film noir at its best.  Vive la France...