Jean-Pierre Melville: The Essential Collection (Blu-ray Box Set)

A collection of six classic films from acclaimed French director Jean-Pierre Melville.

Army of Shadows (1969) is based on the novel by Joseph Kessel. Drawing on the director's own experiences in World War II, the film follows a band of resistance fighters in Nazi-controlled France.As the war continues, the grip of the occupying force tightens and friendships, loyalty and trust give way to suspicion, secrecy and loss.

Le Doulos (1963) stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as the duplicitous Silien, an underworld criminal and police informer, and Serge Reggiani as the dogged villain Faugel.

Leon Morin, Pretre (1961) stars Emmanuele Riva and Belmondo and tells the story of an unfulfilled love affair set against the troubled backdrop of German-occupied France.

In Le Cercle Rouge (1970), a master thief (Alain Delon), an alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand) and an escaped criminal (Gian Maria Volonte) come together to plot a daring heist of an upmarket Parisian jewellery story against impossible odds.

In Bob Le Flambeur (1956), Bob the Gambler (Roger Duchesne) reverts to his old trade as a bank robber after several bad rolls of the dice. However, his plans to rip off a casino are thrown into chaos by an unforeseen murder and the treacherous scheming of his criminal colleagues.

Finally, in Un Flic (1972) Police Commissioner Coleman (Delon) finds himself playing a game of cat and mouse with a gang of thieves after a bank robbery in a small Riviera town goes wrong.

Presented in a bonus-packed Blu-ray box set edition, including a bonus DVD featuring the documentary In the Mood for Melville (57 min) and an exclusive 60 page booklet.

• New interview with Le Doulos first assistant director Volker Schlondorff - 20 minutes
• New retrospective Bob Le Flambeur documentary by film critic Dominique Maillet - 20 minutes
• New Leon Morin, Pretre masterclass with Philippe Labro (friend and apprentice of Melville) + Rémy Grumbach (Melville's nephew) - 59 minutes
• Interview with Le Cercle Rouge's first assistant director, Bernard Stora - 30 minutes
• Code Name Melville - 76 minutes
• Interview with first assistant director Bernard Stora - 30 minutes
• Interview with novelist José Giovanni - 15 minutes
• Présentation by Ginette Vincendeau - 21 minutes
• L'armée des ombres... le dessous des cartes (Army of Shadows: the hidden side of the story) documentary - 87 minutes
• Documentary featuring interviews with Un Flic's script supervisor Florence Moncorgé-Gabin and first assistant director Jean-François Delon -24 minutes

Bonus DVD:

• In the mood for Melville documentary - 52 minutes
• 24 Heures de la vie d'un clown - Melville short - 22 minutes