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JeanPierreMelville

Les enfants terribles [The Terrible Children] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1950)

Nov

13

World Orphans Day

Les enfants terribles (1950)

The siblings – children on the cusp of adulthood, played by adults – sharing a bed. Elisabeth (Nicole Stéphane) points up towards the ceiling with one arm wrapped around her brother Paul's (Edouard Dermithe) neck. Both wear dressing gowns. DP: Henri Decaë.

With their mother bedridden, Elisabeth (Nicole Stéphane) nurtures her snowball-fight-injured brother Paul (Edouard Dermithe) back to health.

“Their heritage of instability, extravagant caprice, and natural elegance was their paternal portion.”

– Jean Cocteau, Les enfants terribles (1929)

Withdrawn in their family home, they form a strong manipulative bond, drawing others into their games.

Le Samouraï [The Samurai] (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

Apr

25

License Plates Day

Le Samouraï (1967)

A pair of hands switching license plates on the front of a Citroën DS. The scene is almost black-and-white. DP: Henri Decaë.

Hitman Jef Costello (Alain Delon) coolly drives a #Citroën DS 21 to his garagiste (André Salgues), who routinely switches the license plates in a beautifully wordless, efficiently lit scene.

“I never lose. Never really.”