Jean-Pierre Melville (1917-1973) was the French heir to the American film noir and B movie--which he raised to artistic heights in policiers like Bob le Flambeur and Le Samourai. And he is considered the “father” of the French New Wave by directors like Godard, who tipped his cap to Melville in Breathless by modelling shots after those in Bob le Flambeur and casting Melville in the role of the celebrated author hiding behind the dark glasses. After its revival in the series, Rediscovering French Film, Bob le Flambeur (made in 1955) is finally enjoying a theatrical run in the U.S. But with the exception of Cocteau's Les Enfants Terribles, which Melville directed in 1950, his films remain all but unknown here.