I just viewed the 1958 film, Le deuxième souffle (Second Wind). French films frequently leave the viewer with a sense of "I wondered what happened?" But this film leaves few loose ends. Gangsters in Marseille and Paris battle it out over trust, honor, and of course making a lot of money. The plot begins with a prison escape and proceeds to the logical conclusion of a bloodbath a la Capone style. The release date of this black and white film is 2007 (I found it on netflix). As for understanding the language as a beginner, this one is quite good. There is some gangster jargon and bad words, but frankly the English subtitles have more American gangster jargon than the French probably does. The speech is very clear, which is amazing since the film is largely made in the outdoors with a background of train whistles, traffic and strong winds. I like to view old French films in part because, as in this case, one can see what Marseilles, Paris, and Provence looked like in 1958. The film feels very authentic.
My homework is done... I can go out and play now.
