Casque D'Or 1952  N/R, 96 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama
aka: Golden Marie
Director: Jacques Becker
Cast: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin, Raymond Bussieres, William Sabatier, Gaston Modot, Paul Barge, Paul Azais, Loleh Bellon, Roland Lesaffre
Based on actual events that took place in Paris during 1898, this story revolves around the intrigue of underworld rivalry that exploded when more than one man was attracted to a gangster's moll (Simone Signoret).
|  | |
The Grand Illusion 1937  N/R, 111 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Jean Renoir
Cast: Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Dita Parlo, Marcel Dalio, Julien Carette, Gaston Modot, Jean Daste, Jacques Becker, Georges Peclet, Werner Florian, Sylvain Itkine, Albert Brouett, Claude Sainval, Michel Salina
Written while Hitler was beginning to make his move in Europe, this film examines the mindset of men involved in World War I and shows how the aristocratic backgrounds of French prisoner de Boldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and the German commandant of the prison camp, von Rauffenstein (Eric von Stroheim), contribute to them forming a bond that will have deadly consequences when they allow two French soldiers (Jean Gabin and Marcel Dalio) to escape. The negatives of the film survived, and the restored movie was released in 1999, complete with a new translation.
| | |
Grisbi 1954 N/R, 94 min.
Genre: Foreign / Action / Drama / Thriller
aka: Don't Touch the Loot
Hands Off the Loot
Touchez Pas au Grisbi
Director: Jacques Becker
Cast: Jean Gabin, Rene Dary, Paul Frankeur, Lino Ventura, Jeanne Moreau, Vittorio Sanipoli, Dora Doll, Denise Clair, Marilyn Buferd, Daniel Cauchy, Jean Riveyre, Gaby Basset, Paul Barge, Alaine Bouvette, Angelo Dessy
"Grisbi" is the French word for "loot," and in this film rival gangs fight over $50 million in grisbi. An elderly thief, Max the Liar (Jean Gabin), leads one gang and is preparing to retire. But, problems rise to the fore when his partner Riton's (Rene Dary) girlfriend (Jeanne Moreau) helps rival gang leader Angelo (Lino Ventura) kidnap Riton and demand a huge ransom. Now the battle of wits ensues leading to inevitable tragedy. Another entertaining film in the French crime genre.
| | |
Le Trou 1960 N/R, 118 min.
Genre: Foreign / Thriller
aka: The Hole
The Night Watch
Director: Jacques Becker
Cast: Michel Constantin, Jean Keraudy, Philippe Leroy, Raymond Meunier, Marc Michel, Andre Bervil, Eddy Rasimi, Jean-Paul Coquelin, Catherine Spaak, Dominique Zardi
Director Jacques Becker used non-professional actors in this excellent prison-break story. A man (Marc Michel) awaiting trial for attempting to murder his wife joins a group of men planning a jail break from Sante Prison. The details of the plan are meticulously presented, keeping you on the edge of your seat. His wife drops the attempted murder charge, and he tries to get a further reduction of charges by ratting on his cellmates.
| | |
Une Partie de Campagne 1936 N/R, 40 min.
Genre: Foreign / Drama / Romance
aka: A Day in the Country
Director: Jean Renoir
Cast: Sylvia Bataille, Georges D'Arnoux, Jacques B. Brunius, Jane Marken, Andre Gabriello, Jean Renoir, Paul Temps, Gabrielle Fontan, Marguerite Renoir, Pierre Lestringuez, Alain Renoir, Georges Bataille, Jacques Becker, Henri Cartier-Bresson
Based on Guy de Maupassant's story, this film is about a family's Sunday excursion in the country. While the family visits a riverside restaurant, two young men, Henri (Georges D'Arnoux and Rodolphe (Jacques B. Brunius), introduce themselves and offer to take the women on a boat ride while their men go fishing. Subsequent seductions of both the mother Madame Dufour (Jane Marken) and daughter Henrietta (Sylvia Bataille) result in different emotions for each. Madame Dufour enjoys an innocent flirtation with Rodolphe, while Henrietta goes for a boat ride with Henri, and the two of them spend an idyllic afternoon and a very brief romance that may never be forgotten. In fact, Henrietta and Henri meet again 14 years later and think about how different their lives could have been if their earlier romance had continued.
| | |
| 1. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932)
2. Casque D'Or (1952)
aka: Golden Marie
3. The Grand Illusion (1937)
4. Grisbi (1954)
aka: Don't Touch the Loot
aka: Hands Off the Loot
aka: Touchez Pas au Grisbi
5. Le Trou (1960)
aka: The Hole
aka: The Night Watch
6. Une Partie de Campagne (1936)
aka: A Day in the Country
In The News
|
