The Burglars

Le Casse

Theatrical poster
Directed by Henri Verneuil
Produced by Henri Verneuil
Written by

Henri Verneuil

Vahé Katcha
Based on novel The Burglar by David Goodis
Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo
Omar Sharif
Robert Hossein
Dyan Cannon
Music by Ennio Morricone
Cinematography Claude Renoir
Edited by Pierre Gillette
Production
company
Columbia Films
Vides Cinematografica
Distributed by Columbia Pictures (USA)
Release date
 27 October 1971 (France)
14 June 1972 (USA)
Running time
 120 minutes
Country France / Italy
Language French / English
Budget 15 million francs[1]
Box office $33 million[2]

Le Casse (US title: The Burglars) is a 1971 movie directed by French director Henri Verneuil, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, Dyan Cannon and Robert Hossein. It is based on the 1953 novel by David Goodis and revolves around a team of four burglars chased by a corrupt cop in Athens. It's a remake of the 1957 film The Burglar with Jayne Mansfield.

The movie is known for its spectacular car chase and Belmondo's incredible fall from a construction truck down a steep, rocky hillside. The movie was shot twice, once in French and once in English, by the same cast.

Plot

In Athens, Azad (Jean-Paul Belmondo), Ralph (Robert Hossein) and 2 other accomplices, Renzi and Helen, rob a suitcase of emeralds from a rich Greek citizen, M.Tasco, when the latter is away on vacation.

The thieves break into the house, crack the safe, and make off with the jewels. A police detective, Abel Zacharia (Omar Sharif), spots the burglars’ car in front of the house. Azad chats with the detective and spins a cover story of being a salesman with engine trouble. Zacharia leaves and Azad thinks he has gotten away with it.

The thieves plan to leave the country immediately on a merchant ship. However when they arrive at the dock they discover the ship is undergoing repairs and will not be ready for five days. They stash the money, split up, and agree to wait out the delay.

Zacharia reappears, having decided to find and keep the emeralds himself. Azard falls in love with Lena.

Mr Tasco identifies the thieves and kills Renzi, framing Ralph.

Azad narrowly escapes the police with Lena, but he soon discovers that she is in cahoots with Zacharia.

Ralph is arrested by police.

Azad and Zacharia have a confrontation which results in Zacharia being buried under wheat.

Cast

Production

The Burglar by David Goodis had been published in 1953 and filmed in 1956. Goodis was popular with French filmmakers; his novel Down There had been adapted by Francois Truffaut as Shoot the Piano Player (1961).

Filming took place in Athens and Paris.[1]

Reception

The film was a massive box office hit in France, being the sixth most popular movie of the year.[3][1]

The Los Angeles Times said "the scenery is lovely, Belmondo is fun to watch even in a flat, silly part like this" but that it was "finally an uninteresting and uninvolving movie" because "it has no reality except as a movie".[4]

The New York Times called it "yet another international caper film... that does nothing very well and almost everything in excess" in which the director would "fill up a great deal of film time with a device rather than with an action".[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Box office information for Le Casse". Box Office Story. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=8771
  3. ↑ "Box Office Films of 1971". Box Office Story. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Champlin, Charles (27 July 1972). "MOVIE REVIEW: Sharif, Belmondo in Stalker". Los Angeles Times. p. g28.
  5. ↑ Greenspun, Roger (15 June 1972). "The Burglars". New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
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