Le clan des siciliens

Le Clan des Siciliens

French film poster
Directed by Henri Verneuil
Produced by Jacques-Eric Strauss
Written by Auguste Le Breton (novel); adaptation by Henri Verneuil, José Giovanni and Pierre Pelegri
Starring Jean Gabin
Alain Delon
Lino Ventura
Irina Demick
Sydney Chaplin
Music by Ennio Morricone
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • 1 December 1969 (1969-12-01)
Running time
 117 minutes
Country France
Language French; Italian; English
Budget $4,170,000[1]
Box office $1 million (US/ Canada rentals)[2]
4,821,585 admissions (France)[3]

The Sicilian Clan (original French title: Le clan des siciliens) is a 1969 French crime film directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura and Alain Delon.[4] The film was largely marketed by the casting together of three of the leading French movie actors of the day.

The film score was written by Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

Plot summary

In Paris, bloodthirsty jewel thief Roger Sartet (Alain Delon) escapes from custody with the help of the Manalese, a small-time but well-organised Sicilian Mafia clan led by patriarch Vittorio (Jean Gabin) and which includes his sons Aldo (Yves Lefebvre) and Sergio (Marc Porel) and son-in-law Luigi (Philippe Baronnet). While in prison, Sartet got to know an electrician (Christian de Tillière) who was involved in the setting up of an extensive security system at a diamond exhibition in Rome — the electrician returned home early, unannounced, caught his wife in bed with a lover and shot them. Unaccustomed to prison life, he made friends with Sartet and bit-by-bit supplied him with details of the exhibition.

Vittorio and a fellow Mafiose, Tony Nicosia (Amedeo Nazzari) of New York City, go to the exhibition only to find that some changes have been made that make a simple robbery more difficult. Furthermore, the exhibition hall is just down the road from the local police station. Nicosia instead comes up with a plan to steal the diamonds while they are en route to another exhibition in New York and sends over Jack (Sydney Chaplin), an alcoholic, in order to pass on the details.

Meanwhile, Commissaire Le Goff (Lino Ventura) pursues Sartet with unbridled determination — the gangster having killed two of his men in cold blood during an earlier arrest. Guessing that Sartet needs false papers in order to leave the country, Le Goff's enquiries lead him to the Manalese and their arcade game business which serves as a cover for their more illegal activities. While he questions Vittorio, Sartet slips out of the building in a car, right under Le Goff's nose.

Jeanne (Irina Demick), wife of Vittorio's son Aldo and an able crook in her own right, becomes increasingly fascinated by Sartet. She has always felt out of place as the only French person in the Sicilian clan. While hiding out in a villa near the Italian border she attracts Sartet's attention by sunbathing nude but as they kiss they are caught in the act by Luigi's six-year-old son Roberto (César Chauveau). Jeanne gets the boy to promise not to mention it to anyone.

In Rome, the gang subtly kidnap Edward Evans, the insurance man sent to oversee the transfer of the diamonds to New York. Sartet takes his place and joins the other officials accompanying the diamonds on a regular scheduled flight to New York via Paris. Among the passengers joining the plane in Paris are Jack, Jeanne, Vittorio and his sons. Things almost go wrong when Evans' wife (Sally Nesbitt) turns up and even boards the plane looking for her husband, but Vittorio leads her to believe that her husband will be on another flight.

Having tried to contact her husband's hotel in Rome and being told that he has left, Mrs Evans goes to the police. At police HQ, she identifies Sartet as one of the men she saw on the plane while it was grounded in Paris. Told that his enemy has left the country, and guessing what he is up to, Le Goff requests a cigarette, having given up smoking some time ago.

Meanwhile, the plane is making its descent towards New York when the gang suddenly hijacks the aircraft. The crew are held at gunpoint and Jack, a former pilot, takes over the co-pilot's seat.

Warned of Sartet's imminent arrival in America, the local police race to the airport, but the plane in fact overshoots New York City and lands on a highway which has been closed off by the local mob. Other Mafia men are waiting in cars. They unload the diamonds from the plane and split up, Jack for Canada and the Manalese for Paris. Intending to move to Veracruz, Sartet hides out in New York while awaiting his share of the proceeds.

Back home, late one evening, the Manalese are watching a film on TV which includes a scene of a couple kissing on a beach. Roberto says that it "Looks like Auntie Jeanne with Mister Sartet". Jeanne denies this but the others will not accept it. They lure Sartet back to Paris by withholding his share of the loot. Jeanne calls Sartet's sister Monique (Danielle Volle) to warn him that he is walking into a trap. Monique goes to the airport but when her brother fails to turn up she is confronted by the Manalese boys who are subsequently arrested by Le Goff and his men who had Monique under surveillance.

Sartet actually came by an earlier plane. He contacts Vittorio, demanding his share. They meet at a place outside of town where Vittorio shoots both Jeanne and Sartet dead. He then returns home, only to be arrested by Le Goff.

Cast

Connections to other films

The film was largely marketed by the casting together of Gabin, Delon and Ventura, all major film stars of the time. Henri Verneuil had previously directed Gabin and Delon in another thriller Mélodie en sous-sol. They would also star together in Deux hommes dans la ville and Delon would dedicate Ne réveillez pas un flic qui dort to Gabin.

Ventura also worked with Delon and Gabin separately on a number of films.

At the time, Delon was involved in a real-life scandal, the Markovic affair, in which his former bodyguard Stevan Marković had been found murdered.

References

  1. ↑ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p256
  2. ↑ "Big Rental Films of 1970", Variety, 6 January 1971 p 11
  3. ↑ Box office information for film at Box Office Story
  4. ↑ Canby, Vincent. "New York Times: The Sicilian Clan". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
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