Both Bresson and Melville are reputed to
be big fans of "Classe Tous Risques" and it's easy to see why; either
man could have directed this classic French gangster picture. The actual
director was Claude Sautet and it's one of the greatest second films in
movie history, (in the 15 year period between 1956 and 1970 Sautet made
only 4 films). He made this one in 1960 around the time of the New Wave
and while it's more traditional than something Godard or Truffaut might
have done, nevertheless Sautet brings to it a freshness of approach
that other gangster pictures of the period seem to lack. From the
absolutely stunning opening sequence it's clear that this film will be
infused with a good dose of existential angst as well as the requisite
thrills that a really good gangster movie needs.
Two fugitives,
(Lino Ventura and Stan Krol), have decided it's time to get out of Italy
and back to France as the net closes in around them but they need
money. They commit a foolhardy, though daring, daylight robbery and go
on the run. This opening and the chase that follows is as good as
anything in crime movies. The money they make, however, is hardly enough
to sustain them, (Ventura has a wife and two sons to support), so they
must rely on a network of friends and criminal associates and men on the
run, already operating on the very edge, need all the friends they can
get, however untrustworthy they may be and these guys friends prove to
be very untrustworthy indeed but when tragedy strikes Ventura seems to
have no option.
With the possible exceptions of Dassin's "Rififi" and several of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic gangster pictures this remains one of the greatest of genre films and is all the better for being, fundamentally, a low-key character piece. Ventura is perfect as the world-weary thief who would really rather just settle down and raise his family and he is matched by a young Jean-Paul Belmondo as the stranger who becomes his only real friend and ally. The brilliant black and white cinematography is by Ghislain Cloquet, (it was shot largely on location), and it is beautifully adapted by Sautet, Pascal Jardin and Jose Giovanni from Giovanni's novel.
Both Bresson and Melville are reputed to
be big fans of "Classe Tous Risques" and it's easy to see why; either
man could have directed this classic French gangster picture. The actual
director was Claude Sautet and it's one of the greatest second films in
movie history, (in the 15 year period between 1956 and 1970 Sautet made
only 4 films). He made this one in 1960 around the time of the New Wave
and while it's more traditional than something Godard or Truffaut might
have done, nevertheless Sautet brings to it a freshness of approach
that other gangster pictures of the period seem to lack. From the
absolutely stunning opening sequence it's clear that this film will be
infused with a good dose of existential angst as well as the requisite
thrills that a really good gangster movie needs.
Two fugitives,
(Lino Ventura and Stan Krol), have decided it's time to get out of Italy
and back to France as the net closes in around them but they need
money. They commit a foolhardy, though daring, daylight robbery and go
on the run. This opening and the chase that follows is as good as
anything in crime movies. The money they make, however, is hardly enough
to sustain them, (Ventura has a wife and two sons to support), so they
must rely on a network of friends and criminal associates and men on the
run, already operating on the very edge, need all the friends they can
get, however untrustworthy they may be and these guys friends prove to
be very untrustworthy indeed but when tragedy strikes Ventura seems to
have no option.
With the possible exceptions of Dassin's "Rififi" and several of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic gangster pictures this remains one of the greatest of genre films and is all the better for being, fundamentally, a low-key character piece. Ventura is perfect as the world-weary thief who would really rather just settle down and raise his family and he is matched by a young Jean-Paul Belmondo as the stranger who becomes his only real friend and ally. The brilliant black and white cinematography is by Ghislain Cloquet, (it was shot largely on location), and it is beautifully adapted by Sautet, Pascal Jardin and Jose Giovanni from Giovanni's novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment