User Reviews

This is referential to a degree; the young Turk and the seasoned pro was done better in Alain Corneau's Le Choix des armes with Gerard Depardieu taking on Yves Montand and if it comes to that Montand was integral to a better 'caper' movie, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge but whilst this one takes its time to get going Henri Verneuil racks up the tension with the heist itself, which is, of course, the centre point and then he tends to let himself down by a slight variant of the end of Kubrick's The Killing. Nothing with Gabin is ever going to be a waste of time and though Delon developed into a fine actor he is a tad too mannered here. There's a good opening sequence in which Gabin, on the train taking him home out of the slammer (though we don't know this yet) listens scornfully to the other commuters comparing dull lives but after this there's something of a hiatus til the caper itself. Worth a look.

This black-and-white crime movie about a heist on a casino is one of the great classics : well-directed, well-written and well-acted. Jean Gabin and Alain Delon pretty much steal the show.

In a certain sense Delon - even more than Gabin - gives a double performance, as a young and ambitious criminal AND as the rich "fils-à-papa" persona adopted by the criminal. As an inhabitant of a neighbouring country I can assure you that the type is known here too and that it is still going strong. Nowadays we've even got new subspecies, such as the "fils-à-maman" or the "fille-à-maman". They're all so obnoxious one could be forgiven for wishing for a comet to wipe out human life...

(Note the satirical barbs, such as the comment that a wealthy and pampered young man, when introduced to his hotel room, should complain about some detail : it is expected and it creates a good impression.)

The movie as a whole is very watchable indeed, but it is the last quarter of an hour or so which lifts it to stellar heights, with an unbelievably suspenseful resolution set around a luxurious pool. Neither Delon nor Gabin speak a word, but this is some of the most skilled, most expressive acting I've ever seen - and the musical score is superb. It all results in a supremely satisfying and supremely ironical ending.

Henri Verneuil seems to have been an efficient manager. The film does not reflect any point of view of the director. But the film does arouse some interest. Mainly for its historical dimension and its cast.

On the cast side, the type of casting works to the fullest. Jean Gabin, lazy, only knows how to use the same facial expressions and mimicry that he has seen in his interpretations elsewhere. To serve, it is true, the dialogues of Michel Audiard, at times successful. But the character who thinks he is a big shot and turns out to be a cellar (see the conclusion of the film, welcome and disappointing for the viewer). Type casting also for Maurice Biraud, perfect as always, but whose interpretation does not change from film to film. Finally Alain Delon, the main actor of the film (the most interesting scenes are his) is the one who ensures the dramatic continuity.

On the side of the female characters, it is the standard misogyny of the time that is expressed. The only two female characters, Gabin's wife (Vivianne Romance, subtle, opposite a ponderous Jean Gabin) and the Swedish dancer (Carla Marlier, perfect opposite Alain Delon). Curiously, in this man's film where the women are only faires valoir, they are the best written characters.

The heist film is a sub-genre in its own right. From the recruitment and creation of the gang, the preparation, the driving and finally, the aftermath.

The film is interesting in its character component, as our heists are not smart or brilliant. Hence the conclusion of the film, a chain of bad decisions that will lead our gang not to enjoy the stolen money.

It's so refreshing to sit back, relax, and enjoy a slow simmering casino robbery caper. No dizzy editing, no mindless car chases, no wiz kid gadgets, no convoluted but inexplicable plots. Just an old hand released after serving 5 years, coming home to his wife and vowing that he will pull off a big one and live happily ever after. Never hurried, things get better and better. The year is 1963 and the venue, the French Riviera, as a matter of fact, Cannes. Better still, it's in black and white.

Here we have young Alain Delon's explosive appearance that makes him look like James Dean for a few minutes, before he resumes the persona we know him so well by, cool and stylish. At the ending (and what an ending), we even see him in a little bit of a pensive mood. It is, however, old timer Jean Gabin who gives you every dollar's worth, portraying the old master, sturdy as a rock and clever as a fox, as Spencer Tracy might have played it.

Following the caper through from the meticulous storytelling, we become so empathized with the principals that we are finally prepared for the ending. The situation is so devilishly set up that every tingle of tension in the air become palpable. Use of the camera is now swung to high gear, from the shot of Delon appearing at a distance through a circular archway with a bulky bag in each hand, to the frame with Gabin sitting at the near side of the swimming pool and Delon over at the far side, at an angle. You can hear the thundering silence as they exchange non-existent glances. The last twenty minutes in this movie would be the most memorable last twenty minutes in any movie that you have come across.

'Mélodie en sous-sol' (1963) is an excellent heist film, one of the best of director Henri Verneuil's heyday and the first screen collaboration between Jean Gabin and Alain Delon. The great French star and the conqueror of hearts in the 30s-40s-50s was passing the baton to the young stars who were exploding on the screens in those years. A year before, he had made 'Un singe en hiver' with Belmondo, also directed by Verneuil. Alain Delon was, paradoxically, better known at that time in Italy where he had achieved some exceptional roles in films directed by Visconti and Antonioni, but he was looking for a mainstream success. He achieved it with 'Mélodie en sous-sol' and that not only on the French market but also on the American market, where the film was released under the title 'Any Number Can Win'.

Charles just got out of prison. His wife would like him to end his career as a burglar, a career that has lasted for decades and has also brought him two convictions totaling about eight years in prison. Charles will not give up on one last hit for which he recruits young Francis, a young and 'promising' miscreant. The target of the strike is the casino in Cannes. Francis has one week to familiarize himself with the places, identify the access and escape routes and find a hiding place for the money after the hit. The plans seem to get complicated when Francis becomes involved with a dancer in the casino's ballet troupe. As in many other films of the genre, the devil in the details will come into play.

Almost everything succeeds to Henri Verneuil in this film. He chose to shoot in black and white at a time when color film was already cheap enough for the choice to be aesthetic. It is one of the reverences sent by Verneuil to his colleagues who had decided to fully engage on the New Wave path. There are a few more, including the dramatic big-band jazz background score composed by Michel Magne. The script adapts an American novel from Serie Noire, but the transposition in France is perfect, due in part to the dialogues written by Michel Audiard. The cinematography belongs to the experienced Louis Page, with many mirror games and other daring and spectacular angles. It would be his last collaboration with Verneuil, as Page will die a few years later. Jean Gabin - who had entered the period of undertaking seasoned gangster roles (when he was not doing Commissioner Maigret) - is excellent, although the script is a bit stingy with him in the second part of the film, after having dominated the beginning. The focus of the story shifts to the infiltration of Francis, played by a darker than usual Alain Delon, into the world of the casino and his relationship with the beautiful Brigitte (Carla Marlier). The scene of the heist itself lasts about 25 minutes without boring for even a second, and the anthological final scene must be seen and not told about. 'Mélodie en sous-sol' is a film that ages beautifully. Worth watching or re-watching.