Le Cercle rouge
| Le Cercle rouge | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Produced by | Robert Dorfmann |
| Written by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Starring | Alain Delon Bourvil Yves Montand Gian Maria Volonté |
| Music by | Éric Demarsan |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Editing by | Marie-Sophie Dubus |
| Distributed by | Rialto Pictures StudioCanal The Criterion Collection (home video) |
| Release date(s) |
October 20 1970 (France) April 20 1993 (USA) |
| Running time | 140 min. |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Le Cercle rouge (French pronunciation: [lə sɛʁkl ʁuʒ], The Red Circle) is a 1970 crime film set in Paris, France. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté and Yves Montand. It is perhaps best known for its final heist sequence which is about half an hour in length.
The film's title means "The Red Circle" and refers to the film's epigraph which translates as
- "Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, drew a circle with a piece of red chalk and said: 'When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever the diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle.'"
In fact, the Buddha said no such thing; Melville made it up[1] just as he did with the epigraph in Le Samouraï.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
- Alain Delon – Corey
- Bourvil – Le Commissaire Mattei
- Gian Maria Volonté – Vogel
- Yves Montand – Jansen
- Paul Crauchet – Le Receleur
- Paul Amiot – Le chef de la police
- Pierre Collet – Le Gardien de prison
- André Ekyan – Rico
- Jean-Pierre Posier – L'assistant de Mattei
- François Périer – Santi (as François Perier)
- Yves Arcanel – Le juge d'instruction
- René Berthier – Le directeur de la P.J.
- Jean-Marc Boris – Le fils Santi (Santi's son)
- Jean Champion – Le garde-barrière
- Yvan Chiffre – Un policier (a policeman)
- Anna Douking – L'ancienne amie de Corey (as Ana Douking)
- Robert Favart – Le vendeur chez Mauboussin
- Roger Fradet – Un policier (a policeman)
- Édouard Francomme – Le gardien du billard (as Edouard Francomme)
- Jean Franval – Le tenancier d'hôtel
- Jacques Galland – Le chef de train
- Jean-Pierre Janic – Paul, l'homme de Rico
- Pierre Lecomte – L'adjoint de l'I.G.S.
- Jacques Léonard – Un policier (a policeman)
- Jacques Leroy – Un policier (a policeman)
- Jean Pignol – L'employé du greffe
- Robert Rondo – Un policier (a policeman)
[edit] Reception
Vincent Canby, in a 1993 review of a 99-minute version dubbed into English, said the film "may baffle anyone coming upon him for the first time"; according to Canby:[2]
- Though severely cut, The Red Circle doesn't exactly sweep along. It has a deliberate pace as Melville sets up the story of three chance acquaintances who plan and carry out the sacking of an elegant, supposedly impregnable jewelry store...Understatement is the method of the film, from Melville's pared-down screenplay to the performances by the three trenchcoated principals, even to the muted photography by Henri Decae, which is in color but has the chilly effect of black and white.
Peter Bradshaw, in a 2003 review of a 102-minute reissue, called the film a "treat" and noted "Melville blends the Chandleresque world of his own devising with gritty French reality. With its taut silent robbery sequence, his movie gestures backwards to Rififi, and with Montand's specially modified bullets it anticipates Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal and the contemporary techno-thriller."[3]
Hong Kong director John Woo wrote an essay for the Criterion DVD of Le Cercle rouge arguing the film's merits.[4] When the film was given a theatrical re-release, Woo was given a "presenter" credit.
[edit] Remake
Orlando Bloom is set to play the Alain Delon character Corey in the remake to be directed by Johnnie To. The film is already in pre-production with Bloom learning different martial art techniques to be used in the film. The Red Circle is set to start filming in Hong Kong in 2009.[dated info] According to IMDb, Chow Yun-fat, Liam Neeson, and Alain Delon are tentative co-stars.[5]
However, the film has currently been on hold for some time due to budget issues.
[edit] References
- ^ Johnston, Ian (February 2004). "The Cercle Rouge". The Film Journal. http://www.thefilmjournal.com/issue8/rouge.html. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (September 22, 1993). "Noir by the Father of the New Wave". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C05E7DD1E3AF931A1575AC0A965958260. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (July 4, 2003). "Le Cercle Rouge". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2003/jul/04/artsfeatures10. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
- ^ Le cercle rouge (1970) - The Criterion Collection
- ^ The Red Circle at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] External links
- Le Cercle rouge at the Internet Movie Database
- Le Cercle rouge at AllRovi
- Criterion Collection essay by Michael Sragow
- Criterion Collection essay by Chris Fujiwara
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