Rififi (1955)
"Du rififi chez les hommes" (original title)

Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (novel), Jules Dassin (adaptation),

Stars:

Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel

5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Servais	...	Tony le Stéphanois
Carl Möhner	...	Jo le Suedois
Robert Manuel	...	Mario Ferrati
Janine Darcey	...	Louise
Pierre Grasset	...	Louis Grutter aka Louis le Tatoué
Robert Hossein	...	Remi Grutter
Marcel Lupovici	...	Pierre Grutter
Dominique Maurin	...	Tonio
Magali Noël	...	Viviane
Marie Sabouret	...	Mado les Grands Bras
Claude Sylvain	...	Ida Ferrati
Jules Dassin	...	Cesar le Milanais (as Perlo Vita)
Armandel	...	Second Gambler
Alain Bouvette	...	Footman, 'L'Age D'Or'
Alice Garan

Storyline

After five years in prison, Tony le Stéphanois meets his dearest friends Jo and the Italian Mario Ferrati and they invite Tony to steal a couple of jewels from the show-window of the famous jewelry Mappin & Webb Ltd, but he declines. Tony finds his former girlfriend Mado, who became the lover of the gangster owner of the night-club L' Âge d' Or Louis Grutter, and he humiliates her, beating on her back for being unfaithful. Then he calls Jo and Mario and proposes a burglary of the safe of the jewelry. They invite the Italian specialist in safes and elegant wolf Cesar to join their team and they plot a perfect heist. They are successful in their plan, but the Don Juan Cesar makes things go wrong when he gives a valuable ring to his mistress.

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Plot Keywords:

jewelry | safe | italian | burglary | jewel | 

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Taglines:

["Rififi"] ...means Trouble!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Italian English

Release Date:

5 June 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rififi

Filming Locations:

Pont de Bir-Hakeim, Paris, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$17,981 (USA) (21 July 2000)

Gross:

$418,016 (USA) (15 December 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Consortium Cinéma, Indusfilms, Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The much imitated heist sequence is over 32 minutes long and contains not a single line of dialogue or music. The production crew and composer Georges Auric thought it would be a disaster to have such a long sequence sans dialogue. Auric insisted that he allow him to write a grand piece of music for the scene and he eventually did on his own. Later Dassin played the part for Auric twice, once with the score, once without. Auric turned to him and admitted, "Without the music".

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Goofs

When they do timings by car during the heist preparation, the car changes in between shots.

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Quotes

Mario Ferrati: [to Tony about Cesar] For a job with you he'll come. Cesar! There's not a safe that can resist Cesar and not a woman that Cesar can resist.

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Connections

Referenced in It Takes a Thief: Get Me to the Revolution on Time (1968)

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Soundtracks

"La chanson 'Le Rififi'"
Lyrics by Jacques Larue
Music by M. Philippe-Gérard
édité par LES AUTEURS ASSOCIÉS
Performed by Magali Noël (uncredited)

User Reviews

the absolute best

If any film approaches perfection, this is the one. Pound for pound and scene for scene it is the best. The only others even close are the Maltese Falcon and Asphalt Jungle, but this is the baby that beats even them. For sheer black and white beauty it is the equal of Asphalt, and just never lets up. Its ending is one of the best of all time, easily the equal of Citizen Kane. And making it even more amazing it that it was cobbled together in desperation: and made for practically nothing. In short, a bloody miracle.

It builds beautifully. Everything in it works, even down to the great music of George Auric.

Shot in early winter or late spring, it is authentic down to the white gangster breaths on the air. Paris never looked more dangerously beautiful.

Of all the films I have ever seen, it is the only one I would give a nine and a half to. And since most of it works very well without comment, probably it is best to just say, watch it and behold.