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

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

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

Release Date:

5 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

["Rififi"] ...means Trouble!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Jewelry | Safe | Italian | Burglary | Jewel

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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
André Dalibert	...	Webb, le bijoutier (as Dalibert)
Jacques David
Émile Genevois	...	Charlie
Marcelle Hainia	...	Fredo's Wife
Marcel Lesieur	...	Fredo (as Lesieur)
Daniel Mendaille	...	Lookout
Huguette Montréal
Lita Recio		(as Lita Reccio)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacques Besnard	...	Third Gambler (uncredited)
Teddy Bilis	...	Teddy Laurentin (uncredited)
Jenny Doria	...	(uncredited)
René Hell	...	Un camelot (uncredited)
Gilbert Moreau	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Maryse Paillet	...	Charlie's Mother (uncredited)
Marcel Rouzé	...	First Gendarme (uncredited)
Roger Rudel	...	French voice of Jo le Suédois (uncredited)
Fernand Sardou	...	First Gambler (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules Dassin

Writing credits
Auguste Le Breton		(novel "Du rififi chez les hommes")
Jules Dassin		(adaptation)
René Wheeler		(collaboration) and
Auguste Le Breton		(collaboration)
Auguste Le Breton		(dialogue)

Produced by
René Bezard	....	producer
Henri Bérard	....	producer
Pierre Cabaud	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Auric

Cinematography by
Philippe Agostini		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Roger Dwyre

Production Design by
Alexandre Trauner		(as Trauner)

Set Decoration by
Auguste Capelier

Costume Design by
Rosine Delamare

Makeup Department
Anatole Paris	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jean Goiran	....	unit manager
Louis Manella	....	unit manager
René Gaston Vuattoux	....	production manager (as René G. Vuattoux)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrice Dally	....	assistant director
Bernard Delandre	....	assistant director
Jean-Jacques Vierne	....	assistant director

Art Department
Louis Charpeaux	....	property master (as Charpeaux)
Pierre Charron	....	set dresser
Roger Fresca	....	tapestry
Georges Kougoucheff	....	set dresser (as Kougoucheff)
Maurice Terrasse	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles Akerman	....	sound
Jacques Lebreton	....	sound
Jean Philippe	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Raymond Bègue	....	still photographer (as Begue)
Changlesy	....	assistant camera (as Chenglesy)
André Domage	....	assistant camera
Raymond Pierre Lemoigne	....	assistant camera (as Lemoigne)
Jean-Marie Maillols	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marcelle Desvignes	....	costume execution
Henriette Ridard	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Denise de Casabianca	....	assistant editor
Nadine Trintignant	....	assistant editor (as Nadine Marquand)

Music Department
Jacques Métehen	....	conductor (as Jacques Metehen)

Other crew
Wilhelmine Berard	....	administrator
Renée Nitzschke	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (presents) (as Pathé-Consortium Cinéma)
• Indusfilms
• Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma (as S.N.Pathé Cinéma)
• Primafilm

Distributors

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1955) (France) (theatrical) (as Pathé-Consortium Cinéma)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (2000) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Gaumont DVD (2009) (France) (DVD)
• C.F.R. (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• C.F.R. (1955) (France) (theatrical) (16 mm)
• Iris Film (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Pons-filmi (1959) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Rialto Pictures (2000) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (subtitled)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled) (as United Motion Picture Organization, Inc.)
• Valio-Filmi (1978) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Arcadia Entertainment (2010) (Greece) (DVD)
• Arrow Films (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Éditions Gallimard  book publisher (as La Librairie Gallimard)
• Dusausoy  jewelry: Les joyaux proviennet de la collection (Paris)
• Renel  furs
• Photosonor  studio (as Photosonor ~ Courbevoie)
• Western Electric  sound recording
• S.I.M.O.  sound recording (as SIMO)
• Franay L.T.C. Saint Cloud  studio
• Lax  opticals

Also Known As:

"Du rififi chez les hommes" - France (original title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Italian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | France:-16 (original rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1956) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1959) (heavily cut) | Finland:K-18 (1978) (uncut) | Australia:M | Norway:16 | Germany:12 (re-rating: 2007) | USA:Not Rated | Finland:K-13 (2007) (uncut)

Filming Locations:

Pont de Bir-Hakeim, Paris, France

Company:

Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Trivia:

Writer/director Jules Dassin portrayed Cesar only because the actor that was hired encountered contract problems just prior to filming.

Goofs:

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

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Dick Van Dyke Show: Obnoxious, Offensive, Egomaniac, Etc. (#5.26)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

La chanson 'Le Rififi'

Pure gold standard...

This film is a work of pure class from start to finish, for a moment forget the famous 28 minute no dialog heist, forget that it's set in Paris and forget it's Noir. The film itself, the premise and the execution make this a pure gold experience.. it's sharp intelligent and thought through in great detail, just like the heist itself. It portrays real characters that are not only believable but whom you empathize with. It's a film that doesn't glamorize the notion of a robbery but shows it for what it is.. theft. It shows that a heist is hard work and ultimately not worth doing. Now all things considered put on top of that a daring 28 minute sequence with not a word spoken and set in gorgeous Paris with truly great attention to detail and fantastic cinematography and that last scene ...when you look up and see those trees... wonderful use of raw and basic filming techniques... it is a master piece in my view and I'm glad to have seen it.