Je vous salue, mafia! (1965)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Raoul Lévy

Writers:

Jean Cau (dialogue)
Pierre Lesou (novel)

Release Date:

11 August 1965 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Shootout | Murder For Hire | Gangster | France

Cast

Eddie Constantine	...	Rudy
Henry Silva	...	Schaft
Jack Klugman	...	Phil
Elsa Martinelli	...	Sylvia
Micheline Presle	...	Daisy
Michael Lonsdale	...	Secretary
Carl Studer	...	Ruidosa
Ricky Cooper	...	Ben
Tener Eckelberry	...	Hyman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Marc Allègre
Danièle Coumayer
Danielle Couprayen
Daniel O'Brian
Marcello Pagliero		(as Marcel Pagliero)

Also Known As:

Da New York: la mafia uccide (Italy)
Hail, Mafia (USA)

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

France | Italy

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Filmstudio

A Hidden Masterpiece

If this film had been directed by Jean Pierre Melville, Criterion or someone else would have already have made a DVD special edition. It concerns two men, played by Henry Silva and Jack Klugman who travel to France to kill a man, a former gangster played by Eddie Constantine. They are sent to kill this man because they fear that he may testify and bring some underworld figures down. What happens on this journey is a story of fate, and some ironic twists.

While the beginning of the film starts out kind of chessie, (the shots of New York) so we are to get the feeling that the scenes with the actors were filmed in New York. When the two men get to France, that is when the film really takes off. It is almost like a road picture, as they travel from Paris to Marseille, two Americans, who don't speak French traveling in a strange land, Country much more foreign then, than it would be today.

Klugmans character has personal reasons why he wants to kill the character played by Constantine, while Silva, playing a guy called SHAFT, is only doing this job because it is his job. This film was based I believe on an American novel, and what is different here is that while usually in stories such as this the older man acts more the professional, while the younger is more carefree, HAIL MAFIA defies these conventions. Though Silva I believe is only 8 years younger than Klugman, he the younger man seems to live by codes, (he doesn't even smoke) and is the boss of the two, while Klugman seems to have the more easy going attitude, and not as careful. Their relationship is a very interesting on this road to a murder.

I think that this film paved the way for Silva to get starting roles in Europe, and while it did not do that for Klugman, the film should be famous for his line regarding 'what would make a man quit smoking, Which he would have to do some 30 years latter due to throat cancer. The photography on the French scenes is first rate, filmed by the famous cinematographer of the New Wave, Raoul Coutard. Their are some other interesting touches, such as when Constantine's girl friend (I think his wife at the time) looks at a picture of John F Kennedy, and when she offers him a glass of Orange Juice, he says yes but with some Scotch (Constantine had a drinking problem).

If this film were ever remade, and took place in the 21'st Century, one problem would be technology is a bit different than in 1965. I hope more people get to see this buried treasure.