Borsalino (1970)

During the 1930s, in Marseilles, France, two small time crooks work for local crime bosses until they decide to go into business for themselves.

Director:

Jacques Deray

Writers:

Jean-Claude Carrière, Jean Cau

Stars:

Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Catherine Rouvel

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	François Capella
Alain Delon	...	Roch Siffredi
Catherine Rouvel	...	Lola
Françoise Christophe	...	Simone Escarguel
Corinne Marchand	...	Mme Rinaldi
Laura Adani	...	Mme Siffredi, la mère de Roch
Nicole Calfan	...	Ginette
Hélène Rémy	...	Lydia
Odette Piquet	...	La chanteuse
Mario David	...	Mario
Lionel Vitrant	...	Fernand
Dennis Berry	...	Nono
Jean Aron	...	Martial Roger, le comptable
André Bollet	...	Poli
Pierre Koulak	...	Spada

Storyline

In 1930 Marseilles two small-time crooks join forces when they meet brawling over a woman. Starting with fixed horse races and fights, they start to find themselves doing jobs for the local gangster bosses. When they decide to go into the business for themselves, their easy-going approach to crime starts to change.

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Plot Keywords:

marseilles france | gangster | crook | 1930s | fight | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong gangster violence

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French Italian German

Release Date:

13 August 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Borsalino

Filming Locations:

Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$500,000, 31 December 1970

Company Credits

Production Co:

Adel Productions, Marianne Productions, Mars Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min 93 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It was one of the most expensive French movies ever made with financing mostly coming from Paramount Pictures.

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Connections

Featured in Tango Bar (1987)

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Soundtracks

Borsalino Blues
Written and Performed by Claude Bolling

User Reviews

A good gangster movie with two of the greatest French actors

Borsalino tells the rise and fall of two small-time crooks in 1930 Marseille. Their rivalry soon becomes a strong friendship, allowing them to reach a place in the sun among other gangsters, even threatening the truce between the two ruthless families that control the city.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon shine in this enjoyable recreation of the ever-corrupted French city. The sets and costumes are terrific, and the music by Claude Bolling became an instant classic. So classic in fact that the director Jacques Deray over-uses it in some parts. The secondary characters are interesting somewhat but clearly overshadowed by the two leads. As for the script, it manages many enjoyable moments wandering between funny and tragic bits, however it is too hammy to totally convince and is not helped by a very dated type of editing. I don't know if it was to mimic the style of older gangster movies, but the movie should've been tighter on that point.

All in all, a very decent French movie. Far from flawless, but recommended.