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.

---

Plot Keywords:

marseilles france | gangster | poliziottesco | french poliziottesco | crook | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong gangster violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie saw a revival in the popularity of Borsalino hats.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mean Streets (1973)

---

Soundtracks

Arts Déco
Written and Performed by Claude Bolling

User Reviews

This film is what a movie should be. Minimal message. Emphasis on entertaining.

I liked this film and became a Belmondo and Delon fan because of it. The story fosters traditional friendship values : Loyalty , affection , and it underwrites pursuit of dreams.

All production values are a little over dramatic , which worked for me given the slightly hammy machismo of the stars. These guys looked like they really are friends off-screen and maybe had a lot of fun making the film. They are a couple of real characters and it shows through. They're better at playing themselves than at acting

Interesting sepia stills for credit backgrounds which predate Butch Cassidy's use of them as nostalgia evocation.

Somewhat typical of foreign films of the period , the continuity was sometimes uneven . But that wasn't particularly disruptive because of the un-complex story line.

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:

$1,090,000

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