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The Burglars

Original title: Le casse
  • 19711971
  • PGPG
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
Jean-Paul Belmondo, Dyan Cannon, and Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)
ActionCrimeThriller
In 1970s Athens a group of professional burglars plan an emerald heist from the home of a gem collector but the corrupt Greek police inspector Abel Zacharia is on their trail.In 1970s Athens a group of professional burglars plan an emerald heist from the home of a gem collector but the corrupt Greek police inspector Abel Zacharia is on their trail.In 1970s Athens a group of professional burglars plan an emerald heist from the home of a gem collector but the corrupt Greek police inspector Abel Zacharia is on their trail.
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
2.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Henri Verneuil
  • Writers
    • Henri Verneuil(scenario)
    • Vahé Katcha(scenario)
    • David Goodis(novel "The Burglar")
  • Stars
    • Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Omar Sharif
    • Dyan Cannon
  • Director
    • Henri Verneuil
  • Writers
    • Henri Verneuil(scenario)
    • Vahé Katcha(scenario)
    • David Goodis(novel "The Burglar")
  • Stars
    • Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Omar Sharif
    • Dyan Cannon
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 36User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos35

    The Burglars (1971)
    The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo, Nicole Calfan, and Robert Hossein in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Robert Hossein in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, Robert Hossein, Renato Salvatori, and Henri Verneuil in The Burglars (1971)
    Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)
    Jean-Paul Belmondo in The Burglars (1971)
    The Burglars (1971)
    Omar Sharif in The Burglars (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    Jean-Paul Belmondo
    • Azad
    Omar Sharif
    Omar Sharif
    • Abel Zacharia
    Dyan Cannon
    Dyan Cannon
    • Lena Gripp's
    Robert Hossein
    Robert Hossein
    • Ralph
    Nicole Calfan
    Nicole Calfan
    • Hélène
    Myriam Feune de Colombi
    • Isabelle Tasco
    • (as Myriam Colombi)
    Raoul Delfosse
    • Le gardien de la villa Tasco
    José Luis de Vilallonga
    José Luis de Vilallonga
    • Tasco
    Renato Salvatori
    Renato Salvatori
    • Renzi
    Marc Arian
    • Le propriétaire du restaurant
    • (uncredited)
    Alice Arno
    Alice Arno
    • La fille du vestiaire de la boîte de nuit
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Eckardt
    • Malloch
    • (uncredited)
    Roger Lumont
    • Petit rôle
    • (uncredited)
    Remo Mosconi
    • Doublure Zacharia course-poursuite
    • (uncredited)
    Pamela Stanford
    Pamela Stanford
    • La strip-teaseuse
    • (uncredited)
    Daniel Vérité
    • Playboy
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Henri Verneuil
    • Writers
      • Henri Verneuil(scenario)
      • Vahé Katcha(scenario)
      • David Goodis(novel "The Burglar")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jean-Paul Belmondo did most of his own stunts.
    • Goofs
      Just before the car chase begins, Abel Zacharia is following the burglars around the docks. They act like they don't see him until they find their ship dry-docked, but in every scene he is the only car around besides them, is clearly very close to them watching them, and follows them closely. It would take a blind person to not notice they were being followed.
    • Quotes

      Azad: We've each got a job to do. You want to do both. That makes complications.

      Abel Zacharia: Not at all, it's very simple. I play both sides. If things go wrong, I start acting like a policeman again.

    • Connections
      Featured in Rififides tou erota (1987)

    User reviews36

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    As an adaptation of the David Goodis novel. . .
    I have been reading the work of David Goodis, an American writer who wrote dark thrillers in the 1940's and 1950's. After reading the novels, I have been watching (or re-watching) the film adaptations. Goodis's work has been adapted by Francois Truffaut (Shoot the Piano Player), Delmer Daves (Dark Passage), and Samuel Fuller (Street of No Return), among others. Henri Verneuil's film adaptation of Goodis's The Burglar is best watched on its own terms rather than as an adaptation.

    The Burglars (film) keeps a great deal of the plot from The Burglar (novel). A group of burglars (three men and a young woman) are in the process of robbing emeralds from a house when a policeman (two in the novel) spots their getaway car. The leader of the burglars (Azad in the movie, Harbin in the novel) convinces the policeman/policemen that his car has broken down. The police car leaves and the robbery is finished. Everything appears fine, but then come the complications. A beautiful woman comes out of nowhere and begins to make eyes at Azad/Nat, setting up a love triangle with the female burglar. In addition, the policeman (or one of the policemen in the novel) wants the emeralds for himself, setting up a game of cat and mouse.

    All of the above summary fits both the movie and the novel. The big difference is in tone. The movie is trying to be a crowd pleaser. The tone is mostly light, giving Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif a chance to play off of each other. There is a fun car chase and a funny scene in a restaurant where the policeman insists on ordering the burglar's food. Also, the catchy Ennio Morricone score reflects the film's lighthearted mood (I own the soundtrack). On the downside, The Burglars is a little overlong and mostly wastes Dyan Cannon. In addition, while fun to watch, there is not much to reflect upon when it is over.

    The novel The Burglar goes into much darker territory. It is a noir story, where the criminal hero finds himself struggling in traps both real and emotional as he balances two very different women and tries to survive the corrupt policeman. This policeman is not the cool, dashing Omar Sharif but an unhinged psychopath with no qualms about resorting to murder.

    Here is an example of how film and novel handle a similar section. In both, the female burglar is sent away after the job. In both, the hero, Azad/Harbin, has to go and retrieve her. In the film, he resorts to riding around in a clown car, literally a car done up with a giant clown on the front, broadcasting an advertisement for the coming circus. This works in the film because The Burglars is the equivalent of a trip to the circus. However, the novel records its hero's journey with unease dripping from the pages.

    "Then the road sign was past them and in front of them was the black and the booming storm. Harbin had an odd feeling they were a thousand miles away from Atlantic City and a thousand miles away from anywhere. He tried to convince himself the Black Horse Pike was a real thing and in daylight it was just another concrete road. But ahead of him now it looked unreal, like a path arranged for unreal travel, its glimmer unreal, black of it unreal with the wet wild thickness all around it."

    The Burglars is an enjoyable enough heist picture, but The Burglar is a novel that gut punches the reader.
    helpful•4
    0
    • jrd_73
    • Jul 25, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 14, 1972 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Italy
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Provalnik
    • Filming locations
      • Corfu Island, Greece(beach scenes)
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Films
      • Vides Cinematografica
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • FRF 15,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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