Casque d'Or (1952) User Reviews

A hymn to voluptuous, mature beauty

[rhoda-1 · 8/10 · 23 September 2007]

Despite the corsets and petticoats and horse-drawn cabs, this lush, richly textured film has more in common with the bleak, fatalistic modern-dress films of the period than with conventional historical romance. The action takes place over the course of only a few days, but in France that's long enough for a passion strong enough to change a life, or end it--more than one man dies because of the bewitching Marie and her golden hair that shines like the sun. The intensity of the characters' emotions and the suddenness of their violence is powerfully countered by the reserve of the playing--of the solemn, laconic toughs and of Simone Signoret as Marie. In moments of great emotion, her slight smile changes to a broad one, but with her lips still closed. There's none of the giggling and wriggling that marked the other blonde Fifties sex symbols, Bardot and Monroe, and countless others since, and obviously no nudity, total or partial, but in her morning-after scene with Serge Reggiani, you can practically smell smoke.

Like Zola's Nana, Marie is neither a villain nor a victim, simply an elemental force of nature. This elemental-woman business can, in French and non-French movies, be pretentious and unwittingly comic, but there's none of that here, because neither Signoret nor the director indulge in any fancy dialogue or vocal tricks to play up how alluring she is--they don't have to. We are always aware of Marie as a figure of enormous strength, with a broad, strong back, round shoulders spilling out of her blouse, and a mouth too wide for coyness.

In an otherwise favourable review, Pauline Kael said that the film's tone was slightly trashy, as if it were saying, of the low-life characters, "Look, they have feelings too." I disagree--the scene of the wealthy, slumming group in evening dress who find the characters "marvelously amusing" show us what Becker thinks of that viewpoint and implicitly reproaches anyone who shares it.

Love & Despair with Beautiful Hair...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 13 February 2023]

Marie supports a bonnet made of gold, her hair encapsulates, entwines and folds, she's a hoodlum's fancy doll, not the happiest of moll, but then Georges Manda starts to dance, and takes a hold. A few days later theirs a fight behind a bar, the two adversaries will scrap and fight and spar, with a blade casually tossed, by Leca, the gangster boss, leaving one with injuries, that will not scar.

Still an engrossing tale of love, honour and deceit, all centred around Marie, beautifully portrayed and performed by Simone Signoret, as she tries to escape the gangs and back alleys of Paris for a man she's recently fallen for.

a Renoir painting, the beautiful Signoret

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 18 July 2013]

Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani star in "Casque d'Or," a 1952 film also starring Claude Dauphin and William Sabatier.

Signoret plays Marie, the kept woman of a good-looking gangster, Roland (Sabatier), but she is also desired by the gang's boss Felix Leca (Dauphin). One night she is introduced to Manda (Reggiani), a carpenter who, after a prison term, is trying to go straight. The two have an instant attraction, which angers the jealous Roland. After a fight in which Roland is killed, Leca sees a way to get rid of Manda too. But Marie steps in, and the result is tragedy.

This is a beautifully photographed film that takes place in the 1890s, the Belle Epoque. Signoret is the beautiful center of a story about passion and love, as well as the lives of women back then at the hands of their keepers, and the brutality. Jacques Becker frames each scene magnificently.

Signoret wasn't in any way a typical star by Hollywood standards. She had a raw sexuality and sensuality, a voluptuous figure, and an earthy presence that gave her the edge over all of them. Each film she was in was elevated by her presence. You can well believe all three of the men in this film desired her.

Highly recommended.

Casque d'or :French cinema at its best!

[dbdumonteil · 15 October 2005]

In a poll in 1979 ,Becker's chef d'oeuvre was part of the top ten of the best French movies of all time.

It's arguably Becker's best work;he achieved a luminous movie with many unforgettable scenes : -the small boats on the river,and the pack arriving at the guinguettes,those cafes down by the river Seine which are no longer part of the landscapes.(remember Duvivier's "la belle équipe" ,1936) -all the scenes in the country where the nature seems to protect the lovers as a mother would do.Most of all,this admirable sequence when Reggiani 's sleeping :he opens his eyes and Marie's luminous beauty moves him deeply -never a director filmed Signoret as Becker did- -The scene which climaxes the opus is the one in the church.They hear the whole congregation sing the "Kyrie " in a tiny church:there's a wedding there.So Marie urges Manda to come in and they attend the ceremony.When they leave ,they learn tragic news.Now the bell is tolling for them,even if these are wedding bells.

-The final scenes between Reggiani/Manda and his old pal Bussières /Raymond display Becker's love of loyalty,manly friendship ,a subject which would come back in later works ,muted in "touchez pas au grisbi" and became an absolute pessimism in "le trou" where nobody could be trusted anymore.

-The score which Becker used in the last sequences is none other than the old French folk song "le temps des cerises" actually an organizing song,a revolutionary song ,since it was the anthem of the Commune in 1871.

"Casque d'or" is one of the jewels of the French cinema.Becker used to like the Apaches (=ruffians) ,the outcast,cause he would transfer Leblanc's Arsene Lupin adventures to the screen in 1957.A failed attempt though.But "Casque d'or" generally looked upon as Becker's peak ,hasn't aged a bit.

Jacques Becker: cinema as art

[pzanardo · 10/10 · 15 January 2001]

Jacques Becker was an artist and a director. His legacy is a trilogy of masterpieces: "Casque d'Or", "Touchez pas au Grisbi", "Le Trou", three luminous instances of cinema as art.

The linear story of "Casque d'Or" has the neatness of a Maupassant's tale. We are transferred into a most glorious epoch for French culture and art: the decline of the 19th century, the age of Impressionism. Marie (Simone Signoret) is a blond beauty, a cheerful "lost woman". She's the girl-friend of a member of a gang of small-time but ruthless criminals. She falls in first-sight-love with George Manda (Serge Reggiani) a former crook, now a honest carpenter. Predictable troubles ensue...

The atmosphere of the epoch is wonderfully recreated, with a black-and-white photography of indescribable beauty. An Impressionist Master behind the camera couldn't have done better. And, in fact, Becker was a favorite "student" of director Jean Renoir, Auguste Renoir's son. Becker's characteristic narrating style is nostalgic, serene, gently ironic. He deliberately avoids over-dark tones in his representation of the underworld, even in the middle of tragic events.

Simone Signoret is a charismatic presence on the screen: outstanding is her use of body-language to draw Marie's character, both a romantic enamoured woman and a cynical harlot. Reggiani is excellent as the laconic, tough Manda: he utters some twenty words along the whole movie, yet we perfectly understand his peculiar honor code, his profound love for Marie, his unselfish devotion to friendship. Splendid is Leca (Claude Dauphin), the boss of the gang, officially a respectable well-off wine-dealer: proficient, cool-headed, extremely cunning and Machiavellian, always ready to betray his own men to pursue his dirty purposes. Indeed, great care is paid to the design of all characters, with superb acting by the whole cast.

Exquisite poetic touches permeate the movie... Marie drags Manda into a church, where a simple wedding (of unknown middle-class people) is taking place. Shortly after, Manda is impatient "Let's go"; and Marie "No, just another minute"... and she contemplates the wedding with a dreaming smile...

"Casque d'Or": a perfect work of art.

A Parisian period gangster romance

[melvelvit-1 · 10/10 · 27 November 2008]

Jacques Becker's CASQUE D'OR (Golden Helmet 1952), an underworld romance set in Paris during "La Belle Epoque", stars Simone Signoret as the titular blonde prostitute who's star-crossed amour reveals the agony and ecstasy of love. The buxom Signoret plays Marie, the moll of an Apache gangster, who meets Manda, an ex-con gone straight, at an al fresco dance hall and it's love at first sight for both of them. The pair soon throw caution to the wind, setting off a chain-reaction of jealousy, murder, double-crosses, and revenge that can only end in tragedy. All of the characters are sharply etched but it's Simone Signoret's Marie who literally shines. The tough and tender demimonde can't take her eyes off Manda (a quiet, determined Serge Reggiani) from the moment they meet until the bitter end and she's often bathed in an ethereal light. The duplicity-free Marie is also the quintessential femme fatale who proves bad luck to any man who covets her. The era is imaginatively realized and a number of scenes are reminiscent of Impressionist paintings yet, like Marie's unconscious duality, there's darkness in the light with an undercurrent of understated but potent sex and violence. Highly recommended and loosely based on an incident in the life of a bisexual bonvivant, one Amélie Hélie:

"The bands of roughnecks of Belleville were also a passionate lot, not like the cynical pimps of Montmartre and La Chapelle. Here a man took out a knife for a girl he really cared for. In 1902 the story of 'Casque d'Or' made the headlines throughout Paris, both east and west. Two enemy bands of Apaches Mohicans de Paris - sporting their customary insignia of caps, bell-bottom trousers and polka-dotted scarves, had taken to the streets that lay between Belleville and Charonne: 'Le Popincourt' headed by the Corsican Leca, 'Les Orteaux' by Manda, l'Homme! The object of their dispute was not territory but a girl called Amélie Hélie, nicknamed 'Casque d'Or', with a stunning, golden-reddish mane. The confrontation turned into a fullscale pitched battle on Rue des Haies, in which neither knife blades nor guns were spared. To the inquisitive public prosecutor Manda retorted during his trial: 'We fought each other, the Corsican and myself, because we love the same girl. We are crazy about her. Don't you know what it is to love a girl?' Manda was unquestionably a soulmate of Piaf. Condemned to deportation and hard labour - Manda for life, Leca for eight years - the two men met on the island of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. When finally they spoke to each other, it was about 'Casque d'Or'. She meanwhile wasted no time bewailing her unfortunate suitors, but turned for solace to the world of entertainment and the company of wealthier men. However, one of Leca's faithful followers had been contemplating revenge and stabbed her one night in the establishment where she sang. Although she survived, she could no longer perform as a singer and it is only thanks to her portrayal by the legendary Simone Signoret in Jacques Becker's movie that she has not fallen into oblivion. The real Amélie Hélie ended by marrying an ordinary workman and died forgotten on 16 April 1933. She was buried in the cemetery of Bagnolet."

CASQUE D'OR's release was briefly delayed when Amélie's widower attempted to take out an injunction against it, claiming the film invaded his late wife's privacy. The case was soon thrown out when it was revealed that Hélie had appeared on stage, playing herself, in a drama entitled "Casque d'or et les Apaches".

At times the acting a bit stilted

[steiner-sam · 6/10 · 3 June 2021]

It is a tragic love affair between a man trying to leave a life of crime behind and a woman, probably a prostitute, also desired by the leader of the local crime syndicate. It's apparently based on a true story from 1901 Paris.

Marie (Simone Signoret) is the girlfriend of a smalltime hood named Roland (William Sabatier). At a club, she meets Georges Manda (Serge Reggiani), who has just gotten out of prison after five years and wants to go straight. Marie and Georges dance together and are immediately smitten with one another, making Roland very angry. Roland later challenges Georges to a fight overseen by Félix (Claude Dauphin), leader of the local syndicate. Georges wins the knife fight, killing Roland.

Georges and Marie escape to the country where they briefly have an idyllic time together. However, Felix wants Marie for himself, and through a police contact implicates Georges' best friend, Raymond (Raymond Bussières), for Roland's murder. He knows this will get Georges to come back to Paris. It works, and Georges confesses to killing Roland in order to save his falsely-accused friend.

While imprisoned Georges learns through Raymond that Félix set the trap to get Marie. Georges and Raymond escape from prison with Marie's help, though Raymond is fatally wounded in the process. Georges goes after Félix, tracking him down in a police station and kills him with real vengeance.

In the movie's last scene we see Marie watching Georges' execution from a window overlooking the square where the guillotine is set up.

It was a good movie, with a crisply unfolding storyline. It provided a interesting period-piece look at very early 20th century Paris. At times I thought the acting a bit stilted. I would not call it a classic, but I'm glad I saw it.

About passion and its consequences

[howard.schumann · 10/10 · 3 April 2006]

After being released from prison where he served five years for an undisclosed crime, Georges Manda (Serge Reggiani), a soft-looking, taciturn man with a handlebar moustache, becomes a hard working carpenter, determined to go straight. When Raymond (Raymond Bussieres), a fellow gang member with whom he served time in prison, introduces him to Marie (Simone Signoret) at a dance, however, the solid foundation he was trying to build begins to come unglued. Signoret, one of the classiest and most elegant actresses, is strikingly irresistible as the moll of a suave gang leader in Jacques Becker's 1952 masterpiece Casque D'or. Considered a failure when it first opened but, after receiving critical acclaim in New York, the film developed a wider audience in France and has now become a classic, newly restored on a Criterion DVD.

Set in Paris in the 1890s and based on actual police accounts, Casque D'or is not an arid period piece or costume drama, but a rich, vibrant, and lovingly evocative work that successfully recreates the ambiance of Paris at the turn of the century. Unlike Melville's Le Samourai which was filmed in near darkness to capture the sullen milieu of the underworld, Becker bathes his film in a dazzling poetic light that belies the darkness of its theme and some scenes have been compared to an impressionist painting. Marie is being "kept" by Roland (William Sabatier), a volatile and jealous dandy and is also sought after by the crime boss Felix Leca (Claude Dauphin). Manda and Marie fall in love but soon Manda runs afoul of the law after killing the jealous Roland in a fight. Leca seizes on this opportunity to remove Manda from the picture by framing his closest friend but doesn't count on Manda's dedication to doing what is right.

Despite being about the criminal element, there is little violence in Casque D'or and it is more of an moody romance than a crime drama, perhaps accounting for its initial failure at the box office. The most brilliantly realized sequence takes place at a countryside retreat where Manda and Marie go for a few hours of happiness together before the inevitable denouement. Casque D'or is a film about friendship, loyalty, and, most of all, about passion and its consequences. When Marie hears wedding bells and drags Manda into a church, all he can say is "not now", but his expression suggests that he knows that their love will be a dream that fades into dawn.

Not super-interesting but well crafted.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 17 January 2012]

"Casque d'Or" is a very well made film. However, I must also point out that the characters themselves were not particularly likable or easy to believe--even though the story is supposed to be based, at least in part, on a real case.

The film is set among the seedier elements in Paris in the 1890s. It begins with a woman of very easy virtue (Simone Signoret) meeting a man who is a carpenter (Serge Reggiani). Their meeting is VERY tempestuous and throughout the first part of the film they seem to have a love-hate relationship. Later, when he tries to talk with her in a bar, a fight breaks out and he kills a man. What happens next is rather sad and sordid--though I never really cared about the characters.

Compared to the average American film of the time, this movie is a bit shocking. While there is no nudity, the characters are rather matter-of-fact about sex. One man gropes Signoret's breasts early in the film and later Signoret and her lover (who barely know each other) jump into bed. At the time, I am sure international audiences were a bit shocked by all this. They also might have been shocked by the fact that EVERYONE in the film is a bit slimy--and some are VERY slimy--though this isn't all that different from some Film Noir.

All in all, the acting is nice, the film work is nice and the sets very nice. It's just a shame that although the story had a few nice twists I never really cared about any of them.

The blonde beauty

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

Jacques Becker's "Casque d'or" is a fine example of the best in the French cinema. At times, this splendid 1954 film, keeps reminding us about paintings of the impressionist school, especially Renoir, because it takes us back to that era. In fact, the beginning of the film almost gives the impression we are witnessing characters that inspired the painters of that art movement.

"Casque d'or" is enhanced by the magnificent black and white photography of Robert Lefevbre who has a poetic way to get the best of what M. Becker intended him to do. The atmospheric music of Georges Van Parys takes the viewer back to those places one has seen in different paintings of that era.

The lovely young woman at the center of the picture, Marie, gets taken with Manda the moment he enters the country restaurant where she is seen with some of the petty criminals she is friendly with. One realizes this is a passion that is not meant to be from the start. Marie belongs to one of the Felix Leca's gang. When Roland senses his girl has an eye for another man, he wants to take get rid of him.

Georges Manda has also been to jail, but now is a carpenter and trying to go straight. Fate is not kind to Manda, who, when provoked, reveals he is not to be made a fool. Leca, who is also quite smitten by Marie's beauty plans to get rid of Manda so he can have the blonde woman all to himself. Leca, who knows his way around the law, and is friendly with the police, will prove to be Manda's undoing.

What Jacques Becker achieved with this film was to create the right atmosphere to set his story. Working in France he had the access to the great movie locations one sees in the movie. The film evokes that period convincingly. The director adds touches, that even when watched today, are a delight to watch.

M. Becker got good performances out of his cast. Simone Signoret at that point of her life was at her prime. Her Marie is a fine example of what she was able to project without much effort. Her beauty is evident and she plays Marie with elegance. Serge Reggiani plays Manda with conviction. M. Reggiani covered quite a lot of ground in the French cinema. Aside from his good looks, he was an accomplished actor and singer. His contribution to our enjoyment of the film made "Casque d'or" to be a classic it became. Claude Dauphin is Felix Leca, the unscrupulous man in love with Marie who will stoop so low in order to get the woman that he wouldn't have otherwise. M. Dauphin conveys the evil in Felix Leca with an economy that works well in his portrayal of this sophisticated monster.

Finally, this is Jacques Becker's triumph. "Casque d'or" is one of the best films of all times.

Classic - though stupid - tale of man vs. man for a woman

[zetes · 7/10 · 13 September 2009]

The basic question at the heart of Jacques Becker's 1952 film Casque d'or is whether Simone Signoret is worth destroying your entire life over. The logical answer would be no. She's pretty, but she ain't that pretty. Becker's answer is the opposite of mine. Serge Reggiani plays the ex-con, now working as a carpenter, who has the misfortune to be introduced to Signoret by his old prison buddy. Fed up with her gangster boyfriend, Signoret gleefully accepts an invitation to dance, and makes sure her boyfriend knows just how gleefully. That opens up a can of worms that the dummy could just as easily have walked away from unopened. All this film really has going for it is general prettiness. Not only Signoret, but the costumes and the cinematography are very nice. The story itself is entertaining enough, I guess, but for most of the film I was just shaking my head thinking how Simone Signoret was so not worth the trouble.

Quintessence of classic cinema

[Teyss · 10/10 · 5 April 2016]

"Casque d'Or" has long been an underrated movie and Jacques Becker an underrated director. It initially was a critical and commercial flop in France. Criticisms revolved around the mismatching star couple (Simone Signoret was almost as tall as Serge Reggiani, and more corpulent), the simplistic love story, minimal psychology and tragic ending. It was reassessed years later, notably by the "New Wave" directors, and now stands as a masterpiece, the best film of one of the best French directors.

The title literally means "Golden helmet", the main female role's nickname, after her blond hair. The movie is seemingly of the classic genre: image is black and white with a standard ratio of 4/3; the story is linear with regular pacing and no flashbacks; symbols are traditional (city versus countryside, interiors versus exteriors, the ill-fated café, the blind men at the end). However, this is only apparent:

• Image is exceptionally delicate, with subtle tones of grey, very sharp texture and deep focus.
• There is a strong thematic about image, gazing and immersion (see below).
• Psychology is condensed to emphasise form and other content: a modern feature.

We could hence qualify the movie as the quintessence of classic cinema announcing modern form, a "meta-classic". Likewise, it is more than a brilliant reconstitution of late-19th century France: its story and themes are timeless.

CONFLICTING MILIEUS

The movie is structured around social milieus: criminals, prostitutes, workers, bourgeois, policemen. You immediately recognise persons by their clothing: bourgeois criticise the prostitutes at the beginning; Leca tells his men "Don't wear a cap when coming to my place", etc. Each milieu has its own rules: criminals kill but do not betray; prostitutes help each other; workers do not take money if it is not earned. Symbolically, because Leca thought he could act above these rules, he will die: he has a cover-up work, he mingles with the police, he kills Anatole, he betrays Raymond, he breaks his promise to Marie.

Milieus do not mix. When they do, there generally is trouble:

• The worker Manda meets the criminal gang at the beginning: he fights with Roland.
• The prostitute Marie meets Manda around his workplace: she is insulted by his fiancée.
• Manda goes to the café where criminals gather: he kills Roland.
• Anatole who is close to the criminals warns the police: he is murdered.
• The final murder of the criminal Leca by the worker Manda happens at the police station: three milieus are involved.

In such an environment, the love story develops against the lovers' milieus. It is love at first sight, there is no explanation why they fall for each other, and it does not actually matter: what counts is their relationship and its consequences. Marie and Manda barely talk, which does not reduce, but on the contrary increase the strength of their relationship (although she does somewhat play with him at the beginning, maybe to test him).

GAZING & IMMERSION

In this context of social postures, people intensely stare at each other: gazes are crucial, more important than words. Notably, social segregation increases the importance of windows and openings through which characters look at other milieus.

• Raymond looks at Manda through the workshop window.
• The bourgeois watch inside the café through its window.
• The policemen open the shutter to see Manda after he killed Leca.
• When Manda announces Raymond is about to die, looks immediately turn towards his best friend Paul.
• After Raymond died, the four criminals angrily look at Leca who goes away: without a word, we instantly understand Raymond told them about Leca's betrayal before dying, and so does he.
• Logically, the movie ends on a final important gaze: Marie specifically goes to a hotel to see Manda being executed.

Visually, gazing is articulated by:

• Formidable deep focus: we see sharply very close and very far, as in real life;
• Frequent close shots: we seem to be part of the scenes;
• Frequent subjective shots: we see what characters see, notably Marie and Manda.

We are hence immersed into the movie: we watch characters like they watch each other.

This "in situ" viewing is reinforced by life-like elements: apparent simplicity of dialogues; strong presence of secondary roles, while the two main characters' dialogues are voluntarily reduced; collateral and seemingly pointless images (e.g. the memorable shot on the newly-wed in the church). All these increase the authenticity of the movie, yet transcended by superb image and direction, like artistic photos beautify reality.

In this movie where eyesight is key, the ending is signalled by two blind men singing: this exterior element disrupts all-important gazing and tragedy unravels. Their famous song "Le Temps des cerises" (The Period of Sherries) conveys a nostalgic message of short-lived happiness: it tells about summertime (that is brief) and love (that is gone); historically, it was an iconic tune during the 1871 Parisian revolt against oppression (that was crushed). Hence the song represents a transition between the beautiful hopes of the two lovers and the coming tragedy. This compelling allegory is reinforced by the repetition of the musical theme in different forms, binding the last scenes together in progressive culmination: the blind men sing; then an orchestra distantly plays off-screen; then a flute plays; ultimately the orchestra plays full-scale.

-----

"Casque d'or", fundamentally, is a story about impossible redemption and happiness. We believe the lovers can succeed when they spend idyllic moments in the countryside, away from the violent city. However there is no escaping one's milieu. Marie thought she could give up prostitution, but has to go back to Leca. Manda thought he could avoid being a delinquent (he previously spent five years in jail) to become a worker, but kills twice and is executed. In parallel to the love story, the infallible friendship between Manda and Raymond also cross milieus; yet both eventually die.

This tragic message and ending is somewhat smoothed by the movie's final image: Marie and Manda dance together, alone at last in the sunny open-air hall where they initially met. They swirl to the background, as if fading in Marie's memory.

Visually Pleasant - Weak Story

[nicholas.rhodes · 7/10 · 9 April 2007]

This film passes from time to time on French TV. Its weak point is the plot which is fairly uninvolved and uninspiring - basically about gangsters and a romance between Serge Reggiani and Simone Signoret. Outside of this, just about everything else concerning the film is not devoid of interest. Location-wise, much of the film was shot in my favourite sector of Paris, Belleville - the Belleville which has long disappeared under the bulldozer and which will profoundly disappoint you if you visit the area today in the hope of recapturing some of its former atmosphere. As in a number of other films the rue Piat and the rue des Envierges are the main streets of interest where most of the action takes place and there is a glimpse of the famous "Maison du Meunier" beside the staircase and panoramic viewpoint at the bend in the rue Piat. The black and white photography in the film is excellent and sharp, visually very stimulating. Signoret was at her most beautiful in this film, fairly plump, with a head full of blond hair ( hence the film's title ) and beautiful expressive eyes, especially when she gets the hots on Reggiani. Claude Dauphin, with his instantly recognizeable face puts in an excellent performance. Part of the film is supposed to take place at Joinville but I have doubts that it was actually filmed there as the sets are too countrified, and Joinville, even at that time was fairly built-up with guinguettes and dance-halls. The audio quality of the film is fairly clear though in mono and a little tinny at times. I would recommend the film for its visual and artistic beauty and for a myriad of famous tunes, including "loveliest night of the year" and "le temps des cerises" and not forgetting the memorable title theme. If you're looking for an interesting plot though, you may be rather disappointed. Available on DVD in France with English subtitles and French audio in the Studio Canal series.

Lacking what it promises

[Polaris_DiB · 5/10 · 29 June 2007]

This film doesn't work for me, which is weird considering that I'm familiar with both the director and the lead in "passionate" films, and yet this one didn't give what it pretty much advertised itself as being. Becker's "Touchez Pas au Grisbi" seemed to have a lot more personality and emotion, while Simone Signoret's part in "L'Armee des ombres" was a lot more love-able.

The story is of a love-triangle (or square of sorts) within a small gang that gets set off by the introduction of reformed criminal Manda. Jealous boyfriend Raymond, boss Leca, and Manda find themselves all charged with getting the girl, but Manda's reformed nature makes him pure and true to his world, Raymond's jealousy makes him impotent, and Leca's hidden approaches creates the tragic ending.

It's a good story, and in fact is well-shot and directed. The problem is that it all happens so quickly and needlessly. Marie and Manda fall into each-other's arms practically immediately, aspects like the fact that Manda is engaged gets mentioned and then forgotten as if unimportant, the character that introduces Manda to the gang disappears until he's needed for backstabbing Manda, and so on, everything just sort of tossed around until it's needed again (even some shots just fade-out in the middle of the action, once the story no longer cares for what's going to be said). The problem with a movie of this type being this way is that it hinges on romantic notions of love, which Serge Reggiana manages to present well enough with his acting, but which happens with none of the other characters. It's biggest flaw as far as I can tell is that I couldn't fall in love with Marie, who really didn't seem like that beautiful or interesting person at all--except that I was told to love her through the copious glowing "love shots" with the classic approach to soft lighting.

What's fascinating to me is that Marcel Carne worked on this movie too, which seems that between he and Becker, you'd think that this would be one of the most romantic and passionate movies ever. None of it really presents itself, and it's Belle Epoque period stylization makes it look more goofy than, say, carnivalesque or romantic.

--PolarisDiB

Golden Oldie

[writers_reign · 3 December 2003]

It took me years to catch up with this classic and when I did so it was in a small Paris Art-House and, ironically, shown with English subtitles. I went with the knowledge that on its release it was a disaster in France - though Signoret picked up a Best Actress Award from England - where it was quickly yanked and not shown again for another nine years by which time Becker was on the menu and unable to bask in his vindication. It's difficult now to see what contemporary critics and audiences found to beef about. Becker did not so much shoot this film as paint it with delicate brush strokes - another irony as the story is in yer face. It was based on real characters and events of 1902 and maybe it was Becker's painstaking re-creation of an era half a century away that disturbed. Signoret was at the height of her passionate romance with Yves Montand and this shows in every frame in which she appears and who wouldn't have swapped places with Serge Reggiani (a close friend of both Signoret and Montand - he had played opposite Montand in Les Portes de la Nuit). Ever reliable Claude Dauphin completed the eternal triangle. When Pal Joey opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Christmas Day, 1940, it was years ahead of its time, a musical in which every character was offensive in some way; though the score by Rodgers and Hart was vintage and grudgingly acknowledged to be so one pertinent critical comment read 'is it possible to draw sweet water from a foul well'. 12 years later, in 1952, the year Casque d'Or was savaged, Pal Joey was revived and became a major success. The story of Casque d'Or is arguably sordid and equally arguably a foul well yet Becker, via his lovingly detailed compositions and re-creation of the period DOES draw exceedingly sweet water from a foul well. Trivia question: What do Juliette Binoche and Simone Signoret have in common. Answer: Both watch their man (husband, Daniel Auteuil, lover, Serge Reggiani) executed at the end of the film. Patrice Leconte began 'La Veuve de St Pierre' brilliantly with a tracking shot featuring Binoche looking down at we know not what - only at the end do we realise she is watching Auteuil face a firing squad. Signoret's Marie also looks down on the scene as Reggiani is guillotined. In 2052 this one will still be great.

"You can go back to town.The danger's passed."

[morrison-dylan-fan · 10/10 · 2 June 2016]

Deciding to spend the next 100 days watching 100 French films,one of the main goals I gave myself was to watch as many of auteur film maker Jacques Becker's 13 credits (with the superb Antoine et Antoinette being the only one I've seen before.) Taken by Simone Signoret's role in Henri-Georges Clouzot's chilling Les Diaboliques,I was delighted to find a title where Signoret and Becker teamed up,which led to me putting on the Casque D'or (Golden Helmet.)

The plot:

Getting out of jail,former gangster Georges Manda vows to stay on the straight and narrow.Returning to town,Manda crosses paths with powerful gangster Félix Leca.Attending a dance hall,Manda meets Marie,and falls in love at the very first sight of her.Taken by his rugged appearance,Marie finds herself starting to secretly fall for Manda. Furious over Marie having eyes for another man,Leca's gang member Roland Dupuis challenges Manda to a fight to the death for Marie.Killing Dupuis,Manda and Marie decide to leave town and run to the countryside. Desperate to get their revenge,Leca's gang decide to plant Dupuis's murder on Manda's old friend Raymond.

View on the film:

Rowing into the movie,co-writer/(along with Jacques Companéez/ Annette Wademant & "Romi") director Jacques Becker & cinematographer Robert Lefebvre enter Leca's underworld with an immaculate shine,with the razor sharp suits,gold-covered walls and blazing sun keeping the evil under the sun bubbling away.Along with expert use of deep focus shading in Marie's transfixing face,Becker chips away at the sunlight to crack the Film Noir darkness,which pours out in stylish reflecting mirror shots gazing at the fractures Leca is creating,and powerfully raw, unflinching close-ups punching into the Film Noir darkness Manda has returned to.

Looking ravishingly beautiful, Simone Signoret gives an incredible performance as dame Marie,where Signoret displays a subtle grip on make each facial expression (no matter how minor) express the developing love Marie has for Manda.Caught in the middle of a vicious set-up, Raymond Bussières gives a great performance as Raymond, (how long did they spend think up that name for him!)by making Ray try in desperation to hold onto a gentleman's loyalty,even as the Film Noir pit caves in. Finding himself unable to escape the old crowd, Serge Reggiani gives a superb performance as Georges Manda,via balancing a heart-wrenching love for Marie with a chewy Film Noir grit,as Manda sets his sights of Marie and Leca.

Following Manda back into the darkness,the screenplay by Becker/ Companéez/ Wademant & Romi brilliantly twist Manda's Film Noir world round Marie's little finger,which slides in on a silk,romantic atmosphere,where the writers place a tense sense of longing between the couple.Clawing away at the dapper dress of Leca,the writers dip Becker's theme of loyalty into deadly Film Noir waters which tear Film Noir loner Manda's between loyalty for his friend,and loyalty for his love,the girl with the golden helmet.

A Tragic Love Affair

[EdgarST · 10/10 · 19 February 2017]

A beautiful film, "Casque d'Or" refuses to be cataloged as a tale at the edge of melodrama and opts for tragedy in a poetic tone rarely expressed with so much visual richness and verbal economy. The story is set during the "belle époque," between prostitutes and "Apaches" (name given to marginal Parisians in late 19th century and early 20th century), based on a real case occurred in 1902, a love triangle between a streetwalker and two ruffians, played by a radiant Simone Signoret as the prostitute Marie (nicknamed "Casque d'Or" for her blonde mane), Serge Reggiani as the carpenter she falls in love with, and Claude Dauphin as a ruthless ruler of pimps and wine dealer. The story evolves with violent effusions and moments of intense lyricism, expressed through beautiful black & white images and characterizations where gestures and glances shine with precision - especially Simone Signoret's eyes, as when she says goodbye to her future lover in a ballroom next to the river. Jacques Becker turned it into a masterpiece, so by the late 1950s he was not targeted by the attacks of the "nouvelle vague" rebels (Chabrol, Truffaut, Godard et al). It is good to remember that these young men, although they made good films, quite often made unfair judgments of the cinema of old masters, as Carné, Clouzot or Duvivier... because they wanted to make cinema and the industry did not give them entrance. I do not know if Carné, Clouzot or Duvivier, who made "cinéma de papa" (pejorative term coined by Truffaut) had any fault, but some of the films that were rejected are far from being despicable productions, and in many cases far superior than their detractors' own movies. In any case, Becker did two more great works, "Hands Off the Loot" in 1954 with Jean Gabin and Dora Doll, and in 1960 his last film, "The Hole" (Le trou), a classic drama about a jailbreak. "Casque d'Or" is absolutely recommended.

A French Film

[The-Sarkologist · 7/10 · 12 November 2011]

It is so interesting looking at this movie and the movie below, The Castle. There is simply a huge contrast in them. Casque D'or is a tragic French Movie while the Castle is an Aussie battler movie where the good bloke comes through against all of this odds. The Castle is something designed to appeal to the average Australian who likes the D-Generation, where as Casque D'or is designed to appeal to the more intellectual audiences and those that want a portrayal of a bleak world in which love that exists is brutally extinguished.

Manda, a carpenter who has just been released from gaol arrives in a town that is dominated by a mafia style organisation. He is a tough guy and won't allow himself to be pushed around. As soon as he arrives he catches the eye of Marie who cannot turn away from him. In the first scene where she is dancing with her boyfriend, her face is solidly facing him and does not change even though they are fluidly moving across the dance floor. Even though it is love at first sight, it is a love that is not allowed.

Marie is considered to be little more than a whore. She lives with prostitutes and she works from the crimelord of the town. Her boyfriend is a gutless wimp who dies in a knife fight that the crimelord organises between him and Manda. This fight doesn't brush over for even though the town is ruled by the crime lord, murder is still illegal, except that the crimelord uses it to get his own way, that is Marie.

Manda is a noble character who fights not only for Marie's honour, but also for the honour of his friend who he works for. His friend is set up for the murder but Manda knows the truth and cannot let it be pushed aside. He also knows that it is the crimelord that set everything up. Though people say that love conquers all, human love, especially in this movie, does not. His love for Marie does not mean that everything is going to turn out all right. A murder has been orchestrated and justice must be done, even if it is by the hands of Manda. Beyond this, the law cannot allow a rogue vigilante run around uncontrolled. Even though he guns down the crimelord, he still must pay for his crime, which he does. We know that this movie is going to end tragically, we see that through the movie the love between Manda and Marie is constantly held apart and that it is never going to be a happy ending, which is what I like.

Signoret is fierce, tender, innocent and not, in this sad love story of gangsters and waltzes

[Terrell-4 · 9/10 · 15 January 2009]

This is Belle Époque Paris, which can be a dangerous world where there are few second chances, and none for lovers. Innocence seems to have been long ago wrung out of Marie (Simone Signoret). She's a prostitute and the bought woman of Roland, a handsome, arrogant member of Felix Leca's gang, a group of bullyboy thieves, pimps and murderers. Leca (Claude Dauphin) combines slyness, danger and oiliness in equal measure. Leca wants Marie, and on his terms. She's beautiful in a coarse and knowing way, with a swagger and a hand on her hip, a gangster's girl who takes being slapped as part of the life. When Marie meets Georges Manda, "Jo" (Serge Reggiani), a man who had been part of the life, had served time and now is a carpenter, everything changes. In the dance at the start of the movie, with the gangsters in their tight suits, their women in flouncy gowns and ribbons, cheap waltzes playing, beer and wine on the tables, Marie sees Jo, likes him and flirts. For Jo, he can't take his eyes off her. The music plays on, they dance. The next day Marie sets out to see Jo at his carpenter's shop. Her feelings deepen in some inexplicable way. Marie regains a measure of innocence with Jo and we watch this happen. Jo will do anything to protect her. Marie will do anything to protect Jo. Leca, always there, is determined to have his way.

What first appears to be a turn-of-the-century tale about gangsters and their women turns seamlessly and with foreboding into a hopeless and emotional love story. When we last see Marie I started to choke up. Does Casque d'Or, the story of Marie and Jo, reach the level of tragedy? Probably not, but it will do.

Jacques Becker, the director, didn't make many movies. He was 54 when he died. Criterion has released two. Both are excellent. Le Trou is a tough, nerve-wracking and ironic tale of several prisoners who attempt to dig their way to freedom. Touchez Pas au Grisbi is a gangster film, but even more a view of what middle age will do to us, even gangsters. You won't know whether to smile or just shake your head when Jean Gabin has to reach for his glasses to read a phone number.

It also is somehow pleasantly satisfying to recall Signoret and Reggiani four years earlier in the opening and closing sequences of La Ronde, she the prostitute who loses her heart and he the soldier who quickly forgets her.

An instant classic,

[stuka24 · 7/10 · 24 September 2009]

Not being a Becker fan *at all* I guess I can be objective. This film is enjoyable like if it weren't a classic. Once begun, you'll want to watch it till the end. Simone looks gorgeous here, IMDb reviewer "pzanardo" from Padova, Italy is right when he writes that the director seems to have filmed her specially well. By the way, have you noticed how bad Italians fare on French period films? Thérèse Raquin (1953) from the next year is one of a string of examples...

The Mafia aspect is so naive it's almost lovable in comparison with nowadays'. So is the city, the police, the woman/man relationships, class divisions... Félix Leca's character is stereotype incarnate, but at the same time very "believable", in spite of his constant narcissism and tics.

Trevor Willsmer on Amazon is right at why it works: we expect a romantic period piece but during the knives fight in the beginning we realize crime is never nice, only made to look so. Yet somehow, our aesthetically expectations still are about something "nice", while the plot is dark. The police seems like a pantomime, in most of the film the State seems to be absent, and Félix the only one who does the thinking for everybody. The romance is almost enhanced by the heavy censorship. Nothing whatsoever is "shown" (even a kiss on the grass turns into the sky :)) but you feel enough passion. Signoret specially knows how to vibrate with a swagger attitude. Look at her entering a bar, greeting everybody, self assured and always knowing how to deal with men. Manda on the contrary, is a "too perfect hero" to be of my liking. My favourite scene is when he's doing nothing with a branch and she takes the initiative: "Kiss me" and then we have to watch the sky, if not, we'll burn :).

Randy Buck on Amazon is right the film has a sort of documentary feel totally lacking in "Gangs of New York", that Willsmer writes was heavily influenced by this gem.

Then only moment Félix Leca looses the grip of authority is when he is responsible of Raymond's death. Even thugs have rules... On the contrary, when they dispose of the blonde barman who talked too much, only the dumbest of them feels sorry for it.

It's true it's not exactly believable that a mobster would be so cautious and "Machiavellian" when he could just grab and use the lady, but, sincerely, I don't care for feasibility in this sort of films.

It's only with a twinge of nostalgia that I corroborate the swarm of reviewers & fans this film has. I'm absolutely glad about it, as of having watched this film.

Jacques Becker's belle époque tragedy of a pair of star-crossed lovers

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 26 November 2015]

Jacques Becker's belle époque tragedy of a pair of star-crossed lovers, Marie (Signoret) and Georges (Reggiani), she is a mistress of Roland (Sabatier), who is the underling of the local Apache gang, mastered by Félix Leca (Dauphin), and he is an unassuming carpenter, their encounter is occasioned by their common friend Raymond (Bussières), another member of the the Leca gang, through DP Lefebvre's lithely swirling choreography, their destiny is sealed through a wordless dance, while jealousy is simmering with impending menace.

Strikingly, words are inessential in Becker's narrative, emotion runs the gamut without the help of verbose dialogue, one expression or gesture is simply enough to deliver the unspoken intention and determination, to hit the bull's eye of being compelling, heartfelt, even agonising in the climax, which marks a great achievement and testimony of how cinema can be a first-rate storyteller, trimming down the redundant bells-and-whistles, just sticking to those what makes our characters tick: the encounter, the duel, the elope, the scheme, the revenge and the guillotine.

Simone Signoret, shoulders on the triple identities as a poised courtesan, a romantic inamorata and a reluctant moll, leaves her most iconic screen persona in her prime, under Becker's aegis, the camera unsparingly aims at her in stunning close-ups enveloped with divine halo (thanks to the heightened lighting). Marie is a dauntless pursuer, she lives for passion, for love, living in the present, a force-of-life so irresistible and indefatigable. Interestingly, Reggiani's Georges is not the traditional hero type, his average look and lean physique, should have triggered far more maternal nature of protection from her than a fervent passion act, yet, Georges has the spine to be a martyr out of genuine devotion to friendship and moral integrity, which eventually will wholeheartedly win a woman's heart.

Dauphin's smirky presence as Félix Leca persuasively draws on the sophistication of being a Mafia ringleader, the murky dynamism of his reign over the henchmen gives as much as pleasure as the central romance. To a large extent, CASQUE D'OR (golden hat in literal translation, which refers to Marie's representative coiffure) is seminally inspiring and majestically executed at its time, an unforgettable Parisian tale-of-woe but shines with its glittery black-and-white enticement, as the introductory piece of Becker's oeuvre, it bode well than my expectation, bravo!

No masterpiece but brilliant production design and engaging plot bring Becker's turn of the century Paris love triangle to life

[Turfseer · 7/10 · 18 July 2020]

Claude Dauphin who plays the gangster role of Félix Leca in Jacques Becker's 1952 love triangle, Casque D'or, was quoted during the 60s as saying that he wished the film had been made in color. It reminded him of Renoir's famous painting, "The Luncheon of the Boating Party," and indeed (particularly in the "party scene" at the beginning of the film), one realizes that Becker's recreation of turn of the century Paris is quite brilliantly reminiscent of Renoir's masterpieces.

The film's protagonist Marie, is played by Simone Signoret, whose blond pompadour accounts for the film's title ("Golden Helmet"). Marie is part of a group of women on the fringe of respectable society-part of a "half-world," known as the demimonde in French (also "a class of women considered to be of doubtful morality and social standing," according to Wikipedia). Marie goes out with Roland who is part of Leca's gang. When ex-con Georges (Serge Regianni), now working as a carpenter, dances with Marie at an outdoor restaurant, Georges and Roland exchange words and Georges ends up socking Roland in the face.

The appeal of Casque D'or is in its plot and realistic dialogue. The break into Act II probably is when Georges and Roland fight to the death in an alley with Leca's gang witnessing Georges gaining the upper hand, stabbing Roland in the heart. Marie finds bad boy Georges irresistible and they have a tryst in the rural setting of Marie's village. Meanwhile Leca falls for Marie and falsely turns one of his gang members, Raymond (an old pal of Georges), in to the police for Roland's murder.

Georges can't countenance the idea of Raymond doing the time for a crime he was responsible for, so he turns himself in to the police. Somehow, with Marie's aid, Georges and Raymond escape from custody while being transported by the police in a paddy wagon; Raymond unfortunately is shot by a police bullet and expires, as his fellow gang members watch on in his final moments.

The climax is supposed to be a famous scene in cinematic history in which Georges hunts Leca down inside the courtyard of a police station (of all places) and shoots him to death. The denouement is equally well known with Marie taking a room in a seedy hotel in order to view George's execution by guillotine in the prison yard below, across the street.

Casque d'or could have been a masterpiece I suppose but is hampered by its two dimensional portraits of its principals. We really don't find out much about Marie, Georges and Leca who are mainly involved in this love triangle. Hence, it's hard to care that much about the characters. Francophiles I am sure on the other hand will find all the "passion" fulfilling, but from my vantage point, most of the goings-on between these characters are simply quite pedestrian.

Simone Signoret in my opinion looked a lot better in her heyday in the 60s. Here she appears a bit big-boned and I couldn't understand why the guys fell for her at all. Regianni hardly has any dialogue and is supposed to be playing the hunk. Dauphin, not usually known for tough guy parts, proves to have the best part of the three principals as the ruthless gangleader.

Casque d'or is no masterpiece but is a real solid effort with an engaging plot and a production design which really makes you feel you've stepped back in time into turn of the century gay Paree.

Lovely film

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 7 December 2020]

Simone Signoret plays a beautiful woman of ill repute who is at the center of several men's affections - her hotheaded gangster boyfriend, an ex-criminal who's turned over a new leaf, and the leader of the gang himself. It's a pretty simple story but very well told by Jacques Becker, with the scenes involving a double cross and its brilliant ending standing out. The cinematography is wonderful, including an outdoor dance evoking the paintings of Renoir, a beautiful walk along the riverside, and the claustrophobic cells inside a police van. Signoret is radiant, defiant even as she's slapped around and with an air of sweet happiness when she's able to get away from it all, and Serge Reggiani is strong as well. Really just a solid film, one that expresses the spirit of France in the 1950's via its filmmaking, and a small window into the Belle Époque as well.

The world of Guy de Maupassant

[frankde-jong · 7/10 · 16 June 2020]

Film by Becker about a criminal gang in the belle époque in France. If one compares "Casque d'Or" with "Touchez pas au grisbi" ( a film Becker would make two years later), it strikes that in "Casque d'Or" the criminal world is just as tough but the film is somehow more endearing.

Maybe this has something to do with the fact that "Casque d'Or" combines crime with romance whereas "Touchez pas au grisbi" combines crime with nostalgia.

Another explanation could be that "Casque d'Or" is situated farther back in time, as accentuated by the fashion of the day. In "Casque d'Or" we imagine ourselves in the world of Guy de Maupassant.

A fine old rouge kept too long in the bottle

[khatcher-2 · 4/10 · 9 April 2002]

This film, usually considered as Becker's masterpiece, is based on police files and court cases in Paris around 1900.

From falling in love to the final tragic outcome, both Signoret and Reggiani play exceptional parts, but for me in a style of performance which today is evidently much dated. Despite the heavy drama of the story-line, one cannot overcome the feeling that one is seeing something extremely quaint in a historical sense; it is as if you are transported to an other-worldliness, so distant it is to film-making today.

For connoisseurs of this genre of European cinema of very bygone days.

You might like to compare with my brief notes on "La Ronde" (1950), also featuring Signoret and Reggiani.