Casque D'or = Golden Marie

n turn-of-the-century Paris an honest carpenter, is drawn into a world of pimps, prostitutes and petty crooks (‘Apaches’ as they were called at the time), because of his passion for ganster’s moll Marie. Becker’s lovingly recreated Paris of the past almost equals the radiance of Renoir, both father and son. [Becker worked as Jean Renoir’s assistant] Despite the ‘crime passionnel’ plot, the film is an affirmation of love and friendship. ‘Casque d’Or’ is primarily a film of personalities, but it is also a visual tour de force: a dance, brawl in the backyard, an awakening in the countryside, Manda’s arrival at the guillotine supported by a priest - these images are like magazine covers. This visual enchantment confirms me in my conviction that cinema is a popular art, and that it deceives itself when it tries to bring the paintings of the masters to life. ‘Casque d’Or’, at times funny, at times tragic, proves that we can surpass parody; we can look at the picturesque and bloody past and evoke it with tenderness and violence by means of a refined use of tone changes”. Reference: Francois Truffaut. ‘The films in my life’. Da Capo Press, 1994. Completed in 1951, ‘Casque D’Or’ was a failure on its first release, but then built up an excellent word-of-mouth reputation abroad. Awards: BAFTA Awards 1952: Best Actress for Simone Signoret.

Credits: Producer, Robert and Raymond Hakim, Michel Safre; director, Jacques Becker ; writers, Jacques Becker, Jacques Companeez ; photography, Robert Le Febvre ; music, Georges van Parys ; editor, Marguerite Renoir ; art direction, Jean d’Eaubonne.
Cast: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggianni, Claude Dauphin, Raymond Bussieres, Loleh Bellon, William Sabatier, Dominique Davray, Jean Clarieux.