Borsalino

Director Jean-Pierre Melville told his biographer that his plan was to reunite France's two greatest stars of the 1960-70s, Delon and Belmondo, in LE CERCLE ROUGE, but Belmondo thought his part meager by comparison with Delon's, rejected it, Gian Maria Volonté replaced him, and so BORSALINO, directed by Jacques Deray, remains the only film in which Delon and Belmodo appeared together.

Melville was an infinitely better director than the mediocre Deray. I doubt that a period film (1930s) like BORSALINO would interest Melville, but in the hands of the latter I am certain that BORSALINO would be far grittier, realistic, and less tailored for Delon.

Make no mistake, I rate Delon a better actor than Belmondo but, as the film's producer, it is obvious that he had decisionmaking powers that Belmondo did not, and you sense how strenuous the rapport must have been between the two men, with Belmondo feeling belittled and duped, and with Delon getting extensive "look good" shots throughout.

Despite being the better actor, Delon is too wooden in this film. He always looks stiff as he tries to display his famous physical attributes. In turn, Belmondo just looks like he is honoring the contract and can't wait for the shooting to be over. According to reports, Delon and Belmondo hardly talked to each other during production, and never again after shooting was over.

Even the usually reliable Bouquet looks pedestrian in this production, and the female lead, Rouvel, is a near non-entity. She starts as the love object both men want, then seems to go with Delon, but finally stays with Belmondo, and one can see that she looks lost. Her part is small and adds zero to the film.

Cinematography is careless. Stunts are poor. The fight between the two men at their first encounter would have suited a Bud Spencer-Terence Hill vehicle, but actors like D&B are wasted here.

The meandering script is very glib, keep skipping over details, and there's far too much padding. 30 minutes could have been removed and the film might even be better for it.

This may not be the best of Jacques Deray's nine collaborations with Alain Delon but it is certainly the most commercially successful. Delon maintained that Deray was the director with whom he had the greatest affinity which is praise indeed considering his sterling work for such luminaries as Visconti, Melville, Verneuil and Clément!

Based upon Scammano's novel 'Bandits at Marseilles' about real life gangsters Carbone and Spirito whose names have naturally been changed, this is essentially a vehicle for Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo who are both at the height of their popularity and in their physical prime. The pairing proved to be a masterstroke as both actors possess charisma in spades whilst Delon's measured coolness is balanced by Belmondo's easy-going amiability.

Set in 1930's Marseilles this has excellent period detail, a catchy if somewhat repetitious theme by Claude Bolling, female interest in the shape of elegant Francoise Christophe, mysterious Corinne Marchand and delectable Catherine Rouvel and as a bonus we have the always good value Michel Bouquet as a shady lawyer.

Plenty of mucho-macho posturing of course and corpses galore with a shootout set in an abattoir that will have assorted veggies and vegans foaming at the mouth. The imaginative ways in which various low-lifes are bumped off anticipate 'The Godfather' although Deray's film lacks the psychological depth of Coppola's masterpiece. Deray was also said to be influenced by Melville but lacks that director's Existentialist feel. What is certain is that Deray made his mark in the thriller genre which he considered to be 'spectacle of the higher order.'

Very good movie. I watched the original French version without English subtitles and although I struggled a bit with the language it was easy to follow even though my French is not fluent. What really surprised me is that the ratings for Borsalino so far have not been higher - as far as French gangster movies go I would consider it within my top 5. It is pacey with lots of action and unlike some French movies,I was never bored once watching it. The combination of Jean Paul Belmondo and Alain Delon as Capella and Siffredi worked very well and Michel Bouquet's performance as Rinaldi was also very good. My only criticism of Borasalino was that there were too many female characters linked with Capella and Siffredi and we never really learnt more about them as the story progressed. Otherwise a movie I would recommend.

"Borsalino" is one of the all-time fun French gangster films. I saw it in a cinema in Paris when I studied there eons ago, but just try to find the DVD or videotape! I guess they're trying to increase its rarity value by foisting a much inferior film, Borsalino & Company, on Delon and Belmondo fans. Well, this is the genuine article, more Marseille than the real city, perhaps 70 years or so ago, so just enjoy the great dialogue and scenarios IF YOU EVER MANAGE TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS TAPE OR (BETTER) DVD, NOT DUBBED but with subtitles s'il vous plaît. The soundtrack by Claude Bolling (sporadically available on CD) is the perfect accompaniment, and the combination of the French cinema's two most popular young actors made this an all time favorite in France. In the final analysis, style certainly triumphs over substance, and you'll never forget you are seeing Delon and Belmondo. This film has stuck in my mind all these years, and I think you'll be just as impressed as I was... bonne chance!

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.