Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: French ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Black & White, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: The Paris demimonde of 1900 is the setting for Casque d'Or. Georges Manda (Serge Reggiani), an honest woodworker, falls in love with Marie (Simone Signoret), the "moll" of minor crook Roland (William Sabatier). Gangster boss Felix Leca (Claude Dauphin) orders Georges and Roland to fight a duel to the death over the girl, as prescribed by the "code of the apache." Felix then pins the blame for Roland's death on Georges' boyhood chum, Raymond (Raymond Bussières), knowing that the woodworker will nobly accept the blame; this will leave Marie alone, which is what the lustful Felix has wanted all along. When Georges learns he's been set up as a dupe, he escapes from the police and kills Felix. Casque D'Or was based on the true-life Leca-Manda scandal, wherein an otherwise decent man was guillotined for shooting down a gangster boss in broad daylight. Since the scandal was common knowledge in France, the downbeat ending of this film was hardly unexpected but still extremely moving. Completed in 1951, Casque D'Or was a failure on its first release but then built up an excellent word-of-mouth reputation abroad. The film was released in the U.S. in 1956 as Golden Marie. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...Golden Marie ( Casque d'or ) ( Golden Helmet )
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Casque D'Or may take a little while to get into, with the first half hour being largely milieu and set-up, but once the plot kicks in it's compelling. Seen today it seems certain to have been one of Scorsese's influences in Gangs of New York, not least because Jacques Becker takes the standard period costume drama setting and then plays a down-and-dirty movie that pays no attention to the niceties you're expecting: these characters really are low lives. The knife-fight is tough stuff, and its aftermath beautifully staged, and the finale has real emotional power - not least the shots of Serge Reggiani's almost-dead waltz with Smone Signoret that in a more 'modern' (1940-50s) setting would have pegged out his fate from the moment he met her. Having only seen Signoret in her later haggard roles, it was also a surprise to see just how luminous she was in her youth. Impressive stuff.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Signoret is fierce, tender, innocent and not, in this sad love story of gangsters and waltzes
15 Jan 2009
Format:DVD
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. 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.
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. 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.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Casque D'Or is the often underrated director Jacques Becker (Le Trou, Touchez pas au Grisbi)masterpiece. Set in a world of prostitutes and gangsters in fin-de-siécle Paris the film is among the best from the golden age of French cinema. The plot, which is based on a true story recounts a tragic sequence of treachery, murder and death by guillotine. Superb acting by Simone Signoret and Serge Reggiani as the doomed couple gives the film an extra dimension. The eminent photography and its richly detailed evocation of period and milieu make the film most momorable. It's no wonder why Casque D'Or ranks among the best European films of the 1950's.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Cinema at its best
I really enjoyed this film. Simone Signoret as the gangster's moll was the star of the show,what a marvelous actress! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Douglas G. Baxter
Becker's Masterpiece
It has taken me until the age of 65 to get involved deeply with classic French films. I can honestly state that, as a result, I feel that I have missed a very great deal for many... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Geoffrey H. Thorne
Terrific film of love in the underworld
Wonderfully filmed and acted story of tragic love amidst the French
underworld at the turn of the 20th century. Read more
underworld at the turn of the 20th century. Read more
Published 5 months ago by K. Gordon
Successfully Recreates Ambiance of "Belle Epoque" Paris
"Casque D'Or," ("Golden Helmet," or "Golden Marie,") (1952), is a classic black and white French gangster film/crime drama/romance/costume drama, set in Paris at about the turn of... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Stephanie DePue
Required viewing
Excellent print of a most enjoyable period film. Signoret was in this early film such an attractive seductress. Undoubtably attractive but with such a personality and no pushover. Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2009 by Mr. A. Campbell-walter
golden age
the golden age is a cliche often misused but this film is truly a film made in the golden age of film, about an era that was even more interesting in historical terms. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2009 by phoenician feminist
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
