Du rififi chez les hommes (1955)

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (novel)
Jules Dassin (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

5 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

["Rififi"] ...means Trouble!

Plot:

Four men plan a technically perfect crime, but the human element intervenes...

Plot Keywords:

Jewelry | Italian | Safe | Burglary | Jewel

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jean Servais	...	Tony le Stéphanois
Carl Möhner	...	Jo le Suedois
Robert Manuel	...	Mario Ferrati
Janine Darcey	...	Louise le Suedois
Pierre Grasset	...	Louis Grutter aka Louis le Tatoué
Robert Hossein	...	Remi Grutter
Marcel Lupovici	...	Pierre Grutter
Dominique Maurin	...	Tonio le Suedois
Magali Noël	...	Viviane
Marie Sabouret	...	Mado les Grands Bras
Claude Sylvain	...	Ida Ferrati
Jules Dassin	...	Cesar le Milanais (as Perlo Vita)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
André Dalibert	...	Webb, le bijoutier (as Dalibert)
Armandel	...	Second gambler (uncredited)
Jacques Besnard	...	Third gambler (uncredited)
Teddy Bilis	...	Teddy Laurentin (uncredited)
Alain Bouvette	...	Footman, 'L'Age D'Or' (uncredited)
Jacques David	...	(uncredited)
Jenny Doria	...	(uncredited)
Alice Garan	...	(uncredited)
Émile Genevois	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Marcelle Hainia	...	Fredo's wife (uncredited)
René Hell	...	Un camelot (uncredited)
Marcel Lesieur	...	Fredo (uncredited)
Daniel Mendaille	...	Lookout (uncredited)
Huguette Montréal	...	(uncredited)
Gilbert Moreau	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Maryse Paillet	...	Charlie's mother (uncredited)
Lita Recio	...	(uncredited)
Marcel Rouzé	...	First gendarme (uncredited)
Roger Rudel	...	French voice of Jo le Suédois (uncredited)
Fernand Sardou	...	First gambler (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules Dassin

Writing credits
Auguste Le Breton		(novel)
Jules Dassin		(adaptation)
René Wheeler		(collaboration) and
Auguste Le Breton		(collaboration)
Auguste Le Breton		(dialogue)

Produced by
Henri Bérard	....	producer
René Bezard	....	producer
Pierre Cabaud	....	producer

Original Music by
Georges Auric

Cinematography by
Philippe Agostini		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Roger Dwyre

Production Design by
Alexandre Trauner		(as Trauner)

Set Decoration by
Auguste Capelier

Costume Design by
Rosine Delamare

Makeup Department
Anatole Paris	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jean Goiran	....	unit manager
Louis Mannella	....	unit manager
René Gaston Vuattoux	....	production manager (as René G. Vuattoux)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Patrice Dally	....	assistant director
Bernard Delandre	....	assistant director
Jean-Jacques Vierne	....	assistant director

Art Department
Louis Charpeaux	....	property master (as Charpeaux)
Pierre Charron	....	set dresser
Roger Fresca	....	tapestry
Georges Kougoucheff	....	set dresser (as Kougoucheff)
Maurice Terrasse	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles Akerman	....	sound
Jacques Lebreton	....	sound
Jean Philippe	....	sound assistant

Camera and Electrical Department
Raymond Bègue	....	still photographer (as Begue)
Changlesy	....	assistant camera (as Chenglesy)
André Domage	....	assistant camera
Raymond Pierre Lemoigne	....	assistant camera (as Lemoigne)
Jean-Marie Maillols	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marcelle Desvignes	....	costume execution
Henriette Ridard	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Denise de Casabianca	....	assistant editor
Nadine Trintignant	....	assistant editor (as Nadine Marquand)

Music Department
Jacques Métehen	....	conductor (as Jacques Metehen)

Other crew
Wilhelmine Berard	....	administrator
Renée Nitzschke	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (presents) (as Pathé-Consortium Cinéma)
• Indusfilms
• Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma (as S.N.Pathé Cinéma)
• Primafilm

Distributors

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1955) (France) (theatrical) (as Pathé-Consortium Cinéma)
• Gaumont Buena Vista International (GBVI) (2000) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Gaumont DVD (2009) (France) (DVD)
• C.F.R. (1955) (France) (theatrical)
• C.F.R. (1955) (France) (theatrical) (16 mm)
• Rialto Pictures (2000) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (subtitled)
• United Motion Pictures Organization (UMPO) (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled) (as United Motion Picture Organization, Inc.)
• Arrow Films (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2002) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Éditions Gallimard  book publisher (as La Librairie Gallimard)
• Dusausoy  jewelry: Les joyaux proviennet de la collection (Paris)
• Renel  furs
• Photosonor  studio (as Photosonor ~ Courbevoie)
• Western Electric  sound recording
• S.I.M.O.  sound recording (as SIMO)
• Franay L.T.C. Saint Cloud  studio
• Lax  opticals

Also Known As:

Rififi (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Italian

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

France:-16 (original rating) | West Germany:18 | Finland:(Banned) (1956) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1978) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1959) (cut) | Australia:M | Norway:16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Grande Poste, Rue du Louvre, Paris 1, Paris, France

Company:

Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Trivia:

Dassin, aiming for a dark and gloomy film with deep greys as the lightest it would get, refused to film on beautiful sunny days. This supposedly caused much frustration amongst the producers, no doubt because of the prolonged shoot which they saw as unnecessary.

Goofs:

Continuity: When they do timings by car during the heist preparation, the car changes in between shots.

Quotes:

Mario Ferrati: [to Tony about Cesar] For a job with you he'll come. Cesar! There's not a safe that can resist Cesar and not a woman that Cesar can resist.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

La chanson 'Le Rififi'

Breathtakingly brilliant! Still one of the greatest crime movies ever made.

'Rififi' is so damn good it takes your breath away! Director Jules Dassin, blacklisted from Hollywood, was living almost hand to mouth in Europe and taking any job he could get, when he made this movie, a project he was initially not at all excited by. Happily he turned around an awful situation and ended up making a classic thriller which is still one of the greatest crime movies ever made. One of the most influential too, having an impact on movies like 'The Killing', 'The Anderson Tapes', 'Thief', 'Reservoir Dogs', 'The Score' and many, many others. 'Rififi' is a classic heist movie but it is much more than that, it is a superbly written and acted character study. The robbery sequence itself is regarded as one of the most impressive in film history, but it is by no means the only thing worth watching this movie for. In fact I'd go so far as to call it perfect. Every time you watch it you discover something more of interest. Jean Servais, who later appeared in the entertaining horror sexploitation movie 'The Devil's Nightmare', is absolutely wonderful as Tony, a veteran criminal talked into joining his young friend Jo (Carl Mohner) in a daring robbery. His performance is first rate, but Mohner and the rest of the cast are equally good, including Drassin himself as Cesar, an Italian safe-cracker who inadvertently causes the gangs ultimate downfall. There's a brilliant scene between Servais and Drassin towards the end of the movie which is short but unforgettable. Look out for it. Truffaut raved about this movie calling it the best Noir he'd ever seen. I don't think he was exaggerating, it really IS that good, and personally I think it's a much better movie than Truffaut's more celebrated 'Breathless'. If you enjoy crime thrillers it doesn't get much better than this! Highly recommended!