Flic Story
Encyclopedia
Flic Story is a French
crime
thriller released on October 1, 1975, based on the autobiography of the same name written by French police detective Roger Borniche
. Both film and book portray Borniche's nine year pursuit of French gangster and murderer Emile Buisson
, who was executed on February 28, 1956. Directed by Jacques Deray
, the film stars Alain Delon
and Jean-Louis Trintignant
as Borniche and Buisson respectively, supported by Claudine Auger
and André Pousse
.
Borniche. Deray's humanizing of the characters was a trait used in his other films, and was a popular counter-cliché concept in France during the 1970s.
The film story depicts Emile Buisson, following the death of his wife and child, escaping from a psychiatric institution in 1947 and returning to Paris
. Buisson, who three years later would become France's public enemy number one, begins a murderous rampage through the French capital. The opening scene shows reluctant detective (flic is the French slang equivalent of "cop" in English) Borniche, who is given the case and pursues Buisson for three years, while the latter evades capture by killing informants and anyone else he feels may give him away. Borniche, who unlike his colleagues, prides himself in a methodical approach, hunts Buisson through numerous alleyway chases, rooftop pursuits, car chases and gunfights, while putting his lover Catherine (Auger) in danger.
When bureaucracy
intervenes with Borniche's attempts, and politicians and the media begin speculating, he uses the assistance of another criminal, Paul Robier (Crauchet) to apprehend Buisson. The serial killer is finally captured after having committed over 30 murders and 100 robberies. The final sequences sees Buisson telling Borniche that he would like to "take a hacksaw" to the throat of his informer, prompting a critically lauded line from Borniche that he would not get the chance.
worked with Deray on Roger Borniche's memoir in order to create the script. The film was produced by Delon, featuring cinematography
by Jean-Jacques Tarbès and an original score by Claude Bolling. The film was shot and printed on 35 mm negative using spherical cinematographic processes, as was common with films produced through the 1950s to the early 1990s. Production began on February 3, 1975, 18 years after Boisson's execution, and the film was shot on locations in both France and Italy
.
as Cop Story, Finland
as Passi ruumishuoneelle and West Germany
as Der Bulle und der Killer or Flic Story - Duell in sechs Runden. The film rated '16' in Finland, Norway
and West Germany
, the latter downgraded it to '12' following the reunification.
. Travers names the film as one of Deray's best, although the "end result isn’t quite a masterpiece". Other internet reviews noted similarities with Melville, and complimented the film for "unsentimental verve, intelligent pacing and refreshing honesty".
Susan Hayward, author of French National Cinema, also complimented the film, saying it departed from mainstream style. She gave particular praise on the differences between Flic Story and American films of the same genre, by the way Deray focuses on the intellects rather than the brawn of the two leading characters, as well as the understanding that grows between the two during "months of interrogation".
Gary Giddins
, printing his review from the August 16, 2005 issue of The New York Sun, praised the film as "the most interesting and resonant" of Derays work, and gave particular credit to Trintignant's "hair-trigger" performance. He also complimented the detail in the secondary characters, and said it was honest in its support for the death penalty. Giddens also, however, criticised the film's pacing.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
thriller released on October 1, 1975, based on the autobiography of the same name written by French police detective Roger Borniche
Roger Borniche
Roger Borniche was a French detective of the Sûreté nationale and author of a number of works. He started as a Singer, but his fledgling musical career was interrupted by the German invasion of 1940. To make a living, he took a job as a store detective...
. Both film and book portray Borniche's nine year pursuit of French gangster and murderer Emile Buisson
Émile Buisson
Émile "Mimile" Buisson was a French gangster, and French public enemy No. 1 for 1950. A member of the French Gang des Traction Avant, Buisson was responsible for over thirty murders and a hundred robberies. Buisson was pursued and caught by French detective of the Sûreté Nationale Roger Borniche,...
, who was executed on February 28, 1956. Directed by Jacques Deray
Jacques Deray
Jacques Deray was a French film director and screenwriter. Deray is prominently known for directing many crime and thriller films.-Biography:...
, the film stars Alain Delon
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
and Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant
Jean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
as Borniche and Buisson respectively, supported by Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger is a French actress best known for her role as Bond girl Dominique "Domino" Derval in the James Bond film Thunderball . She earned the title of Miss France Monde and was also the first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest.Born in Paris, France, she attended St...
and André Pousse
André Pousse
André Pousse was a noted French actor and, in his youth, also a notable cyclist.-Biography:While primarily known as a leading French actor, André Pousse began his professional career as a cyclist...
.
Plot
Flic Story follows a nine year pursuit of Emile Buisson through France during the 1940s and 1950s, and illustrates the pursuit as a battle of intellect, focusing on a growing understanding between Buisson and the protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
Borniche. Deray's humanizing of the characters was a trait used in his other films, and was a popular counter-cliché concept in France during the 1970s.
The film story depicts Emile Buisson, following the death of his wife and child, escaping from a psychiatric institution in 1947 and returning to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Buisson, who three years later would become France's public enemy number one, begins a murderous rampage through the French capital. The opening scene shows reluctant detective (flic is the French slang equivalent of "cop" in English) Borniche, who is given the case and pursues Buisson for three years, while the latter evades capture by killing informants and anyone else he feels may give him away. Borniche, who unlike his colleagues, prides himself in a methodical approach, hunts Buisson through numerous alleyway chases, rooftop pursuits, car chases and gunfights, while putting his lover Catherine (Auger) in danger.
When bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
intervenes with Borniche's attempts, and politicians and the media begin speculating, he uses the assistance of another criminal, Paul Robier (Crauchet) to apprehend Buisson. The serial killer is finally captured after having committed over 30 murders and 100 robberies. The final sequences sees Buisson telling Borniche that he would like to "take a hacksaw" to the throat of his informer, prompting a critically lauded line from Borniche that he would not get the chance.
Production
Writers Bénédicte Kermadec and Alphonse BoudardAlphonse Boudard
Alphonse Boudard is a French novelist and playwright. He won the 1977 Prix Renaudot for Les Combattants du petit bonheur....
worked with Deray on Roger Borniche's memoir in order to create the script. The film was produced by Delon, featuring cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
by Jean-Jacques Tarbès and an original score by Claude Bolling. The film was shot and printed on 35 mm negative using spherical cinematographic processes, as was common with films produced through the 1950s to the early 1990s. Production began on February 3, 1975, 18 years after Boisson's execution, and the film was shot on locations in both France and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Foreign releases
Flic Story was released through 1975 to 1977 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Cop Story, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
as Passi ruumishuoneelle and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
as Der Bulle und der Killer or Flic Story - Duell in sechs Runden. The film rated '16' in Finland, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, the latter downgraded it to '12' following the reunification.
Reception
Flic Story received mainly positive reviews from critics. James Travers of Film de France praised the film for a "quality feel and sombre mood" and the lead actors for "humanity and depth". Travers also noted several similarities to the films of Jean-Pierre Melville, particularly Le SamouraiLe Samouraï
Le Samouraï is a 1967 French crime film directed by French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, starring Alain Delon.- Plot :The story follows a perfectionist free-agent hitman, Jef Costello , who religiously adheres to a strict code of duty...
. Travers names the film as one of Deray's best, although the "end result isn’t quite a masterpiece". Other internet reviews noted similarities with Melville, and complimented the film for "unsentimental verve, intelligent pacing and refreshing honesty".
Susan Hayward, author of French National Cinema, also complimented the film, saying it departed from mainstream style. She gave particular praise on the differences between Flic Story and American films of the same genre, by the way Deray focuses on the intellects rather than the brawn of the two leading characters, as well as the understanding that grows between the two during "months of interrogation".
Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic, author, and director, best known for his longtime work with The Village Voice. Born in Brooklyn, and raised on Long Island, Giddins graduated from Grinnell College, Iowa, in 1970...
, printing his review from the August 16, 2005 issue of The New York Sun, praised the film as "the most interesting and resonant" of Derays work, and gave particular credit to Trintignant's "hair-trigger" performance. He also complimented the detail in the secondary characters, and said it was honest in its support for the death penalty. Giddens also, however, criticised the film's pacing.
Cast
- Alain DelonAlain DelonAlain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon is a French actor. He rose quickly to stardom, and by the age of 23 was already being compared to French actors such as Gérard Philipe and Jean Marais, as well as American actor James Dean. He was even called the male Brigitte Bardot...
- Roger BornicheRoger BornicheRoger Borniche was a French detective of the Sûreté nationale and author of a number of works. He started as a Singer, but his fledgling musical career was interrupted by the German invasion of 1940. To make a living, he took a job as a store detective... - Jean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis TrintignantJean-Louis Trintignant is a French actor who has enjoyed an international acclaim. He won the Best Actor Award at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.-Career:...
- Emile BuissonÉmile BuissonÉmile "Mimile" Buisson was a French gangster, and French public enemy No. 1 for 1950. A member of the French Gang des Traction Avant, Buisson was responsible for over thirty murders and a hundred robberies. Buisson was pursued and caught by French detective of the Sûreté Nationale Roger Borniche,... - Renato SalvatoriRenato SalvatoriRenato Salvatori was an Italian multi-purpose character actor.-Biography:Salvatori was born in Seravezza, Province of Lucca....
- Mario Poncini - Claudine AugerClaudine AugerClaudine Auger is a French actress best known for her role as Bond girl Dominique "Domino" Derval in the James Bond film Thunderball . She earned the title of Miss France Monde and was also the first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest.Born in Paris, France, she attended St...
- Catherine - Maurice BiraudMaurice BiraudMaurice Biraud was a French film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1951 and 1982.-Selected filmography:* Le Secret d'Hélène Marimon * Poisson d'avril...
- The patrol of the Saint-Appoline hotel - André PousseAndré PousseAndré Pousse was a noted French actor and, in his youth, also a notable cyclist.-Biography:While primarily known as a leading French actor, André Pousse began his professional career as a cyclist...
- Jean-Baptiste Buisson - Mario David - Raymond Pelletier
- Paul CrauchetPaul Crauchet-Selected filmography:-External links:...
- Paul Robier - Denis Manuel - Lucien Darros
- Marco Perrin - Vieuchene
- Henri Guybet - Hidoine
- Maurice Barrier - Rene Bollec
- Françoise Dorner - Suzanne Bollec
- William Sabatier - Ange
- Adolfo Lastretti - Jeannot
External links
- Flic Story at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Flic Story at the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
- Flic Story at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...