Le Cercle rouge
Encyclopedia
Le Cercle rouge is a 1970 crime film
set in Paris
, France
. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon
, Bourvil
, Gian Maria Volonté
and Yves Montand
. It is perhaps best known for its final heist sequence which is about half an hour in length.
The film's title means "The Red Circle" and refers to the film's epigraph which translates as
In fact, the Buddha said no such thing; Melville made it up just as he did with the epigraph in Le Samouraï
.
, in a 1993 review of a 99-minute version dubbed into English, said the film "may baffle anyone coming upon him for the first time"; according to Canby:
Peter Bradshaw
, in a 2003 review of a 102-minute reissue, called the film a "treat" and noted "Melville blends the Chandleresque
world of his own devising with gritty French reality. With its taut silent robbery sequence, his movie gestures backwards to Rififi
, and with Montand's specially modified bullets it anticipates Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal
and the contemporary techno-thriller
."
Hong Kong director John Woo
wrote an essay for the Criterion DVD of Le Cercle rouge arguing the film's merits. When the film was given a theatrical re-release, Woo was given a "presenter" credit.
is set to play the Alain Delon character Corey in the remake to be directed by Johnnie To
. The film is already in pre-production with Bloom learning different martial art techniques to be used in the film. The Red Circle is set to start filming in Hong Kong
in 2009. According to IMDb, Chow Yun-fat
, Liam Neeson
, and Alain Delon
are tentative co-stars.
However, the film has currently been on hold for some time due to budget issues.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
set in 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...
, France
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...
. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and 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...
, Bourvil
Bourvil
André Bourvil, born André Robert Raimbourg was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy, most notably in his collaboration with Louis de Funès in La Grande Vadrouille .-Biography:His father was killed in the First World War before Bourvil was born...
, Gian Maria Volonté
Gian Maria Volontè
Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
and Yves Montand
Yves Montand
-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
. It is perhaps best known for its final heist sequence which is about half an hour in length.
The film's title means "The Red Circle" and refers to the film's epigraph which translates as
- "Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, drew a circle with a piece of red chalk and said: 'When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever the diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle.'"
In fact, the Buddha said no such thing; Melville made it up just as he did with the epigraph in Le Samouraï
Le 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...
.
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...
– Corey - BourvilBourvilAndré Bourvil, born André Robert Raimbourg was a French actor and singer best known for his roles in comedy, most notably in his collaboration with Louis de Funès in La Grande Vadrouille .-Biography:His father was killed in the First World War before Bourvil was born...
– Le Commissaire Mattei - Gian Maria VolontéGian Maria VolontèGian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
– Vogel - Yves MontandYves Montand-Early life:Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, the son of poor peasants Giuseppina and Giovanni Livi, a broommaker. Montand's mother was a devout Catholic, while his father held strong Communist beliefs. Because of the Fascist regime in Italy, Montand's family left for France in...
– Jansen - Paul CrauchetPaul Crauchet-Selected filmography:-External links:...
– Le Receleur - Paul AmiotPaul AmiotPaul Amiot was a French film actor. His career spanned some 63 years and he appeared in nearly 100 films between 1910 and 1973....
– Le chef de la police - Pierre ColletPierre ColletPierre Collet was a French film actor. He appeared in 104 films and television shows between 1943 and 1977.-Selected filmography:*Thérèse Étienne * Greed in the Sun * Mademoiselle...
– Le Gardien de prison - André Ekyan – Rico
- Jean-Pierre Posier – L'assistant de Mattei
- François PérierFrançois PérierFrançois Périer, , born François Pillu in Paris, was one of France's most distinguished actors.He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his most notable parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains...
– Santi (as François PerierFrançois PérierFrançois Périer, , born François Pillu in Paris, was one of France's most distinguished actors.He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his most notable parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains...
) - Yves Arcanel – Le juge d'instruction
- René Berthier – Le directeur de la P.J.
- Jean-Marc Boris – Le fils Santi (Santi's son)
- Jean ChampionJean ChampionJean Champion was a French film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1962 and 1996.-Selected filmography:* The Umbrellas of Cherbourg * Le Cercle rouge * The Invitation...
– Le garde-barrière - Yvan Chiffre – Un policier (a policeman)
- Anna Douking – L'ancienne amie de Corey (as Ana Douking)
- Robert Favart – Le vendeur chez Mauboussin
- Roger Fradet – Un policier (a policeman)
- Édouard Francomme – Le gardien du billard (as Edouard Francomme)
- Jean Franval – Le tenancier d'hôtel
- Jacques Galland – Le chef de train
- Jean-Pierre Janic – Paul, l'homme de Rico
- Pierre Lecomte – L'adjoint de l'I.G.S.
- Jacques LéonardJacques LéonardJacques Léonard is an accountant, educator, and politician in the Canadian province of Quebec. He served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1985 and again from 1989 to 2001 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of René Lévesque, Jacques Parizeau, and Lucien Bouchard...
– Un policier (a policeman) - Jacques Leroy – Un policier (a policeman)
- Jean Pignol – L'employé du greffe
- Robert Rondo – Un policier (a policeman)
Reception
Vincent CanbyVincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
, in a 1993 review of a 99-minute version dubbed into English, said the film "may baffle anyone coming upon him for the first time"; according to Canby:
- Though severely cut, The Red Circle doesn't exactly sweep along. It has a deliberate pace as Melville sets up the story of three chance acquaintances who plan and carry out the sacking of an elegant, supposedly impregnable jewelry store...Understatement is the method of the film, from Melville's pared-down screenplay to the performances by the three trenchcoated principals, even to the muted photography by Henri Decae, which is in color but has the chilly effect of black and white.
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
, in a 2003 review of a 102-minute reissue, called the film a "treat" and noted "Melville blends the Chandleresque
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
world of his own devising with gritty French reality. With its taut silent robbery sequence, his movie gestures backwards to Rififi
Rififi
Rififi is a 1955 French crime film adaptation of Auguste le Breton's novel of the same name. Directed by American filmmaker Jules Dassin, the film stars Jean Servais as the aging gangster Tony le Stéphanois, Carl Möhner as Jo le Suédois, Robert Manuel as Mario Farrati, and Jules Dassin as César le...
, and with Montand's specially modified bullets it anticipates Frederick Forsyth's Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal is a thriller novel by English writer Frederick Forsyth, about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French terrorist group of the early 1960s, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France....
and the contemporary techno-thriller
Techno-thriller
Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy/action thrillers, fantasy/war novels, and science fiction...
."
Hong Kong director John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
wrote an essay for the Criterion DVD of Le Cercle rouge arguing the film's merits. When the film was given a theatrical re-release, Woo was given a "presenter" credit.
Remake
Orlando BloomOrlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
is set to play the Alain Delon character Corey in the remake to be directed by Johnnie To
Johnnie To
Johnnie To Kei-Fung, born 22 April 1955, is a Hong Kong film director and producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas...
. The film is already in pre-production with Bloom learning different martial art techniques to be used in the film. The Red Circle is set to start filming in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
in 2009. According to IMDb, Chow Yun-fat
Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-fat, SBS is an actor from Hong Kong. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Hard Boiled; and to the West for his role as Li Mu-bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon...
, Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
, and 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...
are tentative co-stars.
However, the film has currently been on hold for some time due to budget issues.
External links
- Criterion Collection essay by Michael SragowMichael SragowMichael Sragow is a film critic and columnist who has written for The Baltimore Sun, The New Times, The New Yorker , The Atlantic and salon.com...
- Criterion Collection essay by Chris Fujiwara