Casque D'or

press release: France | 1951 | DCP | 96 min. | French with English Subtitles

Director: Jacques Becker; Cast: Simone Signoret, Serge Reggiani, Claude Dauphin

Becker’s masterpiece centers on the conflicts of three jealous men – two gangsters and one honest carpenter - as they vie for the affections of the blonde beauty Marie (an enchanting Signoret). An important precursor to the French New Wave, especially Truffaut’s Jules et Jim, Becker sets the action against the atmospheric backdrop of the Belle Époque Parisian underworld.

Jacques Becker: A Master Before the Wave

An enormously versatile director, Jacques Becker (1906–1960) distinguished himself in the French film industry with a series of box office successes that saw him oscillating between period melodramas, working-class romances, nail-biting studies in suspense, and even an absorbing biopic of a great artist. Becker, in a career that was cut short by his untimely death at age 53, counted Francois Truffaut, Jean Renoir and Jean-Pierre Melville among his admirers. This series provides a healthy sampling of Becker’s strong body of work, including all three features (Antoine et Antoinette, Rendezvous in July, Edouard et Caroline) that comprise his “Youth Trilogy.” Special Thanks to Rialto Pictures and Amélie Garin-Davet and Laurence Geannopulos of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.