Teyss "Casque d'Or" has long been an underrated movie and Jacques Becker an underrated director. When it came out, it was a complete flop in France. Criticisms revolved around the mismatching star couple (Simone Signoret was almost as tall as Serge Reggiani, and more corpulent), the simplistic love story, minimal psychology and tragic ending. It was reassessed years later, notably by the "New Wave" directors, and now stands as a masterpiece, the best film of one of the best French directors.The title literally means "Golden helmet", the main female role's nickname, after her blond hair. The movie is seemingly of the classic genre: image is black and white with a standard ratio of 4/3; the story is linear with regular pacing and no flashbacks; symbols are traditional (city versus countryside, interiors versus exteriors, the ill-fated café, the blind men at the end). However, this is only apparent. Image is exceptionally delicate, with subtle tones of grey, very sharp texture and extremely deep views. Psychology is condensed to emphasise form and other content: a modern feature. We could hence qualify the movie as the quintessence of classic cinema announcing modern form, a "meta-classic". Likewise, it is more than a brilliant reconstitution of late-19th century France: its story and themes are timeless.*** WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS ***The movie is structured around social milieus: criminals, prostitutes, workers, bourgeois, policemen. Each milieu has its own rules. You immediately recognise persons by their clothing: bourgeois criticise the prostitutes at the beginning; "don't wear a cap when coming to my place", Leca tells his men, etc. Criminals kill but do not betray. Prostitutes help each other. Workers do not take money if it is not earned. Symbolically, because Leca thought he could act above these rules, he will die: he has a cover-up work, he mingles with the police, he kills Anatole, he betrays Raymond, he breaks his promise to Marie.Milieus do not mix. When they do, there generally is trouble. Manda joins the group at the beginning: he fights with Roland. Marie meets Manda around his workplace: she is insulted by his fiancée. Manda goes to the café: he kills Roland. Anatole warns the police: he is murdered. The final murder of the criminal Leca by the worker Manda happens at the police station: three milieus are involved.In such an environment, the love story develops against the lovers' milieus. It is love at first sight, there is no explanation why they fall for each other, and it does not actually matter: what counts is their relationship and its consequences. Marie and Manda barely talk, which does not reduce, but on the contrary increase the strength of their relationship (although she does somewhat play with him at the beginning, maybe to test him).Social segregation increases the importance of windows and openings through which characters look at other milieus: Raymond looks at Manda working, the bourgeois look inside the café, the policemen look at Manda after he killed Leca. In this context of social postures, people intensely stare at each other. Gazes are crucial, more important than words. When Manda announces Raymond is about to die, looks immediately turn towards his best friend Paul. After Raymond died, the four criminals angrily look at Leca who goes away: without a word, we instantly understand Raymond told them about Leca's betrayal before dying, and so does he. Logically, the movie ends on a final important gaze: Marie specifically goes to a hotel to see Manda being executed. These are only a few examples, towards the end.Visually, gazing is articulated by formidable depth of field (we see sharply very close and very far, as in real life), frequent close shots (we seem to be part of the scenes) and frequent subjective shots (we see what characters see, notably Marie and Manda). We are hence immerged in the movie: we watch characters like they watch each other.This "in situ" viewing is reinforced by life-like elements: apparent simplicity of dialogues; strong presence of secondary roles, while the two main characters' dialogues are voluntarily reduced; collateral and seemingly pointless images (e.g. the memorable shot on the newly-wed in the church). All these increase the authenticity of the movie, yet transcended by superb image and direction, like artistic photos beautify reality.In this movie where eyesight is key, the ending is signalled by two blind men singing: this exterior element disrupts all-important gazing and tragedy unravels. Their famous song "Le temps des cerises" (the period of sherries) conveys a nostalgic message of short-lived happiness: it tells about summertime (that is brief) and love (that is gone); historically, it was an iconic tune during the 1871 Parisian revolt against oppression (that was crushed). Hence the song represents a transition between the beautiful hopes of the two lovers and the coming tragedy. This compelling allegory is reinforced by the repetition of the musical theme in different forms, binding the last scenes together in progressive culmination: the blind men sing, then an orchestra distantly plays off-screen, then a flute plays and ultimately the orchestra plays full-scale."Casque d'or", fundamentally, is a story about impossible redemption and happiness. We believe the lovers can succeed when they spend idyllic moments in the countryside, away from the violent city, close to where they initially met. However there is no escaping one's milieu. Marie thought she could give up prostitution, but has to go back to Leca. Manda thought he could avoid being a delinquent (he previously spent five years in jail) to become a worker, but kills twice and is executed. In parallel to the love story, the infallible friendship between Manda and Raymond also cross milieus; yet both eventually die.This tragic message and ending is somewhat smoothed by the movie's final image: Marie and Manda dance together, alone at last in the sunny open-air dance hall where they first met. They swirl to the background, as if fading in Marie's memory.

lasttimeisaw Jacques Becker's belle époque tragedy of a pair of star-crossed lovers, Marie (Signoret) and Georges (Reggiani), she is a mistress of Roland (Sabatier), who is the underling of the local Apache gang, mastered by Félix Leca (Dauphin), and he is an unassuming carpenter, their encounter is occasioned by their common friend Raymond (Bussières), another member of the the Leca gang, through DP Lefebvre's lithely swirling choreography, their destiny is sealed through a wordless dance, while jealousy is simmering with impending menace.Strikingly, words are inessential in Becker's narrative, emotion runs the gamut without the help of verbose dialogue, one expression or gesture is simply enough to deliver the unspoken intention and determination, to hit the bull's eye of being compelling, heartfelt, even agonising in the climax, which marks a great achievement and testimony of how cinema can be a first-rate storyteller, trimming down the redundant bells-and-whistles, just sticking to those what makes our characters tick: the encounter, the duel, the elope, the scheme, the revenge and the guillotine.Simone Signoret, shoulders on the triple identities as a poised courtesan, a romantic inamorata and a reluctant moll, leaves her most iconic screen persona in her prime, under Becker's aegis, the camera unsparingly aims at her in stunning close-ups enveloped with divine halo (thanks to the heightened lighting). Marie is a dauntless pursuer, she lives for passion, for love, living in the present, a force-of-life so irresistible and indefatigable. Interestingly, Reggiani's Georges is not the traditional hero type, his average look and lean physique, should have triggered far more maternal nature of protection from her than a fervent passion act, yet, Georges has the spine to be a martyr out of genuine devotion to friendship and moral integrity, which eventually will wholeheartedly win a woman's heart.Dauphin's smirky presence as Félix Leca persuasively draws on the sophistication of being a Mafia ringleader, the murky dynamism of his reign over the henchmen gives as much as pleasure as the central romance. To a large extent, CASQUE D'OR (golden hat in literal translation, which refers to Marie's representative coiffure) is seminally inspiring and majestically executed at its time, an unforgettable Parisian tale-of-woe but shines with its glittery black-and-white enticement, as the introductory piece of Becker's oeuvre, it bode well than my expectation, bravo!

Cristi_Ciopron Casque d'or (1952) is a movie of infinite cinematographic science, skill, knowledge; not the average fine French '50s melodrama—but an impressive work of art, a delectable achievement. It offers a lot—as balance and charm. Its simplicity resides in the fullness of a great creation, of great poetry. Its value and poignancy lies, or resides rather in the execution, in the carefulness and skill of the montage, in the very advantageous craft.And this ,without being even for one moment decadent or …;the movie has the fullness of a true work of art. Notable are the balance, the tactfulness, the exquisite tone, the strength within the note of poetry. The core of poetry and creation is glowing in a story narrated with elegance and tact. Adequately filmed, it is also delightful on the other levels—as script, as acting ….It is a very simple story of passion and betrayal and lust ,with common people and thugs as characters. I believe that the film was recognized from the beginning, in the '50s, as a The minimalistic style answers the needs of the taste; yet it's never ostentatious and unnatural, but necessary and adequate; adequacy, the formula for the successful approaches.It is as well made,less lyrical and far more coherent and striking than Port of Shadows .Its inherent limitations are obvious also,given with the subject and the approach,the orientation of the film.Yet on the other hand,this lightness beyond the words,the exquisite execution, the fluid style give Casque d'or (1952) the unmistakable charm and the complete propriety, adequacy of tone.It does not explore,like The Grand Illusion or Jeux Interdits,a wide spiritual universe,or highly differentiated inner realms;yet it treats with lightness and inspired tact a humble subject.This tact itself is marvelous,because it is the most adequate and useful.Henri-Georges Clouzot's Diabolique was a thing of a thrilling and frightful moral depth;Casque d'or (1952) finds and develops,in a manly and straightforward style,the immense poetry of an unpretentious ,even sordid subject.It does so with due limpidity and insight.Its virtues are as subtle as they are simultaneously obvious and unobtrusive.This mastery defines a style--an author's achievement.Its director was,like Charles M. Schulz and others in the popular culture, the expression and exponent of a civilization.As for the Mrs. Signoret, it is maybe enough to state here that I consider her to be the second best French movie artist. She was outstanding. In a certain sense, the fact that she obviously wasn't a beauty only made more evident her acting gifts.

Polaris_DiB This film doesn't work for me, which is weird considering that I'm familiar with both the director and the lead in "passionate" films, and yet this one didn't give what it pretty much advertised itself as being. Becker's "Touchez Pas au Grisbi" seemed to have a lot more personality and emotion, while Simone Signoret's part in "L'Armee des ombres" was a lot more love-able.The story is of a love-triangle (or square of sorts) within a small gang that gets set off by the introduction of reformed criminal Manda. Jealous boyfriend Raymond, boss Leca, and Manda find themselves all charged with getting the girl, but Manda's reformed nature makes him pure and true to his world, Raymond's jealousy makes him impotent, and Leca's hidden approaches creates the tragic ending.It's a good story, and in fact is well-shot and directed. The problem is that it all happens so quickly and needlessly. Marie and Manda fall into each-other's arms practically immediately, aspects like the fact that Manda is engaged gets mentioned and then forgotten as if unimportant, the character that introduces Manda to the gang disappears until he's needed for backstabbing Manda, and so on, everything just sort of tossed around until it's needed again (even some shots just fade-out in the middle of the action, once the story no longer cares for what's going to be said). The problem with a movie of this type being this way is that it hinges on romantic notions of love, which Serge Reggiana manages to present well enough with his acting, but which happens with none of the other characters. It's biggest flaw as far as I can tell is that I couldn't fall in love with Marie, who really didn't seem like that beautiful or interesting person at all--except that I was told to love her through the copious glowing "love shots" with the classic approach to soft lighting.What's fascinating to me is that Marcel Carne worked on this movie too, which seems that between he and Becker, you'd think that this would be one of the most romantic and passionate movies ever. None of it really presents itself, and it's Belle Epoque period stylization makes it look more goofy than, say, carnivalesque or romantic.--PolarisDiB