Rififi

Theatrical Release Date: 1956 06 05 (USA) / 2000 07 21 (USA - Rerelease)

UPC: 037429155622

Studio: Criterion

MPAA Rating: NR   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language]

Summary: Jules Dassin -- in his second European film after being driven out of the United States during the years of the house Un-American Activities Committee hearings -- directed this landmark caper film about the planning and execution of a nighttime robbery at a swanky English jewelry shop in the Rue de Rivoli. The story concerns a collection of thieves who band together to commit a seemingly impossible robbery. The gang consists of a tough, straight-talker named Tony Stephanois (Jean Servais); a young man under Tony's tutelage named Jo (Carl Mohner; a happy-go-lucky Italian by the name of Mario Farrati (Robert Manuel); and a safecracker named Cesar (the director Jules Dassin under the pseudonym of Perlo Vita) who likes to jiggle the combinations of women in his off hours. The set piece of the film is an intricate 28-minute sequence that depicts the robbery in detail -- all filmed silently without dialogue or music. After the success of the robbery, the gang barely has time to celebrate when a rival gangster, Pierre Gruuter (Marcel Lupovici), decides that he wants a cut of the take. When Tony's gang refuses to cooperate, Pierre kidnaps Jo's son, and the gang has to get tough with their nemesis. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Category: Crime

Awards: International Prize- Best Director – Cannes Film Festival Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review Special Award – New York Film Critics Circle

Features: Digital transfer, with fully restored picture and sound
Exclusive video interview with director Jules Dassin
Production stills, plus set design drawings by Alexandre Trauner
Production notes
Theatrical trailer
Improved English subtitles translation
Optional English-dubbed soundtrack
Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Rififi

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/24/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 118 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: French,English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Chapters
1. Opening Credits [2:29]
2. Poker Game [4:12]
3. Mapin & Webb [4:26]
4. L'age D'or [1:26]
5. At Home With Tony [4:29]
6. At Home With Mario [3:19]
7. La Rule [1:44]
8. "rififi" [6:20]
9. Some Rififi [2:21]
10. Casing The Joint [4:40]
11. Suralarm [6:15]
12. The Arrival [5:20]
13. Do Not Adjust Your Volume [:00]
14. Quarter To Three [9:13]
15. Four-twenty [7:20]
16. Car Trouble [5:16]
17. Back At Mario's [2:53]
18. "read All About It " [4:04]
19. Pierre Puts It Together [1:50]
20. The Rat Gets His [5:16]
21. The Waiting Game [8:46]
22. Mado Comes Through [9:12]
23. The Hideout [5:26]
24. Fade To Black [4:53]

Lucia Bozzola

The pinnacle of heist movies, blacklistee Jules Dassin's Du Rififi Chez Les Hommes (1955) is not only one of the best French noirs, but one of the top movies in the genre. Crafting an archetypal noir story about how human weakness can sabotage the best-laid plans, Dassin masterfully emphasizes the skill and nerve-shredding delicacy that it takes for the central band of thieves to execute those intricate plans (without making a sound) in the classic half-hour heist sequence. The air of seediness and inevitable doom that lingers over the proceedings -- shot on location in Paris -- adds an existential weight to the suspense, turning Rififi into more than just a caper. Though Rififi's all-too-clear primer on how to rob a jewelry store and its then-excessive violence and decadence got the film in trouble in some countries, Rififi became an oft-imitated international hit and Cannes prizewinner for Dassin's direction. Barely seen in the U.S. since its original release, Rififi was restored to its full 35 mm visual glory in 2000, complete with new, more explicit subtitles (done in collaboration with Dassin) and a translation of the title song. The restoration received a special citation from the New York Film Critics Circle. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Pierre Grasset  Actor 
Claude Sylvain  Actor 
Dominique Maurin  Actor 
Janine Darcey  Actor 
Georges Auric  Composer (Music Score) 
Jules Dassin  Director 
Jules Dassin  Screenwriter 
René Wheeler  Screenwriter 
Auguste Le Breton  Screenwriter 
René G. Vuattoux  Producer 
Jean Servais  Actor 
Carl Möhner  Actor 
Robert Manuel  Actor 
Magali Noël  Actor 
Perlo Vita  Actor 
Marie Sabouret  Actor 
Marcel Lupovici  Actor 
Robert Hossein  Actor 

Country: France