Casque d’or

Simone Signoret is courted by rival suitors in Becker’s classic blend of crime movie and romance.

  • Director

    Jacques Becker

  • With

    Simone Signoret, Sere Reggiani, Claude Dauphin, Gaston Modot

  • France 1953. 96min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    PG

  • English subtitles

Unsurprisingly, Truffaut revered Jacques Becker, a former assistant to Renoir who made films of a similarly fluent lyricism and emotional complexity. This elegant blend of crime movie and love story, set in the Paris of the Impressionists, sees a carpenter (Reggiani) incur the wrath of gangleader Félix (Dauphin) when he courts Marie (Signoret). Truffaut especially adored its casting, its narrative sophistication and its visual beauty.

The screening on Wednesday 12 January will feature a pre-recorded intro by film critic and historian Pamela Hutchinson.