Curiously, the younger generations are more familiar with Jacques Becker's classic
Touchez pas au Grisbi
(1954) through the parody homage paid to him ten years later by a famous Audiard line in
Les Tontons flingueurs
by Georges Lautner, released in 1963.
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Aguirre,
the wrath of God and Klaus Kinski
"Hands off the Grisby, bitch!"
, the sentence of Maître Folasse (unforgettable Francis Blanche) pronounced during the memorable sequence of the kitchen, above all reminds us that at the origin of the films of hexagonal gangsters, is the perfectly successful adaptation of the novel of Albert Simonin
Touche pas at grisbi.
Even if it remains a little less well known than Lautner's comedy, this masterpiece that is
Touchez pas au grisbi
shines in more
ways
than one in the firmament of gangster cinema. First, because when it was released in 1954, it will be a considerable success at the box office by attracting nearly 5 million spectators in theaters. This will put an end to the hegemony of American-style black films, ushering in a new era, that of French-style detective films.
Then, even if the story seems more conventional, it allows Jacques Becker to stage a conflict between two generations of brigands in the interlope Pigalle of the 50s. A sort of intergenerational battle of Hernani, between the veterans of the great banditry and the relief of young gangsters with long teeth, which has nothing to envy him.
The film begins after Max (Jean Gabin) and Riton (René Dary) have just pulled off their greatest shot: stealing 50 million francs in gold bars from Orly.
But the news spreads and the young trafficker Angelo (Lino Ventura) kidnaps Riton, hoping to recover the "grisbi" in exchange for Gabin's old accomplice.
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There are several reasons why
Touchez pas au grisbi is
a generational marker.
The first: the film will allow Jean Gabin to regain the heights of the box office.
The actor is essential there, an aging, disillusioned and loyal mobster.
A film critic of the time declared at the release of the film:
"You will have to see Jean Gabin in the role of Max as you should see Charlot in
The Gold Rush
."
Just that...
Pierre Salvadori: “Hands off the grisbi!
is a fascinating film formally and in its narrative, its direction and in what it ultimately says.
1954 STUDIOCANAL - TF1 Audiovisual Rights - Antares Films
In a video interview specially prepared by LaCinetek, director Pierre Salvadori (
Les Apprentis, En liberté!
) Drives home the point.
“Touche pas au Grisbi
is an exciting film formally and in its story, its direction and in what it ultimately says.
(...) It's a film that portrays a man in 72 hours, that is to say two nights and a day.
"
This man is Max-le-liar alias Jean Gabin.
“Thanks to the staging of Jacques Becker,
Salvadori analyzes,
we have the impression of seeing a fresco centered on the character of Jean Gabin, what his past was, what his future will be, like a three-way mirror. facets that refers to what it is now.
"
After an eclipse of fifteen years, a second golden age is offered to Jean Gabin.
Touch not at Grisbi
(1954) in a way signifies the rebirth of his career.
So much so that Gabin was until the end of his life the specialist in the roles of aging gangsters, whether it was the film
Le Rouge est put
(1957) by Gilles Grangier, or
Mélodie in the basement
(1963) , Le
Clan des Siciliens
(1963) by Henri Verneuil, or
Le Soleil des voyous
(1967) by Jean Delannoy.
And even if the new wave snubs it, what does it matter!
This patriarch specializing in the slap (more than twenty distributed over a hundred films) wins again with
La Traversée de Paris
, three Maigrets, twenty films with Michel Audiard, including
A monkey in winter
with Belmondo.
This film allows Jean Gabin to reconquer the heights of the box office.
The actor is essential there, an aging, disillusioned and loyal mobster.
1954 STUDIOCANAL - TF1 Audiovisual Rights - Antares Films
Second reason: he launched Lino Ventura's career.
Even though twenty years later, Ventura came back to this adventure by saying that
“it happened by accident”
, the fact that Jacques Becker became infatuated with this former wrestling champion who had become a match organizer, to entrust him with the role of 'Angelo, an ambitious young trafficker who opposes Gabin, provides the film with an undeniable plus.
Between these two the confrontation with speckled foils will be merciless.
The young guard against the old lion ... this is the secret heart of the film.
Jeanne Moreau and Lino Ventura in
Touchez pas au grisbi
1954 STUDIOCANAL - TF1 Audiovisual Rights - Antares Films
As Salvadori finally said: "Hands off the Grisbi!"
is not a gangster movie, it's an aging gangster movie.
One feels there the action of age, fatigue, old age.
Gabin's character is defined by his choices.
And at one point in the film, he makes the choice of humanity.
Humanity is what makes him a man, more than a gangster, a hero.
It is a very powerful film, eloquent, like a rather noble experience, and quite beautiful.
Don't Touch the Grisbi
is a totally admirable film. ”
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