THE THIEF OF PARIS

France, 1967, 120 minutes, Colour.
Jean- Paul Belmondo, Genevieve Bujold, Marie Dubois, Francoise Fabian, Marlene Jobert, Bernadette Lafont.
Directed by Louis Malle.

The Thief of Paris is a star vehicle for Jean- Paul Belmondo. By this time he had been a star for ten years and had made his name in a number of films by Jean- Luc Godard, especially Breathless with Jean Seberg. He had also shown himself as an acrobatic hero in such fantasies as That Man From Rio, Chinese Adventures in China by director Philippe de Broca. Belmondo was to continue in films, much more serious films during the 1970s including Borsalino and Stavisky and continue to make films until the early part of the new century. Genevieve Bujold, on the other hand, the Canadian actress, was at the beginning of her career with La Guerre est Finie and was soon to appear as Anne of the Thousand Days.

The film is a period piece, set in 1900 – an echo of those gentlemen burglars like Raffles. Belmondo portrays a young man whose uncle squanders his fortune, stops him marrying his sweetheart and he decides to get his revenge by robbing his uncle’s jewels. He then develops a taste for robbery – and becomes expert at it. The film was presented in a very tongue-in-cheek vein.

The film was written by Jean- Claude Carriere, whose long career enabled him to write films for such distinguished directors as Luis Bunuel (Phantom of Liberty, That Obscure Object of Desire), for Jean- Luc Godard (Every Man For Himself, Passion), for Daniel Vigne (The Return of Martin Guerre), for Andrzej Wajda (Danton) and for Volker Schlondorff’s Swann’s Way. At the beginning of the 21st century he was still writing prolifically including the Nicole Kidman film, Birth.

The film was directed by Louis Malle (for whom Carriere wrote Black Moon). Louis Malle emerged as part of the new wave of French cinema in the late 1950s. He made a number of classic films in the 60s including Zazi in the Metro, The Lovers, Elevator to the Gallows. In the 1970s he made such classics as Murmur of the Heart, Lacombe Lucien. He then went to the United States where he made Pretty Baby. He settled there and married Candice Bergen. American classics include Atlantic City, Alamo Bay and Damage (made in England). He made his autobiographical film in 1987, Au Revoir les Enfants, the story of his childhood during World War Two, the Catholic school he attended and the principal who sheltered Jewish children and who was betrayed.

1. How enjoyable a film, as comedy, adventure, serious, historical drama, the blend of these ingredients? Which predominated, was meant to predominate?

2. Jean Paul Belmondo and his personality and style? His being the focus of the film? The kind of atmosphere that he contributed to it?

3. The film and the importance of style: costumes, Parisian settings, London, Belgium? The world of Paris, rich homes, society, poverty, the criminal world, the world of politics in the 19th century? A microcosm of French society?

4. Audience involvement through the structure: the initial robbery with George's slapdash approach to it? The importance of the voiceover narrative and George's point of view on things? The flashbacks and the return to the robbery of his own house? The irony of the ending? The importance of the direct narrative, the importance of memory, the irony of George's career?

5. The significance of the flashback to childhood, George, and his cousin Charlotte and the way of life of their Uncle? The irony of the amount of money that George was to inherit, the inevitability of his Uncle's bad management of the money and callous attitude?

6. The build-up to George's return: the confrontation with his Uncle, his Uncle's double-talk and the loss of the money? Charlotte and her hesitation, her fiance? Her sharing the attitudes of her father? The importance of the party and George's presence? The priest and his appeal and the later irony of his identity? The importance of the remarks made, the picture of society and the audience's judgment on it, in view of George's robbing the people and the reasons for the family's hushing it up for scandal? The Uncle's anxiety and calling off Charlotte's wedding? Charlotte and her shrewdness in understanding what had happened, her not giving George away? The atmosphere of light-heartedness, social critique, the beginnings of a film about crime?

7. The importance of the meeting of George and the priest? The humour of their meeting and the identification of the priest? His links with criminals, the gang and their laws and finesse?

8. How humorously and satirically was this illustrated by the greed of the Belgian passenger, his taking them home, inviting them to rob his house?

9. How entertaining was the picturing of the criminal group in action: the English sequences, the sister and the brothel? The lady friend and her salon in Paris? The way of life in France? The irony of George's school friend's wife giving them the information? What were the implications of this picture of criminal conspiracy amongst society? And the audience being invited to be on the side of the criminals?

10. The presentation of George in action with the group, solo? His pride and skills an a thief? Motivation? His visiting his friend after the irony of almost being caught? The irony of his friend's wit, being the source of information? The gradual being led into the world of politicians, the clash of the political world with the world of the criminals?

11. The humour of catching the wife robbing her husband and the liaison between the two? Of George's directing this woman to her Uncle in order to bleed him? Infatuation, the dotage of the Uncle? The build-up to his death and the various aspects of greed about his will? The humour and irony of George forging his will?

12. The significance of the Cannonier story? Cannonier an the master criminal, Devil's Island and his swap, his presence on the Normandy coast, the messages and the warnings given him? The humour of the encounter with George in the hotel room, the ironic background of the politics and the right wing sentiments being expressed, the intolerance? The greed of the hotel keeper and the death of the old woman? The character of Cannonier and George's liking him? The pathos of his sudden death?

13. The satire and moral drawn in the presentation of George's Uncle, his old age, dotage and lust? The anger and hatred in his death? George's rewriting his will in his presence?

14. The political background? The satire in the presentation of right-wing politics?

15. Charlotte leaving her father and joining George? The bond between them, their travel, robberies? The future for the tow of them?

16. The light touch and yet the serious implications? Is this what people mean when they talk about Gallic humour?