Le Cercle rouge
| Le Cercle Rouge | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Produced by | Robert Dorfmann |
| Written by | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Starring |
Alain Delon Bourvil Yves Montand Gian Maria Volontè |
| Music by | Éric Demarsan |
| Cinematography | Henri Decaë |
| Edited by | Marie-Sophie Dubus |
| Distributed by |
Rialto Pictures StudioCanal The Criterion Collection (home video) |
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Release date
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20 October 1970 (France) April 20, 1993 (USA) |
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Running time
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140 min. |
| Country |
France Italy |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 4,339,821 admissions (France) |
Le Cercle Rouge (French pronunciation: [lə sɛʁkl ʁuʒ], "The Red Circle") is a 1970 Franco-Italian crime film set mostly in Paris. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon, Andre Bourvil, Gian Maria Volontè and Yves Montand. It is known for its climactic heist sequence which is about half an hour in length and without any dialogue.
The film's title means "The Red Circle" and refers to the film's epigraph which translates as
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, drew a circle with a piece of red chalk and said: "When men, even unknowingly, are to meet one day, whatever may befall each, whatever the diverging paths, on the said day, they will inevitably come together in the red circle."
This Buddha quote is made up by Melville just as he did with the epigraph in Le Samouraï.
In Marseille, a prisoner named Corey is released early for good behaviour. A warder tips him off about a prestigious jewellery shop he could rob in Paris. He goes to the house of Rico, an associate of his with whom his former girlfriend now lives, where he robs Rico of his money and gun. Then he goes to a billiard hall, where two of Rico's men find him. After killing one and taking his gun, Corey buys a large car and, hiding the guns in the boot, starts for Paris. On the way, he stops at a roadside grill to eat.
The same morning another prisoner, Vogel, who is being taken on a train from Marseille to Paris by the policeman Mattei, escapes in open country. Mattei orders roadblocks to be set, and returns to face his superiors. Vogel comes upon the roadside grill and hides in the boot of Corey's car. Realising someone is in the boot, with his guns, Corey drives into an open field and orders Vogel to get out. After a tense confrontation, the two decide to co-operate. Shortly after, with Vogel back in the boot, a car with two more of Rico's men forces Corey off the road. They take his money and are about to kill him when Vogel, emerging from the boot, shoots both dead.
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Wikipedia