Le clan des Siciliens (1969)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Henri Verneuil

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (novel)
Henri Verneuil (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

1 December 1969 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The murders in Paris! The robbery in Rome! The double-cross in New York!

Plot Keywords:

Fishing | Jewel Robbers | Identity Theft | Escape From Prison | Jewel Heist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jean Gabin	...	Vittorio Manalese
Alain Delon	...	Roger Sartet
Lino Ventura	...	L'inspecteur Le Goff
Irina Demick	...	Jeanne Manalese
Amedeo Nazzari	...	Tony Nicosia
Philippe Baronnet	...	Luigi
Karen Blanguernon	...	Theresa
Yves Brainville	...	Le juge
Gérard Buhr	...	Un inspecteur
Elisa Cegani	...	Maria Manalese
Raoul Delfosse	...	Léoni
Jacques Duby	...	Raymond Robel
Yves Lefebvre	...	Aldo Manalese
Edward Meeks	...	Le commandant de bord
Sally Nesbitt	...	Mrs. Evans

Also Known As:

The Sicilian Clan (USA)
A szicíliaiak klánja (Hungary) [hu]
Der Clan der Sizilianer (West Germany) [de]
El clan de los sicilianos (Spain) [es]
I symmoria ton Sikelon (Greece) [el]
Il clan dei siciliani (Italy) [it]
Klan Sycylijczyków (Poland) [pl]
Klanen fra Sicilien (Denmark) [da]
Os Sicilianos (Brazil) (TV title) [pt]
Sicilianska klanen (Sweden) [sv]
Sicilyalilar çetesi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sisilialaisklaani (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

120 min | Germany:115 min | Spain:119 min | USA:118 min

Country:

France

Language:

Italian | French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 | West Germany:16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Les Films du Siècle

Trivia:

The film was shot in three languages (French, English and Italian) with the same cast.

Quotes:

Rovel: I was sound asleep, and they burst into my room and turned everything upside down!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008)

Flics et voleurs

And the award for most outrageous sexual symbolism of 1969 goes to Alain Delon, for his performance battering an eel to death on a rock after catching a glimpse of Irina Demick's body double nude sunbathing in The Sicilian Clan...

Despite the title, this 1969 flic et voyou flick is definitely NOT a mob movie: the clan are a family of Sicilian crooks in France headed by Jean Gabin who spring Alain Delon from jail for a massive jewel robbery, with Lino Ventura's dogged cop on the trail. Based on a novel by Rififi author Auguste le Breton, there's little that's original (although the heist itself is spectacularly ingenious), but it's put together with polish and style and makes for an entertaining couple of hours. Henry Verneuil's direction raises the standard, while Delon, Ventura and Irina Demick offer good value. The once-great Gabin fares less well - although it's nice to see him reunited with his Touchez Pas le Grisbi nemesis Ventura in a couple of scenes, for much of the film he's more of an immoveable monument than much of a presence, only really coming across in his final scene, which taps in nicely to the resigned fatalism of his pre-war classics.

It's not an all-time great, but it is an entertaining and atmospheric French thriller that nicely fills a couple of hours.

Fox's UK PAL Region 2 DVD boasts a good 2.35:1 widescreen transfer of the English-language version (the film was shot in French, Italian and English-language versions rather than simply dubbed) and includes the US trailer.