Le clan des Siciliens (1969)

Director:

Henri Verneuil

Writers:

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

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:

Police | Jewel Robber | France | Shore | Falling Out Among Thieves

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
Marc Porel	...	Sergio Manalese
André Pousse	...	Malik
André Thorent	...	L'inspecteur Bordier
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Turi - l'expert en timbres
Danielle Volle	...	Monique Sartet
Steve Eckardt	...	L'inspecteur Wilson
Roger Lumont	...	Le patron de l'hôtel de passe
Sabine Sun	...	Simone
Christian de Tillière	...	Jean-Marie Ballard
Sydney Chaplin	...	Jack
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marc Arian	...	Un passager (uncredited)
Alice Arno	...	Un modèle chez Malik (uncredited)
Maurice Auzel	...	Un policier dans l'avion (uncredited)
Michel Charrel	...	Un gardien de prison (uncredited)
César Chauveau	...	Le petit Roberto (uncredited)
Yvan Chiffre	...	Un inspecteur (uncredited)
Dominique Delpierre	...	L'hôtesse de l'air (uncredited)
Yvonne Gradelet	...	Une passagère à Orly (uncredited)
Rudy Lenoir	...	Le gendarme chez le juge d'instruction (uncredited)
Jacques Léonard	...	Le truand aux billets d'avion (uncredited)
Roland Malet	...	Un passant au drugstore (uncredited)
Jacques Marbeuf	...	Un passager à Orly (uncredited)
Bernard Musson	...	Le gendarme, durant le transfert de Sartet (uncredited)
Raymond Pierson	...	Un passager à Orly (uncredited)
Claude Salez	...	Le gardien du Boeing (uncredited)
Arch Taylor	...	Un aiguilleur à La Guardia (uncredited)
Philippe Vallauris	...	Un inspecteur (uncredited)
Lionel Vitrant	...	Un inspecteur (uncredited)
Catherine Watteau	...	L'hôtesse à l'aéroport (uncredited)
Bernard Woringer	...	Un inspecteur (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Zola	...	M. Wallach - le diamentaire (uncredited)

Directed by
Henri Verneuil

Writing credits
Auguste Le Breton		(novel)
Henri Verneuil		(adaptation) &
José Giovanni		(adaptation) &
Pierre Pelegri		(adaptation)
José Giovanni		(dialogue)

Produced by
Jacques-Eric Strauss	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ennio Morricone

Cinematography by
Henri Decaë		(as Henri Decae)

Film Editing by
Pierre Gillette

Casting by
Evelyne Janic

Production Design by
Jacques Saulnier

Art Direction by
Jacques Saulnier

Costume Design by
Hélène Nourry

Makeup Department
Georges Bouban	....	makeup artist
Michel Deruelle	....	makeup artist
Yvonne Gaspernia	....	makeup artist
Fernande Hugi	....	makeup artist
Simone Knapp	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jacques Juranville	....	production manager
Louis Trinquier	....	assistant production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marc Grunebaum	....	assistant director
Bernard Stora	....	assistant director

Art Department
René Albouze	....	property master
Jean-Jacques Caziot	....	assistant production designer
Georges Glon	....	assistant production designer
Charles Merangel	....	set dresser
Gérard Viard	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Marcel Corvaisier	....	sound assistant
Vartan Karakeusian	....	sound assistant
Jean Rieul	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Yvan Chiffre	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Paul Cornu	....	assistant camera
François Lauliac	....	assistant camera
Charles-Henri Montel	....	camera operator
Victor Rodrigue	....	still photographer
Vincent Rossell	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Florence Eymon	....	assistant film editor
Annie Vital	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Bruno Nicolai	....	conductor

Other crew
Gérard Crosnier	....	general manager
Frawley Becker	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)
Lucile Costa	....	script girl (uncredited)
René Limat	....	electric engineer (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Nossereau	....	associate location manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Les Films du Siècle
• Les Productions Fox Europa

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox (1969) (France) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1970) (USA) (subtitled)

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:

Vittorio Manalese: Well, personally, I trust the engineer. He sounds okay to me. This is a professional job.
[Turns and looks at Roget Sarte]
Vittorio Manalese: You're the one I don't trust!
Roget: Me?
Vittorio: Yeah, you! All your brains are below your belt! You almost got us all in cold storage last night playing games in a whorehouse!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008)

Classy crime flick

Roger Sartet (Alain Delon) is a high profile career criminal who is top of the French police wanted list, so when he escapes from their custody for a second time under the nose of dogged cop L'inspecteur Le Goff (Lino Ventura), he goes immediately into hiding as the police try to locate him. Vittorio Manalese (Jean Gabin) a Sicilian born criminal and godfather of a mob style family, is the man who sprung him from police custody, he has long planned his retirement back in Sicily but is immediately interested in one last heist after hearing Sartet's plan for a big jewel heist in Rome. Together with some mobsters from New York, they set in motion a daring plan to steal the jewels while on route to the US. All goes well for Sartet until a child's indiscretion alters his fate for good.

Entertaining enough crime flick, with some excellent set pieces and made with plenty of style, the funky main theme by Ennio Morricone being a highlight. All three legends of French cinema are excellent although none have enough screen time to truly rank in their best. Verneuill's direction is uber stylish, with some passing similarities to Leone in framing and tone, although some elements of the main heist are quite dated they are still quite fun. Its not a film for the pc brigade however as there is plenty of sexual denouement, Sartet's affair with the beautiful Jeanne Manalese (Irina Demick) producing one of cinemas most outrageous moments of sexual symbolism, its so absurd you just have to laugh.