Borsalino (film)

Borsalino is a 1970 gangster film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Rouvel. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival.

In 2009 Empire Magazine named it #19 in a poll of the 20 Greatest Gangster Movies You've Never Seen* (*Probably)

A sequel, Borsalino & Co., was released in 1974 with Alain Delon in the leading role.

Contents

 * 1 Plot
 * 2 Cast
 * 3 Production
 * 3.1 Title
 * 4 Reception
 * 5 Feud Between Belmondo and Delon
 * 6 References
 * 7 External links

Plot
In year 1930, in Marseilles, the gangster Siffredi is released from prison and searches for his former girl friend, Lola.

He finds her with Capella, another gangster. The two men fight over her but become friendly and form a partnership.

Capella and Siffredi fix horseraces and prizefights, then are contacted by Rinaldi, a lawyer who works for Marello and Poli, the gangsters who control crime in Marseilles.

Rinaldi suggests that Siffredi and Capella seize control of Marello's hold on the fish market business. They succeed in doing this but become ambitious and try to control Poli's meat market operations. Poli tries to have them killed but they succeed in killing him.

Another gangster, The Dancer, kills Rinaldi. Capella and Siffredi dispose of his body and establish themselves as the rulers of the Marseilles crime world.

Capella decides to leave Marseilles but is killed by an assassin. Siffredi then decides to leave Marseilles himself.

Cast[edit]

 * Jean-Paul Belmondo - François Capella
 * Alain Delon - Roch Siffredi
 * Arnoldo Foà - Marello
 * Catherine Rouvel - Lola
 * Françoise Christophe - Simone Escarguel
 * Corinne Marchand - Mme Rinaldi
 * Laura Adani - Mme Siffredi, la mère de Roch
 * Nicole Calfan - Ginette
 * Hélène Rémy - Lydia
 * Odette Piquet - La chanteuse
 * Mario David - Mario
 * Lionel Vitrant - Fernand
 * Dennis Berry - Nono
 * Jean Aron - Martial Roger, le compatible
 * André Bollet - Poli
 * Pierre Koulak - Spada

Production[edit]
The film was based on real life gangsters Paul Carbone and François Spirito. In real life these men later collaborated with the Germans during World War Two, but this is not mentioned in the film.[4]

It was produced by Alain Delon, who had been looking for a vehicle for him to co-star with Belmondo. He found the story in a book he was reading about French gangsters from 1900 to 1970.[5]

Under the terms of their contracts, each actor had to have the same amount of close ups. Delon dyed his hair black for his role.[5]

It was one of the most expensive French movies ever made. Finance mostly came from Paramount Picture.[6]

Title[edit]
The movie was originally going to be called Carbone and Spirito but there were objections and it was decided to fictionalise the characters.[7]

The title Borsalino comes from the name of the hat company that made the men's hats that appear in the film. The Borsalino Company made fedora style hats from the late 19th century to the 20th century: the golden age was in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, when sales went through the roof. (Although the company still sells fedora hats today, the company is most involved with the manufacturing of clothes and helmets for men.)

Alain Delon said he wanted a title like Vera Cruz which did not have to be translated all around the world.[5]

The Borsalino hat company helped finance the movie.[1]

Reception[edit]
The film was a large success at the French box office, breaking records throughout the country. It was also very popular elsewhere in Europe but did not break through in the US the way the filmmakers hoped.[4]While it was released the Markovic Affair was still being heavily publicised, adding to the film's notoriety.[5]

The movie saw a revival in the popularity of Borsalino hats.[1]

Feud Between Belmondo and Delon[edit]
Jean Paul Belmondo later sued Delon over the matter of billing - the words "an Alain Delon Production" appeared before Belmondo's name in the credits, resulting in Belmondo taking Delon to court. Delon said when promoting the film in the US:

Delon's associate producer, Pierre Caro, later claimed at the same time:

Director Jacques Deray reflected, "All through production Delon was impeccable, never interfered. But when the film was completed Delon the producer stepped in and took it over."