1976, Film: Le Corps de mon ennemi

The French film "Le Corps de mon ennemi" (English: "The body of my enemy") was released on 13 October 1976. The film, directed by Henri Verneuil, was written by himself and Michel Audiard, based on the novel with the same name by Félicien Marceau. Main stars are Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bernard Blier and Marie-France Pisier. The music was composed by Francis Lai.

"Le Corps de mon ennemi" film poster

Synopsis
After serving a seven-year prison sentence for a falsely accused double murder, François Leclercq (Jean-Paul Belmondo) returns to his home town, Cournai, in the Lille region. He wants to settle a dark affair…

Jean-Paul Belmondo as François Leclercq

Bernard Blier as Jean-Baptiste Beaumont-Liégard and
Jean-Paul Belmondo as François Leclercq

Marie-France Pisier as Gilberte Beaumont-Liégard and
Jean-Paul Belmondo as François Leclercq

Main cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as François Leclercq
• Bernard Blier as Jean-Baptiste Beaumont-Liégard
• Marie-France Pisier as Gilberte Beaumont-Liégard
• Daniel Ivernel as Victor Verbruck
• Claude Brosset as Oscar
• François Perrot as Raphaël Di Massa
• Yvonne Gaudeau as Madame Beaumont-Liégard
• Michel Beaune as Childhood friend
• Nicole Garcia as Hélène Mauve
• Élisabeth Margoni as Karine Lechard
• René Lefèvre as Pierre Leclercq

Marie-France Pisier as Gilberte Beaumont-Liégard and
Jean-Paul Belmondo as François Leclercq

Nicole Garcia as Hélène Mauve

Trivia

• The name of the fictional city of Cournai is a contraction of the Belgian cities of Courtrai (Kortrijk) and Tournai (Doornik).
• The Cournai station at the beginning and the end of the film, is that of Tourcoing (France).

Trailer

1962, Film: “Un singe en hiver”

The French comedy / drama film "Un singe en hiver" ("A Monkey in Winter" (USA) / "It's Hot in Hell" (UK)) was released on 11 May 1962 in France. The film, directed by Henri Verneuil and written by François Boyer, Henri Verneuil an Michel Audiard , was based on 1959 novel with the same title by the French writer Antoine Blondin. Main stars are Jean Gabin and Jean-Paul Belmondo, two actors from a different generation. Gabin was the most successful actor in pre-war French cinema and Belmondo came straight from the "Nouvelle Vague". The music was composed by Michel Magne.

Synopsis

Albert Quentinis (Jean Gabin), an hotel owner, vowed never to drink again if he, his wife and their hotel survived the second world war. They did, so Albert keeps his vow. Soon after the war, Albert comes in contact with Gabriel Fouquet, a young man with alcoholic problems. The divorced Gabriel came over to visit his young daughter Marie (Sylviane Margollé) in a nearby boarding school…

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet and Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin

Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin

Main cast

• Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin
• Suzanne Flon as Suznne Quentin
• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet
• Sylviane Margollé as Marie Fouquet
• Noël Roquevert as Monsieur Landru
• Paul Frankeur as Monsieur Esnault
• Gabrielle Dorziat as Madame Victoria
• Geneviève Fontanel as Marie-Jo
• Anne-Marie Coffinet as Simon
• Hella Petri as Georgina

Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet

Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin, Suzanne Flon as Suzanne Quentin
and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet

Trivia

• Director Henri Verneuil makes a cameo in the film. When his name appears on the screen in the credits, he is the German officer who goes up the stairs.
• In the flamenco scene at cafe Esnault, Belmondo does not dance, he is doubled for close-ups by a Spanish dancer.
• The bullfighting scene with the cars is performed by Belmondo himself. The cars are: a Citroën DS, an unidentified car probably Alfa Romeo, a Cadillac 1956, a Peugeot 404, a Ford Anglia 105E and an unidentified English car probably Daimler.
• The film was shot in Villerville, France. In 2012 Villerville celebrated the 50th anniversary of the shooting with various events. The village was decorated with portraits of the two main actors.

Jean Gabin as Albert Quentin, Sylviane Margollé as Marie Fouquet
and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet

Sylviane Margollé as Marie Fouquet
and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Gabriel Fouquet

"Un singe en hiver" Trailer (1962)

1971, Film: “Le casse”

The French-Italian film "Le casse" (English: "The Burglars") is released in France on 27 October 1971. Directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Omar Sharif, Dyan Cannon and Robert Hossein, the film is based on the 1953 novel "The Burglar" by David Goodis. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone with two songs by Mireille Mathieu "Mon ami de toujours" and "Pas vu, pas pris". "Le casse" is a remake of the 1957 film "The Burglar" directed by Paul Wendkos starring Dan Duryea, Jayne Mansfield and Martha Vickers.

The film was a French box office hit, it was Verneuils third biggest success after "La Vache et le Prisonnier" with Fernandel (1959) and "Le Clan des Siciliens" with Jean Gabin, Alain Delon and Lino Ventura (1969). "Le casse" was the fifth time Verneuil worked with his favorite leading actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. The first four films were "La française et l'amour" (1960), "Un singe en hiver" (1962), "Cent mille dollars au soleil" (1964) and "Week-end à Zuydcoote" (1964).

Left to right: Renato Salvatori, Jean-Paul Belmondo,
Henri Verneuil, Omar Sharif and Robert Hossein

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif

Trivia

• The movie was shot in French and English by the same cast.
• The film is known for the famous car chase through Athens with a red Fiat 124 Special T driven by Jean-Paul Belmondo (doubled by Rémy Julienne) and a black Opel Rekord A driven by Omar Sharif (doubled by Remo Mosconi).

Dyan Cannon and Jean-Paul Belmondo

Dyan Cannon and Omar Sharif

Synopsis

In Athens a group of professional burglars led by Azad (Jean-Paul Belmondo) rob a suitcase of emeralds from a rich Greek citizen, M.Tasco (José Luis de Vilallonga). When Athenian police chief Abel Zacharia (Omar Sharif) spots Azad's car in front of Tasco's house on the night of the robbery, he decides to let Azad and his team go, hoping he could retrieve the emeralds for himself...

Omar Sharif and Opel Rekord A

Main cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Azad
• Omar Sharif as Abel Zacharia
• Robert Hossein as Ralph
• Dyan Cannon as Lena
• Renato Salvatori as Renzi
• Nicole Calfan as Helene
• José-Luis de Villalonga as Tasco
• Myriam Colombi as Madame Tasco

"Le casse" intro (1971)

"Le casse" car chase (1971)