1969, Film: "Le cerveau" ("The Brain")

The French-Italian comedy film "Le cerveau" was released on 7 March 1969 in France. The film was directed Gérard Oury and written by Marcel Jullian and Danièle Thompson. Main stars are Jean-Paul Belmondo and Bourvil as two French scammers , David Niven as a British Army Colonel who is also "The Brain" behind a criminal organisation and Eli Wallach as a Italian mafioso. The music was composed by Georges Delerue with songs by The American Breed and Caterina Caselli.

Synopsis

Two French thieves, Arthur (Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Anatole (Bourvil) plan to rob a train transferring NATO funds from Paris to Brussels. Little do they know that a criminal organisation led by "The Brain" (David Niven) has the same intention...

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse and Bourvil as Anatole

David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews and
Eli Wallach as Frankie Scannapieco

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse

Main cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse
• Bourvil as Anatole
• David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews
• Eli Wallach as Frankie Scannapieco
• Silvia Monti as Sofia
• Raymond Gérôme as Le commissaire bègue
• Jacques Balutin as L'inspecteur Pochet
• Henri Attal as a gang member
• Yves Barsacq as a prison warden
• Jacques Ciron as L'inspecteur Duboeuf
• Robert Dalban as a Belgian MP
• Mario Davidas Jean-François
• Raoul Delfosse as Belgian MP
• Tommy Duggan as superintendant Cummings

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse and Bourvil as Anatole

Silvia Monti as Sofia and David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthew

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Arthur Lespinasse, David Niven as Colonel Carol Matthews
and Bourvil as Anatole

Trivia

"Le cerveau" was filmed in two languages (French and English) with the same cast.

"Le cerveau" trailer (1969)

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)

1962, Film: “Cartouche”

The French-Italian action-comedy "Cartouche" ("Swords of Blood") is released on 7 March 1962 in France. The film, directed by Philippe de Broca, stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Claudia Cardinale. "Cartouche" was Philippe de Broca's first commercial success it was also the start of long coöperation with actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. Together they also made "L'Homme de Rio" (1964), "Les tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine" (1965), "Le Magnifique" (1973) and "L'Incorrigible" (1975).

Trivia

• Jean-Paul Belmondo performed all his own stunts.
• The name of the villain, Lieutenant General Ferrussac, is the real name of Philippe de Broca: Philippe Claude Alex de Broca de Ferrussac.

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Claudia Cardinale

Claudia Cardinale

Jess Hahn, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Rochefort

Claudia Cardinale and Jean-Paul Belmondo

Synopsis

In the 18th century, Louis-Dominique de Bourguignon (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is a thief working with Malichot's (Marcel Dalio) gang. However, he does not agree with their methods so he creates his own gang, acting under the name Cartouche. He steals from the rich and distributes the takings to the poor...

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Odile Versois

Claudia Cardinale and Philippe Lemaire

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jess Hahn

Claudia Cardinale and Jess Hahn

Main Cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Louis-Dominique Bourguignon alias Cartouche
• Claudia Cardinale as Vénus
• Jess Hahn as La Douceur
• Marcel Dalio as Malichot
• Jean Rochefort as La Taupe
• Philippe Lemaire as Gaston de Ferrussac
• Noël Roquevert as recruiting seargent
• Odile Versois as Isabelle de Ferrussac
• Jacques Charon as colonel
• Lucien Raimbourg as maréchal
• Jacques Balutin as Capucine
• Pierre Repp as Marquis of Griffe
• Jacques Hilling as hotel keeper
• Paul Préboist as gendarme
• René Marlic as Petit Oncle 

Claudia Cardinale

Cartouche Trailer (1962)

1976, Film: L'Alpagueur

The French action thriller "L'Alpagueur" (English title: “Hunter Will Get You”) is released 7 March 1976 in France. The film was directed by Philippe Labro based on an original scenario by himself. Main stars are Jean-Paul Belmondo as L'Alpagueur (The Hunter) and Bruno Cremer as L'Epervier (The Sparrowhawk). The musical score, a piano mix with modern rhythms and brass instruments, was composed by Michel Colombier. The film was the first which Belmondo was the sole producer.

Synopsis

"L'Alpagueur" code name for Roger Pilard, is a bounty hunter who works for the French security services. After closing down notorious drugs ring in the Netherlands, Pilard is assigned to eliminate a ruthless gangster known only as "L'Epervier" (The Sparrowhawk), who enlists youngsters to help him in bank robberies and afterwards killing them...

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Roger Pilard aka l'Alpagueur

Bruno Cremer as L'Epervier

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Roger Pilard aka l'Alpagueur and
Jean Négroni as Spitzer

Victor Garrivier as Doumecq and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Roger Pilard aka l'Alpagueur

Main cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Roger Pilard aka l'Alpagueur (The Hunter)
• Bruno Cremer as L'Epervier (The Sparrowhawk)
• Jean Négroni as Spitzer
• Patrick Fierry as Costa Valdez
• Jean-Pierre Jorris as Salicetti
• Victor Garrivier as Doumecq
• Claude Brosset as Granier
• Marcel Imhoff as Director
• Maurice Auzel as Heavy trucker
• Muriel Belmondo (Jean-Paul Belmondo's younger sister) as First Air Hostess
• Roger Benamou as Spanish mafioso
• Jean-Luc Boutté as Second gunman
• Patrice Chapelain-Midy as bank employee
• Michèle Delacroix as Second Air Hostess
• Jacques Destoop as Sicilian mafioso

Fan Made Trailer

1964, Film: “L'Homme de Rio”

"L'Homme de Rio" (English: "That Man From Rio") premiered on January 29 1964 in France. The adventure film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac was directed by Philippe de Broca. It was the first film to be made by the French subsidiary of United Artists. The film was immensely successful, becoming the 4th highest earning film of the year in France.

At the 37th Academy Awards the film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay. The movie was heavily influenced by the Belgian cartoonist, Hergé and his Tintin adventures. Many plot points can be traced directly to Tintin books.

Synopsis

Adrien Dufourquet (Jean-Paul Belmondo) embarks on an 8-day leave in Paris to see his fiancée, Agnès Villermosa (Françoise Dorléac). Two South American Indians steal an Amazon statuette from a museum and force Professor Catalan (Jean Servais), the curator, into their car. Catalan was Agnès' father's companion on an Amazon expedition during which her father died. Adrien arrives in time to see the Indians abducting Agnès...

Françoise Dorléac & Jean-Paul Belmondo

Main Cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Adrien Dufourquet
• Françoise Dorléac as Agnès Villermosa
• Jean Servais as the Professor Norbert Catalan
• Simone Renant as Lola
• Roger Dumas as Lebel
• Daniel Ceccaldi as Police inspector
• Milton Ribeiro as Tupac
• Ubiracy de Oliveira as Sir Winston
• Adolfo Celi as De Castro

Françoise Dorléac & Jean-Paul Belmondo

Jean-Paul Belmondo & Françoise Dorléac

Awards

• New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1964)

Trailer 

1974, Film: 'Stavisky'

The French-Italian coproduction 'Stavisky' is released in France on 15 May 1974. The film is based on the life of the financier and embezzler Serge Alexandre Stavisky and the circumstances leading to his mysterious death in 1934. This led to a political scandal in France known as the Stavisky Affair. It resulted with the resignation of two prime ministers and a change of government.

The film is directed by Alain Resnais and stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as Stavisky and Anny Duperey as his beautiful wife Arlette. The musical score is written by Stephen Sondheim.

Synopsis

With his irresistible charm and talent Serge Alexandre alias Stavisky (Jean-Paul Belmondo), small-time swindler, makes friends with influential members of the French industrial and political elite during the early 1930s. But when his great scam involving hundreds millions of francs gets exposed it results in an unprecedented scandal...

Jean-Paul Belmondo as Stavisky



Main Cast

• Jean-Paul Belmondo as Serge Alexandre Stavisky
• François Périer as Albert Borelli
• Anny Duperey as Arlette
• Michel Lonsdale as Dr Mézy
• Claude Rich as Inspecteur Bonny
• Charles Boyer as Baron Raoul

Right: Anny Duperey as Arlette

Awards

• Cannes Film Festival: Best Actor award for Charles Boyer (1974)
• National Board of Review, USA: NBR Award Top Foreign Films (1975)
• New York Film Critics Circle Awards: NYFCC Award Best Supporting Actor for Charles Boyer (1974)

Charles Boyer as Baron Raoul and Jean-Paul Belmondo as Stavisky

Trailer