French Thrillers of the 1970s: Crime Films

In this outstanding survey of French crime thrillers from the 1970s, film historians Curti (Italian Gothic Horror Films) and Lafond (film, Univ. Côte d’Azur) argue that the decade was pivotal for the genre in French cinema. In 1970, six of the 10 highest-grossing films in France were crime films, directed by luminaries like Jacques Deray (Borsalino), Rene Clement (La Passager de la Pluie), Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Cercle Rouge), and Claude Lelouch (Le Voyou). Over the decade, French films starred national icons like Jean Gabin, Alain Delon, Simone Signoret, Johnny Hallyday, and Jean-Paul Belmondo, as well as foreign actors like Charles Bronson and Ann-Margret. The hundred-some films in this volume are organized by year. The entry for each film is expansive and includes release dates (in France and internationally), run time, cast and crew, a plot synopsis, and fascinating material on the film’s genesis, production history, themes, and critical and commercial success (domestically and internationally).