Un nommé La Rocca (1961)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Jean Becker

Writers:

Jean Becker (adaptation)
José Giovanni (dialogue)

Release Date:

5 February 1962 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Il tirait toujours plus vite...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	Roberto La Rocca
Christine Kaufmann	...	Geneviève Adé
Pierre Vaneck	...	Xavier Adé
Béatrice Altariba	...	Maud
Henri Virlojeux	...	Ficelle
Mario David	...	Charlot l'élégant
Nico	...	Villanova
Pedro Serano	...	Migli
Charles Moulin	...	Cipriano
Jean-Pierre Darras	...	Névada
Edmond Beauchamp
Jacques Léonard		(as Jack Léonard)
Jean Gras
Michel Constantin	...	Le chef des racketteurs américains
Frédéric Lambre	...	Fanfan

Also Known As:

A Man Named Rocca (USA)
Man Called Rocca (USA)
Quello che spara per primo (Italy)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Da Ma Produzione

Movie Connections:

Remade as La scoumoune (1972)

Becker jr/Giovanni .

In 1959,just before his death,Jacques Becker adapted for the screen,José Giovanni's "le trou" :the only Giovanni novel which gave a genuine masterpiece.So when the young Becker (Jean) emerged first as a Henri Verneuil and Julien Duvivier assistant,it was only natural that the "casque d'or" director's son teamed up with the novelist for his first effort.

This first effort is very undistinguished in its first part,but becomes better in the second half which takes place in a jail and then on a beach where the voluntary prisoners do mine clearance.The scenes in the prison were always convincing in Giovanni's screenplays ,because he 'd done time himself (see his 2000 movie "mon père ,il m'a sauvé la vie").It's an accurate depiction of a French prison circa 1960.Then the mines segment is of course suspenseful .The last fifteen minutes come as an anticlimax afterward..

Jean Becker would enjoy a lot of success with his overblown (and highly overrated) "l'été meurtrier" at the beginning of the eighties.As for Giovanni he made himself a remake of "un nommé la Rocca" in 1972:Belmondo took on his leading part,Christine Kaufman was replaced by Claudia Cardinale and Michel Constantin -who plays here a small part of an American deserter who goes racketeering the nightclubs- was cast as Xavier ,Pierre Vaneck's role.The new movie was called "la scoumoune" (= rotten luck)but did not bring anything new:highlights remain the scenes on the beach.The conclusion is slightly different .