Le clan des Siciliens (1969)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Henri Verneuil

Writers:

Auguste Le Breton (novel)
Henri Verneuil (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

1 December 1969 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The murders in Paris! The robbery in Rome! The double-cross in New York!

Plot Keywords:

Fishing | Jewel Robbers | Identity Theft | Escape From Prison | Jewel Heist

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jean Gabin	...	Vittorio Manalese
Alain Delon	...	Roger Sartet
Lino Ventura	...	L'inspecteur Le Goff
Irina Demick	...	Jeanne Manalese
Amedeo Nazzari	...	Tony Nicosia
Philippe Baronnet	...	Luigi
Karen Blanguernon	...	Theresa
Yves Brainville	...	Le juge
Gérard Buhr	...	Un inspecteur
Elisa Cegani	...	Maria Manalese
Raoul Delfosse	...	Léoni
Jacques Duby	...	Raymond Robel
Yves Lefebvre	...	Aldo Manalese
Edward Meeks	...	Le commandant de bord
Sally Nesbitt	...	Mrs. Evans

Also Known As:

The Sicilian Clan (USA)

Runtime:

120 min | Germany:115 min | Spain:119 min | USA:118 min

Country:

France

Language:

Italian | French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 | West Germany:16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Franstudio, Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Les Films du Siècle

Trivia:

The film was shot in three languages (French, English and Italian) with the same cast.

Quotes:

Vittorio Manalese: Well, personally, I trust the engineer. He sounds okay to me. This is a professional job.
[Turns and looks at Roget Sarte]
Vittorio Manalese: You're the one I don't trust!
Roget: Me?
Vittorio: Yeah, you! All your brains are below your belt! You almost got us all in cold storage last night playing games in a whorehouse!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Astérix aux jeux olympiques (2008)

French view on the Maffia

Le Clan des Siciliens is an excellent case study of the Mafia, in my opinion much better than The Godfather. I have seen it twice with more than 10 years in between. Both times I was deeply impressed. Le Clan des Siciliens has that typical French crime noir touch: from the very beginning the spectator knows that things will go wrong, but not how. Beware. This is not a fast speed action flick. Don't expect a lot of shooting and explosions. In my opinion that adds to the realism. Maffia criminals are professionals, not lunatics. They avoid unnecessary violence, because they don't want to draw attention. So Le Clan des Siciliens is a study of criminal behavior and Mafia morals. It relies heavily on character building. Thus it uses all the strong points of French cinema in the period 1960-1980. Gabin, Delon and Ventura excel. They are so much better than say Brando, Pacino and Caan. Le Clan des Siciliens is one of the best movies I know and moreover a half forgotten one.