Blu-Ray Review – Casque d’Or

One benefit of Woody Allen’s fantastic 2011 film, Midnight in Paris doing so well was that it raised awareness of France’s rich cultural history, and for Francophiles like me, that’s always a good thing.

Casque d’Or is Jacques Becker’s 1952 film and is a tragedy set in the Belle Époque.  Fans of Midnight in Paris will be somewhat familiar with La Belle Époque, which is the name given to the so-called golden age that France experienced between 1890 and 1914.  Following the horrors of the First World War, the people of France became nostalgic and thus the era is referred to as La Belle Époque.

At the centre of the love triangle in Casque d’Or is Marie (Simone Signoret), a beautiful woman who is treated terribly by her criminal boyfriend, Roland (Willliam Sabatier).  Things change when she is introduced to a charming man by the name of Georges (Serge Reggiani), and falls in love with him immediately.  Roland becomes jealous and it is clear that things will not end well for anyone.

The most striking thing about Casque d’Or is the cinematography, which feels very contemporary for a film that is sixty years old.  The camera sweeps and swoops around in a way that the likes of Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson have mastered since.  It is pretty clear that Casque d’Or would have influenced Scorsese, and it doesn’t feel that far removed from his 2002 film, Gangs of New York.  Becker is a very strong director and fully understands how suggestion can sometimes be more terrifying than simply showing the audience the horror unfolding, the final shot of the film is particularly haunting.

The small cast are excellent and very believable; it isn’t at all surprising that the majority of them went on to be very successful.  Signoret is particularly good as the tragic protagonist, Marie.

Casque d’Or is simply put, a classic.  It may have been forgotten by a lot of people for being unlucky to be made a little before Godard et al came along and complete changed film forever with the Nouvelle Vague, but it is still a great film and holds up excellently.  Hopefully this reissue will put things right and expose Casque d’Or to a new audience.