Backfire (1964 film)
| Backfire | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Becker |
| Screenplay by | Jean Becker Maurice Fabre Didier Goulard Luis Marquina Claude Sautet dialogue Daniel Boulanger |
| Based on | the novel by Clet Coroner |
| Produced by | Paul-Edmond Decharme |
| Starring | Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean Seberg Enrico Maria Salerno |
| Cinematography | Edmond Séchan |
| Edited by | Monique Kirsanoff |
| Music by | Grégorio García Ségura Martial Solal |
Production companies | Capotole Movies South Pacific Films |
| Distributed by | CCFC (France) Royal Films International (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 mins |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 2,007,088 admissions (France)[1] |
Backfire (French: Échappement libre, Italian: Scappamento aperto, Spanish: A escape libre) is a 1964 French crime film directed by Jean Becker, which stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg, reuniting for the first time since Breathless (1960).
Plot
[edit]A criminal organisation offers a Parisian man, David, $10,000 to transport a car across Europe. They tell him little about it except that drugs are not involved. He is accompanied by a photographer, Olga.
David discovers he is smuggling gold. The two travel to Beirut then Damascus. They fall in love and David wants the gold for himself.
Cast
[edit]- Jean-Paul Belmondo as David Ladislas
- Jean Seberg as Olga Celan
- Enrico Maria Salerno as Mario
- Gert Fröbe as Fehrman
- Renate Ewert as Comtesse
- Jean-Pierre Marielle as Van Houde
- Diana Lorys as Rosetta
- Fernando Rey as the Lebanese policeman
- Wolfgang Preiss as Grenner
- Michel Beaune as Daniel
- Roberto Camardiel as Stephanidès
- Fernando Sancho as Ylmaz
- Giacomo Furia as Nino
Production
[edit]The film was made by the same team who had produced Banana Peel (1963).
It was to have starred Jean Louis Trintignant but he withdrew and was replaced by Belmondo.[2]
Filming took place from February 10 to April 7, 1964. Costa-Gavras was an assistant director.[1]
Reception
[edit]The film was the 19th most popular movie at the French box office in 1964.[3]
In 2020 Fimink wrote "The film’s existence is ideal useless trivia to annoy people with now that the Jean Seberg biopic has come out."[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Box office information for Backfire". Box Office Story. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
- ^ Coates-Smith, Michael; McGee, Garry (4 May 2012). The Films of Jean Seberg. McFarland. p. 89. ISBN 9780786490226.
- ^ "1964 French box office". Box Office Story. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (February 3, 2020). "Top 10 Unmemorable Films Starring Legendary Screen Couples". Filmink.
External links
[edit]- Backfire at IMDb
- Backfire at AllMovie
- Backfire at the TCM Movie Database
- Backfire[permanent dead link] at Le Film Guide
- Backfire at Uni France
- Review of film at New York Times
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