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).
| 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 | C.C.F.C. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 mins |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | 2,007,088 admissions (France)[1] |
Plot
editA 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
editThe 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
editThe 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 the TCM Movie Database
- Backfire at AllMovie
- Backfire[permanent dead link] at Le Film Guide
- Backfire at Uni France
- Review of film at New York Times
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