Leontine (film)

Leontine
Directed byMichel Audiard
Written byMichel Audiard
Henri Viard
Jean-Marie Poiré
Produced byAlain Poiré
StarringFrançoise Rosay
Bernard Blier
Marlène Jobert
CinematographyGeorges Barsky
Edited byMonique Isnardon
Robert Isnardon
Music byGeorges Van Parys
Stéphane Varègues
Production
company
Distributed byGaumont
Release date
  • 6 September 1968 (1968-09-06)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

Leontine (French: Faut pas prendre les enfants du bon Dieu pour des canards sauvages) is a 1968 French comedy crime film directed by Michel Audiard and starring Françoise Rosay, Bernard Blier and Marlène Jobert.[1]

It was shot at the Saint-Maurice Studios and on location around Paris and Menton on the French Riviera. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean d'Eaubonne and Raymond Gabutti.

Plot

Rita is an ambitious young gangster's moll in Paris, kept by the elegant Fred who acquires a load of gold ingots in transit. She betrays Fred to another gang boss, Charles, on the understanding that she will get 50%, but Charles, once he has the gold, rats on the deal. Rita goes to ask help from her aunt Léontine, living in retirement on the Riviera after being the mistress of major gangsters. Léontine comes up to Paris and Charles, already tracked by Fred who wants his gold back, tries to eliminate this new menace. His first ploy, sending his handsome young nephew Tiburce to murder her, fails as Rita falls in love with him. When a full-scale night assault on Leontine's house ends with the corpses of his men going into the central heating furnace, Charles is more ready to compromise and agrees to make a generous settlement if the two young people get married. On the day of the wedding he is still prevaricating, so Leontine shoots him dead and the festivities commence. She has cheated Fred out of his remaining booty, which can go to set up Rita.

Cast

References

  1. ^ Oscherwitz & Higgins p.28

Bibliography

  • Oscherwitz, Dayna & Higgins, MaryEllen. The A to Z of French Cinema. Scarecrow Press, 2009.