''Cartouche'' is a 1962 French adventurer film directed by

Philippe de Broca Philippe de Broca (; 15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French movie director. He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful ''That Man from Rio, That Man from Rio (''L'Homme de Rio'')'', ''Le Magnifique, The M ...

and starring

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

Plot

In the 18th century,

Louis Dominique Bourguignon Louis Dominique Garthausen, also known as Cartouche (1693, Paris – November 28, 1721, Paris), who usually went by the name of Louis Bourguignon or Louis Lamarre when he wanted to hide his identity, was a highwayman reported to steal from the ...

is working with Malichot's gang but their ways are too 'unethical' for him. He hides out from Malichot and joins the army where he and his two new friends survive by hiding out on the battlefield. Together, they rob the general of his gold. Fleeing, they stop at an inn where they meet Venus, a beautiful gypsy who has been taken prisoner. He rescues her and she joins his gang. Returning to Paris, Bourguignon creates his own gang, acting under the name of Cartouche with most of Malichot's gang joining him. They make audacious robberies of the rich and distribute the loot to the poor. Thus, Cartouche attracts the people's sympathies, Venus's love, and hatred from Malichot and the authorities. Malichot goes to the police to betray Cartouche but Cartouche can escape all the traps they set for him - except the entrapments of love. Eventually, the police use this against him and set a trap while he has a tryst with Venus in the countryside. He is captured but his men ambush the guards as they lead him away. In the scuffle that follows, Cartouche is saved by Venus who sacrifices her life to save him from harm. Cartouche and his men place Venus's body in an expensive carriage they stole earlier from a nobleman and roll the carriage into a lake. As the carriage slowly sinks, Cartouche tells his men to disperse as he vows to avenge the death of his beloved Venus - a way that he anticipates will lead him sooner or later to the gallows.

Cast

- Louis-Dominique Bourguignon alias Cartouche *

- Vénus *

Jess Hahn Jesse Beryle Hahn (October 29, 1921June 29, 1998) was an American- French character actor who mostly starred in French films. Biography After serving with the Marines in the Second World War, he moved to France in 1949 and took French citi ...

- La Douceur * Marcel Dalio - Malichot * Jean Rochefort - La Taupe *

Philippe Lemaire Philippe Lemaire (14 March 1927 – 15 March 2004) was a French actor. He appeared in more than ninety films between 1946 and 2004. Lemaire was married three times; Nicole Pinton (1949–1951) (divorced); Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; ...

- Gaston de Ferrussac * Noël Roquevert - the recruiting sergeant *

Odile Versois Odile Versois (born Étiennette de Poliakoff-Baydaroff; 15 June 1930 – 23 June 1980) was a French actress who appeared in 47 film and television productions between 1948 and 1980. Versois was the sister of actresses Marina Vlady, Hélène ...

- Isabelle de Ferrussac *

Jacques Charon Jacques Charon (27 February 1920 – 15 October 1975) was a French actor and film director. Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941. D ...

- the colonel *

Lucien Raimbourg Lucien Raimbourg (1903–1973) was a French film, stage and television actor. He appeared in the original performance of Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot''.Blair p.421 Selected filmography * '' L'affaire est dans le sac'' (1932) - Le clien ...

- the maréchal *

Jacques Balutin Jacques Balutin is a French actor.Pierre Repp - the Marquis of Griffe *

Jacques Hilling Jacques Hilling (26 May 1922 – 16 February 1975) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1949 and 1975. Selected filmography * ''Return to Life'' (1949) - Un soldat (segment 4 : "Le retour de René") (uncredite ...

- the hotel keeper *

Paul Préboist Paul Préboist (21 February 1927 – 4 March 1997) was a French actor. He appeared in more than hundred films, mostly in supporting roles, and is best known as a comic actor. Filmography Theater References External links *Paul Préboist ...

- a gendarme *

René Marlic René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...

- Petit Oncle, the inn keeper

Production

The shooting took place from July 17 to October 6, 1961 in Béziers,

Ermenonville Ermenonville () is a commune in the Oise department, northern France. Ermenonville is notable for its park named for Jean-Jacques Rousseau by René Louis de Girardin. Rousseau's tomb was designed by the painter Hubert Robert, and sits on the Isl ...

and

Pézenas Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Name The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meanin ...

. Other locations were

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

Guermantes Guermantes () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the Val de Bussy sector of Marne-la-Vallée. As of 2012, its population was 1,191. Demographics Inhabitants are c ...

Lagny-sur-Marne Lagny-sur-Marne (, literally ''Lagny on Marne'') is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France from the centre of Paris. The commune of Lagny-sur-Marne is part of th ...

and

Senlis Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and other ...

. The film sets were designed by

François de Lamothe François de Lamothe (1928–2011) was a French art director. He designed the film sets on a number of productions between the 1950s and the 2000s, including Jean-Pierre Melville's ''Le Samouraï''.Powrie p.258 He was nominated four times for the ...

, and

Rosine Delamare Denise Rosemonde "Rosine" Delamare (11 June 1911 – 17 March 2013) was a French costume designer. She was co-nominated for an Academy Award for her work on the film ''The Earrings of Madame de…'' (1953). Filmography Cinema *1942 : '' The ...

was responsible for the costumes.

Reception

The film was a massive success at the French box office.

References

External links