''La bonne année'' (also known in the United States as ''Happy New Year'') is a 1973 film directed by

Claude Lelouch Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish Family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained criti ...

. It tells the story of a gangster who organises a successful heist but is himself caught and jailed. Released early, he not only recoups his share of the takings but also regains his girlfriend.

Plot

The gangster Simon and his faithful accomplice Charlot take a holiday in Cannes. Their plan is to rob the

Van Cleef & Arpels Van Cleef & Arpels is a French high-end luxury jewelry company. It was founded in 1896 by the Dutch diamond-cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels in Paris. Their pieces often feature flowers, animals, and fairies, and hav ...

jewellery shop on the seafront. Exhaustively, they watch and log the movements of the staff and the security routines. Disguised as a rich old man, Simon gets to know the manager by choosing items for an alleged sick sister. He also gets distracted by Françoise, the beautiful owner of the antiques shop next door. She is on her own and willing to enjoy dates. On the night of the heist, Charlot manages to hide in the shop at closing time and at gunpoint gets the manager to fill an attaché case with all the jewels and cash. He then lets Simon in and heads off with the loot in a speedboat. As Simon ties and gags the manager, the place is surrounded by police because an alarm had been triggered. Françoise visits Simon in jail and promises she will wait for him. After six years, as the police have not found Charlot or any of the loot, they think of a plan. They will get Simon released early and shadow him. He eludes his pursuers and finds Charlot, who gives him his share and drives him to the airport for a plane to Brazil. Waiting for his flight to be called, he rings Françoise. She tells him to come to her apartment immediately, which he does.

Cast

* Lino Ventura : Simon *

Françoise Fabian Michèle Cortes (born 10 May 1933), known professionally as Françoise Fabian (), is a French film actress. She has appeared in more than 100 films since 1956. In 1971, Fabian signed the Manifesto of the 343 The Manifesto of the 343 (), was a F ...

: Françoise * Charles Gérard : Charlot *

André Falcon André Falcon (28 November 1924 – 22 July 2009) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1954 to 2008. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Falcon, Andre 1924 births 2009 deaths ...

: bijoutier * Lilo De La Passardière : Mme Félix * Claude Mann : Claude * Frédéric de Pasquale : Henri * Gérard Sire : directeur de la prison/voix commentaire TV *

Silvano Tranquilli Silvano Tranquilli (23 August 1925 – 10 May 1997) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Silvano Tranquilli attended theatre lessons at the Sharoff Academy, and started his stage activity with the th ...

: amant italien * Bettina Rheims : Nicole * Georges Staquet : commissaire * Harry Walter : 1st inspecteur * Elie Chouraqui : Michel Barbier (non crédité) * Michel Bertay : chauffeur de taxi *

Michou (cabaret artist) Michel Georges Alfred Catty (18 June 1931 – 26 January 2020), known as Michou, was a French singer, drag artist and owner of Chez Michou in Montmartre. He was born in Amiens. A local celebrity, he appeared in a cameo as himself in the 1973 f ...

: Lui-même *

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

: Elle-même * André Barello * Norman de la Chesnaye * Pierre Edeline * Pierre Cottier * Joseph Rythmann * Jacques Villedieu. * Pierre Pontiche

Financing and production

Much of the film was financed by advertising, particularly for Van Cleef & Arpels.

Awards

* Best actor at the San Remo Film Festival for Lino Ventura and Françoise Fabian * Prix Triomphe du Cinéma 1973

American remake

The film was remade as '' Happy New Year'' (1987), directed by

John G. Avildsen John Guilbert Avildsen (December 21, 1935 – June 16, 2017) was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Rocky'' (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, and the first three ''The Karate Kid'' fil ...

and starring Peter Falk,

Charles Durning Charles Edward Durning (February 28, 1923 – December 24, 2012) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies, television shows and plays.Schudel, Matt (December 26, 2012) "''In real life and on the screen, he played countless role ...

and

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...

External links

* 1973 films 1970s French-language films 1970s crime comedy-drama films 1970s heist films Films directed by Claude Lelouch Films scored by Francis Lai French crime comedy-drama films French heist films 1973 comedy films 1973 drama films 1970s French films {{1970s-France-film-stub