''Le Crime ne paie pas'' (US title: ''Crime Does Not Pay'', UK title: ''Gentle Art of Murder'') is a 1962 French drama

portmanteau film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

directed and partly written by Gérard Oury. It consists of four separate episodes, each with its own cast and writers but sharing common themes of beautiful women, jealousy, revenge and death. From these dark tales centred on leading actresses, Oury switched to buddy comedies which remain among the most-loved and successful films in the history of French cinema.

Louis de Funès Louis Germain David de Funès de Galarza (; 31 July 1914 – 27 January 1983) was a French actor and comedian. He is France's favourite actor, according to a series of polls conducted since the late 1960s, having played over 150 roles in fil ...

, here playing a barman whose English is incomprehensible, starred in them, as did English male leads like

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

and

Terry-Thomas Terry-Thomas (born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens; 10 July 19118 January 1990) was an English character actor and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of t ...

. The writing team of

Pierre Boileau Boileau-Narcejac is the pen name used by the prolific French crime-writing duo of Pierre Boileau (28 April 1906 – 16 January 1989) and Pierre Ayraud, aka Thomas Narcejac (3 July 1908 – 7 June 1998). Their successful collaboration produced 43 ...

and Thomas Narcejac, behind the third episode, had provided the stories for two 1950s masterpieces, '' Les Diaboliques'' (1955) and ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'' (1958).

Le masque

Le masque ("The Mask"), partly written by

Jean Aurenche Jean Aurenche (11 September 1904 – 29 September 1992) was a French screenwriter. During his career, he wrote 80 films for directors such as René Clément, Bertrand Tavernier, Marcel Carné, Jean Delannoy and Claude Autant-Lara. He is often ...

and Pierre Bost. In Venice in the 1490s, the ageing duchess Lucrezia suspects that her lover Angelo is seeing the younger and more beautiful Francesca. He is arrested by her brother, but escapes and is pursued by swordsmen who run him through. In revenge, Francesca smears poison inside the mask which the duchess places over her face to sleep. The episode ends with a shot of her palace at night and a terrible scream. *

Edwige Feuillère Edwige Feuillère (born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti; October 29, 1907 – November 13, 1998) was a French stage and film actress. Biography She was born Edwige Louise Caroline Cunatti to an Italian architect father and an Alsace-born mo ...

as Dona Lucrezia, the duchess * Laura Efrikian as Antonella, her maid *

Rina Morelli Rina Morelli (6 December 1908 – 17 July 1976) was an Italian film and stage actress. She appeared in 34 films between 1939 and 1976. She was born in Naples, Italy and died in Rome, Italy. Her husband, Paolo Stoppa, was an Italian stage and ...

as Teresa, her companion *

Gino Cervi Luigi Cervi (3 May 1901 – 3 January 1974), better known as Gino Cervi (), was an Italian actor. He was best known for portraying Peppone in a series of comedies based on the character ''Don Camillo'' (1952-1965), and police detective Jules ...

as Chief of Police, her brother *

Gabriele Ferzetti Gabriele Ferzetti (born Pasquale Ferzetti; 17 March 1925 – 2 December 2015) was an Italian actor with more than 160 credits across film, television, and stage. His career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. Ferzetti's first leading role ...

as Angelo Giraldi, her lover *

Rosanna Schiaffino Rosanna Schiaffino (25 November 1939 – 17 October 2009) was an Italian film actress. She appeared on the covers of Italian, German, French, British and American magazines. Early life She was born in Genoa, Liguria to a well-off family. Her mot ...

as Francesca Sabelli, his lover

L'affaire Hugues

L'affaire Hugues ("The Hugues Case"), partly written by Henri Jeanson and

René Wheeler René Wheeler (8 February 1912 - 11 December 2000) was a French screenwriter and film director. He co-wrote the story of the film '' A Cage of Nightingales'' (1945) with Georges Chaperot, for which they both received an Academy Award nomination ...

. In Paris in the 1880s, the combative socialist deputy Clovis Hugues has many enemies but is secure in the love of his beautiful wife Jeanne. As a way of getting at him, a plot by Madame Lenormand uses a venal journalist Morin and a young near-prostitute to blacken Jeanne's name. Humiliated by being called in for questioning, on emerging from the interview she sees Morin in the corridor. Taking a handgun from her bag, in front of several witnesses she shoots him dead. At her trial, all twelve of the jurymen vote her innocent. *

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

as Clovis Hugues *

Michèle Morgan Michèle Morgan (; née Simone Renée Roussel; 29 February 1920 – 20 December 2016) was a French film actress, who was a leading lady for three decades in both French cinema and Hollywood features. She is considered to have been one of the g ...

as Jeanne, his wife *

Lucienne Bogaert Lucienne Bogaert (born Lucienne Jeanne Gabrielle Lefebvre; 6 January 1892 in Caudry, Nord – 4 February 1983 in Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine) was a French actress. She started her career in theatre, but later also worked in film. After she divo ...

as Madame Lenormand, blackmailer * Claude Cerval as Morin, blackmailer

L'affaire Fenayrou

L'affaire Fenayrou ("The Fenayrou Case"), partly written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. In Paris in 1913, Gabrielle is told by her lover Louis that he is getting married for financial reasons but wants to carry on their affair as before. She starts giving her husband Martin a hard time, forcing him to live in the conservatory to avoid her wrath. Then she tells Louis that she has banished the man because of his drunken brutality and he must save her, for which she provides a revolver. When Louis tries to use the revolver on the husband one evening, he finds Gabrielle has emptied it. Martin promptly pulls out his own gun and kills Louis in what the police agree is self-defence. The handsome and unmarried Doctor Mathieu comes round to certify the death and ends up in Gabrielle's bed. He does not leave it, because he and Gabrielle celebrate with a bottle of champagne which Martin had poisoned. *

Annie Girardot Annie Suzanne Girardot (25 October 193128 February 2011) was a French actress. She often played strong-willed, independent, hard-working, and often lonely women, imbuing her characters with an earthiness and reality that endeared her to women und ...

as Gabrielle Fenayrou *

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur, the latter a cousin of Albert Brasseur; his grandfather, Jules B ...

as Martin Fenayrou, her husband *

Christian Marquand Christian Marquand (15 March 1927 – 22 November 2000) was a French actor, screenwriter and film director. Born in Marseille, he was born to a Spanish father and an Arab mother, and his sister was film director Nadine Trintignant. He was often ca ...

as Louis Aubert, her lover *

Paul Guers Paul Guers (19 December 1927 – 27 November 2016) was a French film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1955 and 1996. He starred in the 1963 film '' Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance''. He was born in Tours, France and died in Montsoreau. ...

as Doctor Mathieu

L'homme de l'avenue

L'homme de l'avenue ("The Man on the Avenue"), partly written by Frédéric Dard. On an avenue in Paris one evening in 1961, Philippe Marsais throws himself in front of a slow-moving car. The driver Roberts, an English army officer, reports the man's death at a police station and volunteers to break the news to his wife. She is not in, but he traces her to a bar where the attractive woman is on her own and far gone. He takes her home but, as she is incapable of serious talk, leaves her comfortable on the sofa. Outside, he sees a young woman drive off in the dead man's car and follows it. She goes to a hospital to ask if Philippe has been brought in. He tells her the man is dead in the morgue and asks her why she thought he was injured in hospital. It emerges that she is Philippe's lover and his plan was not to die but to be knocked down and taken to that hospital, which would gave him an alibi. While he was there, his wife would put the ice cubes he had poisoned into her whisky. Rushing to the wife's flat, Roberts finds both ice tray and the sofa empty. On storming into the bedroom, he finds her in bed with all the ice cubes in a bag on her aching head. *

Raymond Loyer Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

as Philippe Marsais *

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

as Lucienne Marsais, his wife *

Perrette Pradier Perrette Pradier (born Perrette Marie Mathilde Chevau; 17 April 1938 – 16 January 2013) was a French actress and dubbing director. She is best known for her work as a voice actress which earned her the nickname of "Queen" or "High Prie ...

as Hélène, his lover *

Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...

as Major William Roberts *

as the barman

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crime ne paie pas, Le 1962 drama films 1962 films Films directed by Gérard Oury French drama films 1960s French-language films Italian drama films Films scored by Georges Delerue Films based on comic strips Films based on French comics Live-action films based on comics French anthology films Italian anthology films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films