THE BURGLARS (1971) - Andy's Blu-Ray Review
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2024 1:42 pm
THE BURGLARS
8/10
The ‘60s were filled with “caper” movies, many of the international variety with stars from around the globe hoping to sell their respective collaborations to markets far and wide. The genre was wrapping up by the time THE BURGLARS (114/126 mins., 1971, PG; Sony) was made, which is unfortunate because this is an irresistible late entry in its field, filled with gorgeous Greek locations and exciting action set-pieces. And what more needs to be said than, at one point, star Jean-Paul Belmondo does his own leaping from one moving bus to another while trying to avoid corrupt local cop Omar Sharif?
Director Henri Verneuil – who was coming off the international hit “The Sicilian Clan” – shot “The Burglars” for Columbia, remaking the grittier 1957 Jayne Mansfield-Dan Duryea film “The Burglar” with more of an action flavor. In Verneuil and co-writer Vahe Katcha’s retooling of its predecessor (itself based on a David Goodis book), Belmondo leads a team of thieves (also including Robert Hossein and Nicole Calfan) to Greece in the hopes of stealing vaulted emeralds from a private home. Sharif is the crooked investigator who becomes – along with a drydocked escape vessel – a hindrance to their plans, with Omar pursuing Belmondo through the streets of Athens in a lengthy, bravura car chase sequence that may not have been “Bullitt” but still manages to get the juices flowing.
This is a terrific, thoroughly entertaining film with Belmondo and Sharif at the top of their game, sparring with one another in a movie that’s leisurely paced but never dull – besides the pursuit sequences, I even enjoyed one scene where Sharif describes the local cuisine to Belmondo in a bit you’d never see today. Meanwhile, Dyan Cannon provides the American (sex) appeal in what turns out to be – despite her third billing – little more than a cameo, while Ennio Morricone’s scoring gives off a breezy, popish Bacharach-styled vibe apropos for the time.
“The Burglars” isn’t a movie I’ve come across very often, with Sony’s new, double-disc Blu-Ray marking its high-def premiere in North America. Shot in both English and French, I wonder if the movie’s relatively poor looking U.S. theatrical version has been a reason for its lack of circulation – with its lifeless colors, it pales in comparison to the smashing, and clearly remastered, International Version, also included here on its own Blu-Ray disc. While both transfers are framed at 2.35, the International cut – in French with English subtitles – has notably better detail and unquestionably superior color.
The two versions have some other differences as well, including a longer (and more satisfying) ending in the International cut. Since there are long sections without dialogue and, when there is, Sharif speaks French live along with Belmondo and company, the Parisian edit feels more “natural” whereas much of the dialogue in the English cut is post-synced anyway.
A real discovery for movie buffs, “The Burglars” offers old-fashioned charm with foreign flavor, a zany score, solid action and lovely locations to match. Highly recommended!
8/10
The ‘60s were filled with “caper” movies, many of the international variety with stars from around the globe hoping to sell their respective collaborations to markets far and wide. The genre was wrapping up by the time THE BURGLARS (114/126 mins., 1971, PG; Sony) was made, which is unfortunate because this is an irresistible late entry in its field, filled with gorgeous Greek locations and exciting action set-pieces. And what more needs to be said than, at one point, star Jean-Paul Belmondo does his own leaping from one moving bus to another while trying to avoid corrupt local cop Omar Sharif?
Director Henri Verneuil – who was coming off the international hit “The Sicilian Clan” – shot “The Burglars” for Columbia, remaking the grittier 1957 Jayne Mansfield-Dan Duryea film “The Burglar” with more of an action flavor. In Verneuil and co-writer Vahe Katcha’s retooling of its predecessor (itself based on a David Goodis book), Belmondo leads a team of thieves (also including Robert Hossein and Nicole Calfan) to Greece in the hopes of stealing vaulted emeralds from a private home. Sharif is the crooked investigator who becomes – along with a drydocked escape vessel – a hindrance to their plans, with Omar pursuing Belmondo through the streets of Athens in a lengthy, bravura car chase sequence that may not have been “Bullitt” but still manages to get the juices flowing.
This is a terrific, thoroughly entertaining film with Belmondo and Sharif at the top of their game, sparring with one another in a movie that’s leisurely paced but never dull – besides the pursuit sequences, I even enjoyed one scene where Sharif describes the local cuisine to Belmondo in a bit you’d never see today. Meanwhile, Dyan Cannon provides the American (sex) appeal in what turns out to be – despite her third billing – little more than a cameo, while Ennio Morricone’s scoring gives off a breezy, popish Bacharach-styled vibe apropos for the time.
“The Burglars” isn’t a movie I’ve come across very often, with Sony’s new, double-disc Blu-Ray marking its high-def premiere in North America. Shot in both English and French, I wonder if the movie’s relatively poor looking U.S. theatrical version has been a reason for its lack of circulation – with its lifeless colors, it pales in comparison to the smashing, and clearly remastered, International Version, also included here on its own Blu-Ray disc. While both transfers are framed at 2.35, the International cut – in French with English subtitles – has notably better detail and unquestionably superior color.
The two versions have some other differences as well, including a longer (and more satisfying) ending in the International cut. Since there are long sections without dialogue and, when there is, Sharif speaks French live along with Belmondo and company, the Parisian edit feels more “natural” whereas much of the dialogue in the English cut is post-synced anyway.
A real discovery for movie buffs, “The Burglars” offers old-fashioned charm with foreign flavor, a zany score, solid action and lovely locations to match. Highly recommended!