Tonight on TV: released 70 years ago, this film marks the debut of one of France’s greatest actors

Published in 1954, Don’t touch the grisbi is a film noir directed by Jacques Becker. Adapted from the novel by Albert Simonin, the film tells the story of Max the Liar (Jean Gabin), an old gangster who, after one last successful heist, wishes to retire. His plans are thwarted when his partner, Riton, is kidnapped by a rival, Angelo, played by Lino Ventura. This film, which focuses on atmosphere and moral dilemmas rather than pure action, has become a benchmark of French film noir.

The character of Max the Liar will subsequently return in other cinematographic works (but not with the same name). In 1959, Jean Gabin takes on the role imagined by Simonin in The cellar rebels by Gilles Grangier, then in 1963, in The gunslinger uncles by Georges Lautner who stages it again, with a more comical approach.

These films therefore form an unofficial trilogy that explores different aspects of this character and his evolution in an evolving criminal world. Each time, Jean Gabin embodies this tired gangster with a depth that has marked the history of French cinema.

Jean Gabin: renewal

For Jean Gabin, Don’t touch the grisbi marked a radical departure from the roles he had held before the Second World War. Before the conflict, Gabin was best known for his roles young romantic or idealistic heroesas in The Quay of MistsOR The Great Illusion. After the war, his career slowed and he struggled to find roles that suited his aging image.

The character of Max the Liar, a mature and life-weary gangster, offered Gabin the opportunity to reinvent himself. This more introspective role, marked by the weight of age and the past, broke with the image of the attractive man and rebel who he played in his pre-war films. Max is a principled but pragmatic man, navigating an environment he knows well and from which he wishes to escape.

This role allowed Gabin to become a patriarchal figure in French cinema, often playing powerful and disillusioned characters, which redefined the rest of his career and kept him at the top of the charts for decades. For this role he won the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival in 1954.

Lino Ventura’s first role

Before Don’t touch the grisbiLino Ventura was best known in the world of sport, as a professional wrestler. His sporting career had brought him notoriety in this field, but he had no experience in cinema. Noticed by Jacques Becker, he was chosen for the role of Angelo, a young gangster, due to his imposing stature and his strong physical presence.

Despite this first unexpected opportunity, Ventura was not content to accept a modest role. With audacity rare for a beginner, he asked for a salary considered extravagant for the time. His salary demands were very high, especially for someone who had yet to prove anything in the movie business. Against all expectations, Jacques Becker accepted, and Ventura will have almost the same salary as Gabin.

This poker move proved to be a wise one. Don’t touch the grisbi was immensely successful upon its release in 1954. His portrayal of Angelo, a young gangster full of ambition and violence, opened the doors of the cinema to himlaying the foundations of a career that seemed promising.

After Don’t touch the grisbiVentura quickly became an essential figure of French cinema. He played a number of roles in major films such as The second wind (1966) by Jean-Pierre Melville, The Gunslingers of Tonton (1963), or even The army of shadows (1969), becoming one of the most respected actors of his generation. Often confined to the roles of hard and taciturn men, policemen or gangsters, he managed to instill in each of his characters a depth and humanity that earned him the admiration of audiences and directors.