Summary
With the help of the Malanese family (a.k.a. the Sicilian Clan), a convicted crook and
murderer, Roger Sartet, escapes from a police van which is transporting him to prison.
When he meets the head of the family, the aging gangster, Vittorio Manalese, Sartet suggests
that they join forces and in an incredible robbery. The plan is to steal a collection
of jewels whilst is being transported on an aeroplane between Paris and New York.
Inspector Le Goff, who has sworn to bring Sartet to justice, learns of the planned robbery
and attempts to prevent it. Meanwhile, the seeds of mistrust begin to appear between
Startet and Vittorio…
Review
One of the most popular and best French crime thrillers of the 1960s, Le Clan des Siciliens
brings together three giants of French cinema: Jean Gabin, Alain Delon and Lino Ventura.
One of the main reasons for the film’s success is that the three lead actors brilliantly
portray the kind of characters for which they are best known. Gabin plays the godfather-like
head of an Italian gangster family, Delon the cold-blooded trenchcoat wearing crook (a
reprise of his role in Le Samourai) and Ventura the relentless law enforcer.
With such a strong cast line-up, it is no wonder that many regard Le Clan des Siciliens
as the definitive French gangster movie. It is equally a stylish and
stunningly realised suspense thriller, easily on a par with the better films of the great
Alfred Hitchcock.
The film was directed by Henri Verneuil, who was responsible for some of the most popular
French films of the 1960s and 1970s. Le Clan des Siciliens is quite possibly
his best film, having an artistic flair and energy which is less apparent in his other
films. The meticulous detail in the escape sequence at the start of the film
and the jewel robbery in the latter part of the film instantly bring to mind the crime
thrillers of Jean-Pierre Melville (acknowledged as the master of the genre in French cinema).
The film also pays homage to another cult genre, the western, most evidently in the legendary
showdown between Jean Gabin and Alain Delon at the end of the film.
For Le Clan des Siciliens, Ennio Morricone created one of his most memorable and
celebrated film scores – music which is magnificently evocative of the gangster thriller
and spaghetti western genres. The icing on the cake is Henri Decae’s cinematography
which, perhaps more than anything, gives the film its quality feel (which is only slightly
compromised by some dated special effects). Skilful editing and direction make the
film’s suspense sequences almost unbearably tense, notably the scenes set at Orly airport
and on board the aeroplane.
With its high quality production values, exemplary performances from three icons of French
cinema and haunting music, Le Clan des Siciliens remains one of the highlights
of popular cinema from the 1960s.
© James Travers 2003
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