''Backfire'' (, , ) is a 1964 French crime film directed by Jean Becker, which stars

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

and Jean Seberg, reuniting for the first time since '' Breathless'' (1960).

Plot

A criminal organisation offers a Parisian man, David, $10,000 to transport a car across Europe. They tell him little about it except that drugs are not involved. He is accompanied by a photographer, Olga. David discovers he is smuggling gold. The two travel to Beirut then Damascus. They fall in love and David wants the gold for himself.

Cast

as David Ladislas * Jean Seberg as Olga Celan * Enrico Maria Salerno as Mario * Gert Fröbe as Fehrman * Renate Ewert as Comtesse * Jean-Pierre Marielle as Van Houde * Diana Lorys as Rosetta * Fernando Rey as the Lebanese policeman * Wolfgang Preiss as Grenner * Michel Beaune as Daniel * Roberto Camardiel as Stephanidès * Fernando Sancho as Ylmaz * Giacomo Furia as Nino

Production

The film was made by the same team who had produced '' Banana Peel'' (1963). It was to have starred Jean Louis Trintignant but he withdrew and was replaced by Belmondo. Filming took place from February 10 to April 7, 1964.

Costa-Gavras Konstantinos "Kostas" Gavras (; born 12 February 1933), known professionally as Costa-Gavras, is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thril ...

was an assistant director.

Reception

The film was the 19th most popular movie at the French box office in 1964. In 2020 ''Fimink'' wrote "The film’s existence is ideal useless trivia to annoy people with now that the Jean Seberg biopic has come out."

References

External links

* *
''Backfire''
at Le Film Guide
''Backfire''
at Uni France
Review of film
at New York Times 1964 films 1964 crime films French crime films Films directed by Jean Becker Films set in West Germany Films set in Greece Films set in Italy Films set in Lebanon Films set in Spain Films shot in Almería 1960s French-language films 1960s French films French-language crime films {{1960s-France-film-stub