[Anybody who loves Philadelphia an noir should read David Goodis.]

CINEDELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL presents

April 12, 2013, 7:30 PM
DAVID GOODIS and THE BURGLARS (1971) on 35mm

Though he spent a stint living and working in New York and L.A., noir novelist David Goodis (1917 – 1967) was born and raised in Philadelphia. The city left an indelible stamp on his work and his fixation with Philadelphia’s poor urban areas and criminal life, as well as his tendency to sympathize with the city’s outsiders and outlaws often show up in his fiction. His novels such as The Burglar, Of Tender Sin, The Wounded and the Slain and Down There focus on criminals, fugitives, hard luck cases and lives gone wrong. These compelling stories attracted filmmakers, many of them French, where Goodis’ work is more popular than the U.S., and a number of his novels were adapted into well-known films, such as Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960).

French director Henri Verneuil made a second adaptation of Goodis’ novel The Burglars (1971) aka Le Casse, which was also partly a remake of a ’57 version of the film scripted by Goodis, shot in Philadelphia, directed by Philadelphian Paul Wendkos and starring Jayne Mansfield. Verneuil’s version stars Omar Sharif and Jean-Paul Belmondo. A dirty police inspector purses a gang of burglars who are seeking out a cache of emeralds. This Euro-crime film is relatively obscure within the U.S., but became known for a famous car chase sequence through the streets of Athens, some impressive cinematography from the prolific Claude Renoir, and a great score from composer Ennio Morricone. This stunt heavy, noir tinged heist film is an entertaining look at Goodis’ Philadelphia by way of Europe.

There will be a pre-screening panel discussion on Goodis’ work and life moderated by local film writer Samm Deighan and featuring Inquirer film critic Steven Rea, writer and Poe expert Edward Pettit, NoirCon founder Lou Boxer, and crime novelist Duane Swierczynski.

Advance tickets will be available through International House soon.

The Cinedelphia Film Festival is a Philly-centric celebration of Philly film running from April 4-27, 2013.
http://www.cinedelphiafilmfestival.com/

 

(via CFF: DAVID GOODIS AND THE BURGLARS (1971) on 35mm)