Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 17, 2019

Jacques Becker's "Touchez Pas au Grisbi" a.k.a. "Don't Touch the Loot" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with assistant director Jean Becker; archival interview with actress Jeanne Moreau; video interview with professor Ginette Vincendeau; and new audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The exchange

Some films try really, really hard to be cool, and some, like Jacques Becker’s Touchez Pas au Grisbi, simply are. In fact, this is precisely the reason Touchez Pas au Grisbi is a great film. It is not the story, it is not the drama or the action. In Touchez Pas au Grisbi the style is everything.

The aging gangster Max (Jean Gabin, Le Jour se Lève) and his best pal Riton (Rene Dary, Les Risques du métier) have pulled off a brilliant heist and are ready to retire. All they have to do now is wait for the smoke to blow over and when the time is right trade the four cases with the stolen gold bullion bars for cash. But despite his age Riton simply cannot stop behaving like a prisoner who has not been with a woman for years -- he is constantly out and enjoying the company of beautiful prostitutes who love money even more than he does. Max has frequently urged Riton to start acting his age, but his pal hasn’t been able to break his bad habits and he has accepted that he would have to do his best to watch after him like an elder brother. Just days after the trade with the dealer is arranged another seasoned gangster, Angelo (Lino Ventura, Classe Tous Risques), discovers that Max has the stolen gold and orders his goons to kidnap Riton while he is enjoying the company of his favorite prostitute, Josy (Jeanne Morreau, Elevator to the Gallows). Then he contacts Max and tells him that he can have Riton back if he delivers the gold to him. Max and a few of his former associates agree to meet Angelo’s goons on a dusty road somewhere on the outskirts of the city, but the exchange does not go as agreed upon by the two sides.

There is a wonderful new interview on this release with Jean Becker, the son of director Becker, in which he explains how his father’s insistence to have Gabin play Max basically revived the iconic actor’s career. This is quite astonishing really because in Touchez Pas au Grisbi Gabin looks every bit as striking as Humphrey Bogart does in those famous classic noir films from the 1940s. His presence is so overpowering that it gives Touchez Pas au Grisbi its identity.

Becker worked closely with writer Albert Simonin and they adapted his famous novel together, but their script isn’t that great. (In fact, the original material from the novel is quite a bit harsher and significantly more explicit than what the two ended up with). In Touchez Pas au Grisbi the magic happens because of two things: First, the emphasis on detail is astounding and everything from the impeccable suits that Gabin and the other gangsters wear to the decoration in the clubs oozes elegance that instantly makes the film incredibly attractive. Then there is the attitude of the stars. It all starts with Gabin, who genuinely looks like an aging gangster who has had enough noise and drama in his life and is now determined to walk out of the ‘game’ with a winning hand, and then everyone else basically responds with the same type of quality acting. The atmosphere that emerges as a result of this is simply tremendous.

The soundtrack that Jean Wiener created for Touchez Pas au Grisbi is of course legendary. The main theme is instantly recognizable and has been used in different TV programs outside of France.

Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Becker's Touchez Pas au Grisbi arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same master that StuidioCanal used to produce this Region-B release of Touchez Pas au Grisbi in 2017. I don't know when it was finalized, and more importantly, how it was finalized. I mention this because there are a few obvious limitations on it -- which I also highlighted in the earlier review of the Region-B release -- and I think that there is a very good chance that they are inherited from a secondary source. (In fact, I would not discard the possibility that the master is a reconstruction of some sort). Indeed, the light flicker during the final act and the uneven density in other parts were likely the reason why some very minor denoising corrections were done to rebalance the visuals. However, there is an obvious precision in the adjustment work that has minimal impact on delineation, clarity, and the film's dynamic range. he reason why some of the rebalancing work might be easier to spot in some areas is because they were already natively flatter (and this is very easy to see). The important clarification that needs to be underscored here is that the overall integrity of the image isn't compromised, which is why very fine grain is still retained throughout the film (you can see great examples in screencaptures #5, 17, 18). There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report in our review. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only on standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtirles are provided for the main feature.

My take on the audio remains unchanged. When I reviewed the Region-B release of Touchez Pas au Grisbi I did some quick comparisons with Criterion's DVD release of the film from 2005 and I think that the main improvement that you will notice as well is in the fullness of the audio, which is better on the lossless track. (See the Region-B review as well).

Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - critic Nick Pinkerton, who also happens to be a big fan of Jacques Becker work and Touchez Pas au Grisbi in particular, offers a predictably well-researched commentary that has plenty of detailed information about the conception of the film, the various locations where important footage was shot (some of the same locations for instance were also chosen by Jean-Pierre Melville for Bob le Flambeur), the visual style and the nature of the action, Jean Gabin's career, the impact that Becker's films had on other famous French directors, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Kino Lorber.

• Interview with Jean Becker - in this new video interview, Jean Becker, son of director Jacques Becker, discusses the production history of Touchez Pas au Grisbi, the film's style and atmosphere, Jean Gabin's incredible performance, and the significant impact his father had on his life and career. The interview was conducted for StudioCanal. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (14 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Jeanne Moreau - in this archival video interview, actress Jeanne Moreau recalls her initial encounter with director Jacques Becker and discusses her contribution to Touchez Pas au Grisbi. The interview was conducted in 1957. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (5 min, 480/60i).

• Interview with Ginette Vincendeau - in this video interview, professor Ginette Vincendeau discusses Albert Simonin's novel that inspired Jacques Becker to shoot Touchez Pas au Grisbi, as well as the style, critical reception and lasting appeal of the film. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - a vintage French trailer for Touchez Pas au Grisbi. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Additional Trailers - trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Port of Shadows
  2. Razzia sur la chnouf
  3. Maigret Sets a Trap
  4. Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case
  5. The Sicilian Clan

Touchez Pas au Grisbi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The great Jean Gabin appeared in a lot of terrific gangster films, but I think that Jacques Becker's Touchez Pas au Grisbi is the coolest of them all. The style and atmosphere of this film are absolutely phenomenal, and believe me, I am not exaggerating. Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release of Touchez Pas au Grisbi is sourced from the same restored master that StudioCanal used a couple of years ago for their Region-B release of the film. It retains all of the bonus features from the European release and adds a good new audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.