Gabin, Grisbi and 1950s France

Abstract

Jacques Becker's Touchez pas au grisbi/Hands Off the Loot, based on Simonin's novel of 1953, marked the return of Jean Gabin to popularity in post-war French cinema. In fact, Becker, who had originally been reluctant to cast Gabin, used his star to reflect on the changing nature of French post-war society, increasingly perceived as under threat from American influences. This article explores Gabin's role in the film and the way in which Becker modifies key aspects of Simonin's novel in order to explore the threat of modernity and cosmopolitanism in 1950s France.