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IMDbPro

Les égouts du paradis

  • 19791979
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
303
YOUR RATING
Les égouts du paradis (1979)
  • Action
  • Crime
  • Drama
Albert Spaggiari (Francis Huster) plays Spaggiari, who organises a group of gangsters to break into the vault of the Societé Générale Bank in Nice by tunnelling up through the sewers below. ... Read allAlbert Spaggiari (Francis Huster) plays Spaggiari, who organises a group of gangsters to break into the vault of the Societé Générale Bank in Nice by tunnelling up through the sewers below. The famous theft, which was later dubbed 'the great drain robbery', netted a haul of over ... Read allAlbert Spaggiari (Francis Huster) plays Spaggiari, who organises a group of gangsters to break into the vault of the Societé Générale Bank in Nice by tunnelling up through the sewers below. The famous theft, which was later dubbed 'the great drain robbery', netted a haul of over $10 million.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
303
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • José Giovanni
  • Writers
    • Albert Spaggiari(novel)
    • José Giovanni(adaptation)
    • Michel Audiard(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Francis Huster
    • Jean-François Balmer
    • Lila Kedrova
Top credits
  • Director
    • José Giovanni
  • Writers
    • Albert Spaggiari(novel)
    • José Giovanni(adaptation)
    • Michel Audiard(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Francis Huster
    • Jean-François Balmer
    • Lila Kedrova
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Les égouts du paradis (1979)
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    Top cast

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    Francis Huster
    Francis Huster
    • Albert Spaggiari
    Jean-François Balmer
    Jean-François Balmer
    • 68
    Lila Kedrova
    Lila Kedrova
    • Charlotte
    Bérangère Bonvoisin
    • Mireille
    Gabriel Briand
    • Mike la Baraka
    Clément Harari
    • L'Égyptien
    Michel Subor
    Michel Subor
    • Biki le Targuy
    Mustapha Dali
    • Nazareth
    Jean Franval
    • Le vieux Joseph
    Michel Peyrelon
    • Pierre
    André Pousse
    André Pousse
    • Le chauve
    Jacques Richard
    • Bouche d'or
    Serge Valletti
    • Le danseur
    Alfred Strocchio
    • Un prince du chalumeau
    Alain Caraglio
    • Un prince du chalumeau
    Jean Luisi
    • Un inspecteur
    Bernard Spiegel
    • Le juge
    Pierre Rousseau
    • Un commissaire
    • Director
      • José Giovanni
    • Writers
      • Albert Spaggiari(novel)
      • José Giovanni(adaptation)
      • Michel Audiard(dialogue)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    Journey through sh...to the fortune
    I was only thirteen years old, in July 1976, when these events occurred. Since the very first day, I was immersed in this fantastic tale, I read every newspaper comment about it, even read the book written later by Spaggiari himself. The film is very good, of course, pulled by a convinced Giovanni. But the novel is far better, because it describes in a terrific way, what that journey through sh..., rats, all kinds of excrements, this unbelievable but true dive into the city intestines was. He tells in the book how him and his associates swallowed sh..through mouth and nose, how one vomited and let his companions sneaking behind him swallowing the vomit of the man walking just in front of him. I guess NO film could have told such things with the power of the book, written by the main actor, the man who actually lived this. Those men were not really gangsters for me, but adventurers. The description of the safe deposit room, whilst they cracked the boxes with the cutting torches, is closer to the autobiographic novel than the tunnel and sewers sequences. But those sequences among the city anus were shot in real settings. As long as I will live, I will forever be fascinated by this story. But don't forget that Spaggiari was not a gangster, a thief, yes, but not a real hoodlum. He was first an ex Indochina war soldier, a rough fighter, a former paratrooper, extreme right wing member, a sort of light heart fascist, who also hated Black people, Jews, homosexuals, who was against democracy, communism...But he was a great writer, and also a sort of poet. He was not a ruthless executive like, who was ready to sacrifice men and women for money. He despised money more than anyone else. He only searched adventure here. Only. Most of those men were never arrested, nor identified, except him and maybe a couple of the real gangsters, the safe crackers, but not his mercenaries former combat friends. And I even don't speak of the loot. The most amusing is that, after the robbery, only 317 safe deposit boxes were cracked, out of the 4000 which the safe deposit room contained; so the customers of the bank, who owned a box, did not know if yes or no their belongings had been stolen by the thieves. And they hesitated to declare to the insurances what the deposit boxes contained. They hesitated to declare their jewels, gold, cash and so on...See what I mean? All that stuff which was at first supposed to be hidden from the French IRS, was then about to be declared to the insurance companies. If the safe deposit was cracked and they declare, it was OK. But IF this same safe deposit was not, if it stayed intact, and they declare for instance ten kilograms of pure gold to the IRS for nothing... Ha ha ha

    Because the bank authorities DID NOT Immediately told the customers which safe was cracked or intact, and those same customers had to declare the most quickly to their insurance so that they can be refunded.

    Amusing story for me, but maybe not for them.
    helpful•0
    2
    • searchanddestroy-1
    • Jul 23, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 14, 1979 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Der Coup von Nizza
    • Production company
      • Alexia Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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