Simone Signoret in "Casque d'Or"
Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:30PM by Eric Blume
Today is the centennial of French Oscar-winner Simone Signoret. Daniel paid lovely tribute to her last night for her brief role in 1950's La Ronde. Her next big film, director Jacques Becker's 1952 movie Casque d'Or, made her a star six years before Oscar embraced her with Room at the Top. Becker captures all of Signoret's magic in this turn-of-the-century Paris underworld story. It doesn't hurt that he has his cinematographer, Robert Le Febvre, lighting her in a gloriously celestial way throughout the movie...
Each one of Signoret's close-ups has either a bounce of light across her eyes and forehead, or has her angelically backlit to highlight that famous "golden helmet" of the title. In short she's given lovely Movie Star treatment, which Signoret rewards effortlessly with natural, grounded magnetism.
Signoret plays a sort of mystery woman, unhappily owned as property of a man in a crime syndicate. When she meets a man she really likes (the rather hot Serge Reggiani, who really rocks a cummerbund) and goes after him, she ignites a series of tragedies.
Signoret makes a magnificent clotheshorse in her Belle Epoque gowns and boas, and maintains a divine cat-who-just-ate-a-mouse look through her early scenes that perfectly captures this character's indifference to the men around her. Signoret perfectly clocks her character's move into true feelings of love and sacrifice, and deepens right before our eyes. After taking a smartly comic approach with her character at the start, she turns on a dime for the true dramatics during the film's final reel.
Casque d'Or still looks great at 70. It's crisply shot and engrossing, and a perfect showcase for Signoret and her career to come. She gives her character intelligence, depth, ferocity, and breathtaking beauty. It's easy watching this film to see how she would go on to such a dynamic, extensive career from this sharp, detailed portrayal. Signoret's work here retains its orginal power...she's one of the eternals.
Reader Comments (5)
Thanks for this tribute to Simone Signoret. She was legendary in France for her acting, and her films rarely stream now in North America. Consequently she is very under-appreciated here.
But not at TFE !! Once more I want to recommend Signoret's terrific autobiography,
"Nostalgia Isn't What it Used to Be". As a raconteur she is delightful and very honest.
Terrific film. She is wonderful in it but then she was fantastic in everything she undertook. A striking beauty in her youth who retained a powerful onscreen energy and sense of mystery long after her looks had settled into a frumpy middle age.
I haven't seen nearly as much of her work as I'd like but at this point my top 5 of her films would be.
Diabolique
Ship of Fools
Police Python 357
Madame Rose
Room at the Top
She appeared in an interesting American noir called Gunman in the Streets with Dane Clarek made before her true ascension to star. It's hard to find but worth it if you do.
Saw it during quarantine. She's great.
I think I have this film on my DVR. I hope to see it ASAP.
Trivia: Signoret won her 1st BAFTA for this, beating out K Hepburn for The African Queen/Pat & Mike.
She won on all her first three BAFTA noms. The other two being The Witches of Salem, & Room at the Top