Urban Portraits In Jules Dassin’S Cinema. The Case Of París In "Rififí, 1955"

Abstract

The purpose of this study is grounded in the interest that the city, in general, has aroused throughout the history of cinema, and more specifically in the way Jules Dassin’s (1911–2008) cinematic work engages with the urban landscape. Since the American filmmaker displayed a particular predilection for urban settings in his films—depicting and recreating, from a variety of perspectives, diverse images of American cities (San Francisco, New York, Cleveland) and European ones (Paris, London, Athens, Leningrad, Madrid, among others)—this article focuses specifically on his use of the city of Paris in Rififí (1955). Nevertheless, I am aware that this research also offers the possibility of pursuing a broader and more comprehensive study through a comparative analysis of the urban models represented throughout his entire body of work, further exploring their significance and their implications for film history.