Line #15 Film/LaScoumoune


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lascoumoune.png]]
2
3	''La Scoumoune'' (English language title ''The Pariah'') is a 1972 French-Italian gangster film directed and written by José Giovanni, [[SelfAdaptation based on his own novel]] ''L'Excommunié''. It is a remake of the 1961 film ''Un nommé La Rocca'' and stars Creator/JeanPaulBelmondo (who played the same role in the 1961 film), Creator/ClaudiaCardinale, Michel Constantin and Creator/EnriqueLucero. François de Roubaix composed the soundtrack, which notably includes a barrel organ {{leitmotif}}.
4
5	In 1934, mobster Roberto Borgo (Belmondo), also known as "La Scoumoune", comes to the port city of Marseille, Southern France, to help his friend Xavier Saratov (Constantin), who was framed by the local crime bosses. Roberto is caught up in clashes between different gangs and as a result serves a long sentence in prison for killing several enemy gang members. After a few years, he manages to escape and seeks revenge.
6	----
7	!!''La Scoumoune'' provides examples of the following tropes:
8
9	* AdaptationNameChange:
10	** The surname of Roberto is La Rocca in the original novel and the 1961 film, while here it's Borgo.
11	** Likewise, the surname of the Saratov siblings is Adé in the novel and the 1961 film.
12	* AdaptationTitleChange: The novel the film adapts is titled ''L'Excommunié'' ("The Excommunicated").
13	* BoomHeadshot: How Roberto kills Villanova.
14	* DisposingOfABody: Roberto throws Villanova's body down a mine's ventilation shaft after killing him, then states that hiding a body can earn one 20 years minimum in prison.
15	* DontLookBack: In prison, Xavier tells his sister Georgia to not lose her time trying to get him out via his lawyer and connections and to not come back to see him. She refuses.
16	* FreudianExcuse: When talking to Xavier's lawyer about the latter's criminal past, Georgia argues that his difficult youth can be brought up in court to his defense.
17	* TheGunslinger: Roberto is unmatched at QuickDraw, and he's quite the ColdSniper with a revolver.
18	* OrganGrinder: Migli aka "The Mexican", the mustachioed accomplice of Roberto who's sometimes seen [[DiegeticSoundtrackUsage playing the film's theme]] on his portable barrel organ. He was played by Mexican actor Creator/EnriqueLucero.
19	* RedBaron: Roberto's nickname is "La Scoumoune", because he brings bad luck to his enemies since he's a master at QuickDraw ("scoumoune" was an old Southern French slang word for "bad luck").
20	* TheRemake: The film is actually a remake of the 1961 Jean Becker film ''Un nommé La Rocca'', which already adapted José Giovanni's ''L'Excommunié''. Despite the fact Giovanni also wrote that 1961 film, he wasn't satisfied with it and decided to re-adapt it to the screen himself.
21	* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou: In the poster, Jean-Paul Belmondo points his gun.
22	* TheTeaser: The film starts with a scene in which Roberto waits for a mob killer who's disguised as a priest to come out of a church and kills him in a lightning fast QuickDraw. Then Migli shows up nearby and starts to play his barrel organ, as if nothing happened. Roberto gets closer to him, [[OneEyedShot the camera focuses on Roberto's eye]] and the opening credits start.
23	* TitleSequence: The opening credits consist of Migli walking towards the viewer playing his barrel organ with the film's {{leitmotif}} with the OneEyedShot on Roberto's eye in the background.

Context Film / LaScoumoune