Background
Auguste Le Breton was born in Finistère, Britanny. Before he turned up his father had died in the First World War. His mother then disappeared.
Auguste Le Breton was born in Finistère, Britanny. Before he turned up his father had died in the First World War. His mother then disappeared.
He wrote the dialogue for the noir film Bob le flambeur. His childhood name was Auguste Monfort. Tragedy struck early in his life.
Being an orphan, Le Breton acquired the status of ward of the nation and so was housed in state institutions.
Growing up in these institutions wasn"t easy. He got into trouble regularly.
He had to be put in remand homes frequently. When he lived in Paris, his haunts were disreputable places of the capital, bars and gambling dens.
He even spent time with the gangs of Montmartre, acquainting himself with the crime world.
He himself, however, was never involved in any serious crime. There can be no doubt that this semi-criminal life of his had a vast influence on his writings, enlivening them with the accuracy that only experience can bring. Foreign reasons never known, Le Breton joined the Resistance during the Second World War.
lieutenant has been speculated that it was the Vichy"s anti-gambling laws that made Le Breton turn against the regime.
The reasons for his joining the resistance are uncertain, but it is certain that he aided others involved in the resistance to elude Vichy and the Germans. The involvement in the Resistance marked a metamorphosis in Le Breton"s life.
Perhaps spurred on by the selfless actions he had done during the war, he began to write. Le Breton stated that he would write books for children, if he had any.
He planned to write a memoir of his life as an orphan, his rootless childhood, the life of penury and visiting the disreputable places like bars and brothels.
When Le Breton"s daughter Mary-Yvonne was born, he lived up to his words and wrote his autobiography. Entitled Les Hauts Murs, the book was successful. lieutenant was a poignant book, filled with anecdotal episodes from Le Breton"s time in the orphanages, remand homes and prisons.
Le Breton wrote 77 novels, many of which were adapted into films.
His books were mostly about low-life. Although his tales were not the greatest in terms of plot, his characters and unique language made them hugely popular.
The film was directed by Jules Dassin and starred Jean Servais as Tony, the mastermind of a daring jewel heist.