Golden Helmet

The title means "golden helmet," referring to a truly fierce hairdo -- a crown of platinum locks with icicle bangs, while black jewels hang from her neck like daggers. Marie rocks it like armor against the extra-dapper mobsters who buy her love on the smoky dancefloors of lavish, lascivious belle époque Paris. She's Simone Signoret, whose movie star chemistry with co-lead Serge Reggiani reaffirms the existence of a deeper celebrity mystery. Serge's gentle swagger as Manda the ex-con loverboy makes him like an irresistible puppy that sometimes kills other dogs, and Simone wreaks abiding destruction on every man she catches with her strangely sardonic "come hither" stare. French master Jacques Becker undermines all the wistfulness and nostalgia with too-real portrayals of modern people succumbing to their least-desirable instincts, and directs his cast with an unadorned maturity that would win praises from a young François Truffaut and his co-conspirators. The film is really damn pretty, and a crucial French classic. Bring your dates to this one, but forgive them for staring.