The Upper Hand

"He Followed a Trail of Flesh, Gold and Violence!"

1966 1h 34m FR

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 50

DramaThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In Paris, a gold smuggler is at war with other local gangsters who want piece of the action. Then the mob shows up and makes things worse. And an undercover US Treasury Department agent is trying to infiltrate the smuggling business.

“He Followed a Trail of Flesh, Gold and Violence!”

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Cast

Jean Gabin
Paul Berger dit Paulo les Diam's
Gert Fröbe
Walter
George Raft
Charles Binnaggio
Claudio Brook
Mike Coppolano
Nadja Tiller
Irène
Marcel Bozzuffi
Marque Mal
Mireille Darc
Lili Princesse
Claude Brasseur
Giulio

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Denys de La Patellière
Writers: Denys de La Patellière
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: France, Germany, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Germany, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Denys de La Patellière, shot by Walter Wottitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Georges Garvarentz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Claude Durand shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Gabin and Gert Fröbe and George Raft carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He Followed a Trail of Flesh, Gold and Violence!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Denys de La Patellière directs. Walter Wottitz behind the camera. Georges Garvarentz scores. Claude Durand cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Germany, Italy. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

160 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
3International production across 3 countries: France, Germany, Italy.
4Directed by Denys de La Patellière, shot by Walter Wottitz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Georges Garvarentz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Claude Durand shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean Gabin and Gert Fröbe and George Raft carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He Followed a Trail of Flesh, Gold and Violence!".
9IMDB entry: tt0060349 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 50 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.