Rififi at the MFAH

Film fans in Southeast Texas are in for a treat this weekend. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is playing Rififi every day from Friday, May 27th through Monday, May 30th. Jules Dassin’s 1955 French film noir is widely regarded as the greatest heist movie of all-time. Even if you haven’t seen it, you’ve definitely seen traces of it as every heist movie from Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge to Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven has Dassin’s fingerprints on it.

After being blacklisted and banished from Hollywood in 1950, the American writer/director/producer/actor struggled to find work abroad as U.S. distribution companies refused to distribute his pictures. In 1954, Dassin filmed Rififi in France and despite working with a low budget, an absence of star power, and a production staff working for low wages, the movie would go on to play at the Cannes Film Festival where Dassin would pick up the award for Best Director.

While Rififi is a masterpiece, one could say that in this day and age it is criminally underseen. Don’t miss your chance to see it on the big screen in glorious black and white and experience the heist of the century. In French with English subtitles.

Tickets are available here. Full schedule:

Fri, May 27 at 7pm

Sat, May 28 at 7pm

Sun, May 29 at 5pm

Mon, May 30 at 1pm

All screenings are at the MFAH in the Caroline Wiess Law Building / Brown Auditorium Theater at 1001 Bissonnet.

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