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Film Noir Master Dassin Dead at 96

Posted Apr 1, 08 7:53 AM CDT in Arts & Living 

(Newser) – Jules Dassin, a master of film noir who left Hollywood after being blacklisted, has died in an Athens hospital at the age of 96, reports the Los Angeles Times. Born to Russian Jewish immigrants in Connecticut, Dassin made such dark crime dramas as Brute Force and The Naked City in the 1940s. Hounded during the Red scare, he moved to France, where he directed his masterpiece, Rififi.

Rififi, the archetypal film noir, remains famous for its half-hour, dialogue-free burglary sequence. The film inspired caper movies from Ocean's Eleven to Mission: Impossible. François Truffaut called it "the best film noir I have ever seen." Dassin was "a rare human being, a significant artist, and true friend," the prime minister of Greece said in a statement.

Source Los Angeles Times

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Actress Melina Mercouri and her husband, director Jules Dassin at the International Film Festival in Cannes, France in 1978. Dassin died late Monday, March 31, 2008, at an Athens hospital. He was 96.   (AP Photo/Jean Jacques Levy)
Film director Jules Dassin at a party in Cannes, France, May 23, 1978. Dassin died late Monday, March 31, 2008, at an Athens hospital, officials said. He was 96.   (AP Photo/Jean Jacques file Levy)
Greek actress Melina Mercouri and her husband, director Jules Dassin, are seen on November 22, 1960. Dassin died late Monday, March 31, 2008, at an Athens hospital, officials said. He was 96.   (AP Photo)
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A trailer for Rififi, directed by the late Jules Dassin.   (trailersdecinema (YouTube))

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