And Hope to Die (1972)

French title: La course du lièvre à travers les champs
dir. René Clément

This second collaboration between Clément and writer Sébastien Japrisot was not as successful as their previous hit Rider on the Rain made in 1970. The movie was shot mostly in Canada except the prologue which was filmed in Marseille and the brief flashback sequence in Paris. The English version was cut by 40 minutes. This is based on the full French version in which most actors were dubbed. The original title translates as "The Hare's Run Across the Fields."

Young Tony and his family are moving in – 10 Rue Félix Eboué, Marseille, France. Though the film implies this is the same street that leads to the stone stairs, it's actually a few blocks from there. Many thanks to Lois for finding this location.

Then the view south down Rue Sainte-Barbe is shown.

When the boy climbs the stairs, the building at 6 Rue Sainte-Barbe is seen below. That building still stands but the stone stairs and the walls are gone.

Rue Petite-Roquebarbe at the top of the stairs where he meets with the local kids has been lost to the redevelopment of the area.

Tony (Jean-Louis Trintignant) attacked by the gypsies – Beaver Crossing, Beaver, Godmanchester, Quebec, Canada. The train stop was at the junction of the CNR line and Chemin Arnold and served the line between Brosseau (now Brossard), QC and Fort Covington, NY. The crossing still exists but the train stop is no longer there.

Having escaped from the gypsies, Tony hitchhikes on what is apparently Quebec Route 138.

The gypsies spot Tony walking on the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

While running from the gypsies Tony takes refuge at Biosphere, 160 Chemin du Tour de l'isle, Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The domed structure was designed by architect R. Buckminster Fuller to house the U.S. pavilion at the Expo’67 World Fair. After the fair, the U.S. government donated the pavilion to the city of Montreal. The city turned the structure into an aviary and an arboretum and renamed it to Biosphere.

In 1971, the United States temporarily returned to the pavilion with an exhibition titled "Discover America", sponsored by the United States Travel Service and the Smithsonian Institution. And Hope to Die was made the same year, and the sign advertizing the exhibition is visible in the film.

In 1976, Biosphere was severely damaged in a fire caused by a welding crew repairing it. The structure’s outer acrylic shell was destroyed and has never been restored. Biosphere remained closed for more than a decade. In 1990, Environment Canada committed significant funds to turn the structure into an interactive museum dedicated to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River ecosystem. Montreal architect Eric Gauthier was commissioned to redesign Biosphere’s interior, and the new museum opened in 1995. In 2007, Biosphere added “Environment Museum” to its name.


Charlie’s gang hideout – Île Perrot, Quebec, Canada (still searching for the exact location). It’s an island west of Montreal.

Mattone (Aldo Ray) stalks the majorette (Nadine Nabokov) – Westmount Park, Avenue Melville, Westmount, Quebec, Canada.

Charlie points out the theater where the heist will begin – Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The main site of the heist – Telus Tower, 630 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formerly CIL House, and then Royal Trust, this building was among the four tallest buildings constructed in Montreal in the early 1960s. Though the film implies that the theater and the skyscraper are close to each other, in reality they are many blocks apart.

Charlie (Robert Ryan) discussing the heist – 1400th block of Rue Saint-Urbain, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It may seem that he’s looking at the skyscraper but it’s nowhere near this street and can't be seen from there.

The prison – Pénitencier Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, 160 Montée Saint-François, Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Old Penitentiary of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul was designated a “National Historic Site of Canada” in 1990, the year after its closure. Since then, it has fallen into disrepair and neglect. Inaugurated in 1873, the building was greatly modified and expanded, notably in the 1930s and 1940s when new wings were added. Until its closure in 1989, it remained the only French-speaking federal prison.

The flashback with Tobogan’s story – The Ritz, 15 Place Vendôme, Paris, France.

Getting into the skyscraper – Union Avenue between Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest and Rue Belmont, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In the next moment, the filmmakers used a compound shot with the Telus Tower in the foreground but the background was flipped.

If we flip the frame, the background would match a view south down Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest.

Tony walks into the skyscraper – Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest at Boulevard Robert Bourassa, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Pepper (Tisa Farrow) waiting for them in a car after the heist – Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest at Rue Jeanne Mance, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This place is close to Place des Arts but is several blocks from the Telus Tower.

The shootout during the exchange – Rue Marc Cantin, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This area used to be a city dump, then it was turned into a parking during Expo’67. It has since been redeveloped, and is now occupied by warehouses and office buildings.

See also...

Le Cercle rouge

The Outside Man