Film Review
Whilst much of the last decade of Jean Gabin's career is generally pretty lacklustre
there are a few films in which the actor distinguishes himself with some pretty remarkable
performances. Foremost of these is
La Horse,
in which Gabin plays a character who is very much close to his own heart, a patriarchal
landowner who is anchored in the ways of the past. At the time, Gabin had settled
with a substantial holding in rural Normandy and regarded himself more as a simple farmer
than a film actor. In
La Horse, Gabin is
at his most forceful and compelling, and the film's impact is largely down to his
impressive contribution.
La Horse was directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre
who is noted for bringing gritty realism into his thrillers and film dramas, whilst rigorously
expunging any trace of sentimentality. One of his best films is
Le Chat (1971), which again starred Jean
Gabin in another extraordinary performance.
La Horse is not, it has to be said,
Granier-Deferre's best work. Whilst the film has some magnificent set pieces (for example,
the horrific scene where a herd of terrified cows is mowed down by a car), it is an awkward
mixture of melodrama and conventional thriller. With all of the drama in the first half
of the film, the second half feels painfully empty and concludes with a predictable and
generally disappointing ending. Another cause of irritation is Serge Gainsbourg's music,
which seems to have been written for an entirely different kind of film; here it appears
intrusive and grotesquely inappropriate, laughably trying to inject dramatic impact where
there clearly isn't any to be had.
© James Travers 2004
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Auguste Maroilleur is a man in his sixties who is proud of his heritage and
has no intention of letting it slip from his grasp. The owner of a
farm in Normandy, he clings doggedly to the old traditions and has no time
for the supposed progress that the modern world offers him. He lives
with his daughters Mathilde and Louise and their husbands Léon and
Maurice, confident that when they inherit the farm after his death they will
continue the traditions he values so highly. On discovering that a
gang of drugs traffickers are hiding drugs on his farm Auguste is incensed.
He can barely contain his outrage when he learns that his grandson Henri
is mixed up with the criminals.
As soon as he sees one of Henri's drug dealing associates set foot on his
land, the old man shoots him dead without a moment's reflection. The
traffickers, led by François, retaliate by viciously slaughtering
the farm's livestock. And then Véronique, Auguste's granddaughter,
is raped. For the old man, this is not a crime, it is a declaration
of war. There is no need to bring in the police now. Auguste
feels he is justified in dealing with the criminals as he sees fit - which
is to hunt down and murder every last one of them. In this, Léon
and Maurice are more than willing to lend their support...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.