Les Granges brulées (1973)
Directed by Jean Chapot

Crime / Drama
aka: The Burned Barns

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Les Granges brulees (1973)
Two years after their improbable appearance together in La Veuve Couderc, Alain Delon and Simone Signoret were brought together for a second time, and in a similar setting.  This time, the fiction is a familiar crime investigation, but, unlike the conventional policier, the emphasis is much more on character than plot.  Some respectable performances (from a distinguished cast) and good location photography compensate for a lacklustre script, although Jean-Michel Jarre's music is far too intrusive and effectively ruins the mood of the piece.  Simone Signoret's daughter in the film is played by her real-life daughter, Catherine Allégret.
© James Travers 2005
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.

Film Synopsis

Les Granges Brûlées is the name of an isolated farm in the snow-capped Haut Doubs mountains of the Jura which is home to Rose, a strong-willed woman in her fifties, her husband Pierre and their two grown-up sons, Paul and Louis.  Not far from the farm, the body of a young woman is found in a her car.  It is apparent that the woman was murdered and as the police investigation gets underway the most likely suspects are Paul and Louis, who were both away from home when the crime was committed.  When Rose refuses to say anything that might incriminate her sons, the investigating magistrate, Pierre Larcher, has no choice but to close the case, but by this stage a dark cloud of suspicion hangs over the farm.

On discovering that Paul has a large sum of money in his possession, money which must have been stolen from the dead woman, Pierre goes into town to denounce his son to the police, but he changes his mind.  Paul confesses to stealing the money, but he insists he had no part in the woman's death.  When Larcher shows up with a warrant to search the farm, he is too late.  Rose has already hidden the stolen money.  The most likely suspect is Louis, but it turns out he has a cast-iron alibi, since he was with his mistress when the murder took place.  In the end, Rose's faith in her sons' innocence is rewarded, but only after she and her family have been forced to confront some unpalatable truths about themselves...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Jean Chapot
  • Script: Franz-André Burguet, Jean Chapot (dialogue), Sébastien Roulet (dialogue)
  • Cinematographer: Sacha Vierny
  • Music: Jean-Michel Jarre
  • Cast: Alain Delon (Le juge Pierre Larcher), Simone Signoret (Rose), Paul Crauchet (Pierre), Bernard Le Coq (Paul), Christian Barbier (L'officier de gendarmerie), Pierre Rousseau (Louis), Miou-Miou (Monique), Jean Bouise (Le journaliste), Catherine Allégret (Françoise), Fernand Ledoux (Le doyen des juges), Renato Salvatori (L'hôtelier), Armand Abplanalp (L'officier de police), Béatrice Costantini (Lucile), Dany Jacquet (La jeune morte), Anna Gaylor (L'institutrice), Florence Moncorgé-Gabin (Larcher's wife), Michel Berard, Gérard Chevalier, Salvino Di Pietra, Serge Faivre
  • Country: France / Italy
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 95 min
  • Aka: The Burned Barns ; Les granges brûlées

The history of French cinema
sb-img-8
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
The best French Films of the 1910s
sb-img-2
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.
The very best period film dramas
sb-img-20
Is there any period of history that has not been vividly brought back to life by cinema? Historical movies offer the ultimate in escapism.
The Golden Age of French cinema
sb-img-11
Discover the best French films of the 1930s, a decade of cinematic delights...
The very best American film comedies
sb-img-18
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
 

Other things to look at


Copyright © filmsdefrance.com 1998-2024
All rights reserved



All content on this page is protected by copyright