Le vieux fusil (1975)

Directed by: Robert Enrico | 103 minutes | drama, war, thriller | Actors: Philippe Noiret, Romy Schneider, Jean Bouise, Joachim Hansen, Robert Hoffmann, Karl Michael Vogler, Caroline Bonhomme, Catherine Delaporte, Madeleine Ozeray, Daniel Breton, Jean-Paul Cisife, Antoine Saint-John, Maurice Bes, Bernard Bireaud, Jean Le Boulbar, Patrick Caillard, Daniel Celich, Patrick Clément, Gérard Dauzat, Anne Debrettys, Hermine Delysle, Jean-Pierre Garrigues, Jean Hache, Jean-Louis Hebre, Olivier Lefort, Roland Neunreuther, Claude Marcan, Marie-France Mignal, Micheline Sarto , Alain Soreil, Christian Teyras, Marie-Blanche Vergnes

In 1975 ‘Le vieux fusil’ received 3 Césars, the French equivalent of the Oscars. One for Best Picture, one for Best Actor, and one for Best Sound. This revenge film, which contains all the ingredients to be a small masterpiece, has nevertheless fallen into obscurity. Robert Enrico’s World War II-setting thriller is a terrifyingly realistic take on a man who goes to great lengths to avenge himself. Hard, honest and moving.

France 1944, Julien Dandieu (Philippe Noiret) is a surgeon in Montauban and is confronted daily with the violence of war. When he hears that a German division is going to be stationed in the village, he fears for the safety of his family. He sends his wife Clara Dandieu (Romy Schneider) and son to a castle behind the village. After a week he comes by and discovers that his wife and son have been murdered by a small group of Germans who have taken up residence in the castle. Through a flashback, we learn that his son was shot and his wife burned alive. What does a man who loses everything he loves do? It snaps. So Julien snaps and decides to kill every German in the castle. He does this not in blind fury, but with controlled anger and his intellect. The plot and execution of his revenge is occasionally interrupted by Julien’s flashbacks about his wife. How they met, how the birth of their son affected the marriage, and Julien’s long-running insecurities towards his wife.

‘Le vieux fusil’ portrays an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth principle and is very violent at times – perhaps one of the reasons why the film has received little attention internationally. Yet it assumes an impressive realism. This man, who has nothing to lose, only wants revenge, but is not a gun hero. Nor is there any preconceived plan against Julien, as in fellow revenge film ‘Oldboy’, where reality is generally taken for granted. Any mistake is fatal, and the viewer sweats with Julien as he races through the secret passageways in his castle, beautifully captured by the innovative camera work.

Philippe Noirette plays superbly and manages to impressively portray the transition from gentle surgeon to murderous revenge machine without losing the vulnerability of his character. His pain is palpable and every German who falls is followed by a sense of liberation and justice. Romy Schneider still plays a loving housewife, but in Julien’s flashbacks turns into an intriguing person that both Julien and the viewer can’t quite put their finger on.

Enrico based the film on an incident in 1944, in which almost an entire village was massacred for nothing by a German Panzer division. Sentencing of the guilty took eight years. But it is not a tribute to the French victory. For all the compassion Enrico shows us to Julien, the hole in his life cannot be closed. Because when Julien looks up to the smoldering remnants of his vengeance, he’s a bitter man, seeking answers he’ll never get again. This acclaimed French film is an oppressive experience that grabs you and doesn’t let go throughout the film. For anyone who is not averse to a little violence and is interested in a genuine film, ‘Le vieux fusil’ is definitely worth watching.