Barocco (1976)

Director:

André Téchiné

Writers:

Marilyn Goldin (writer)
André Téchiné (writer)

Release Date:

8 December 1976 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The story of Barocco is about a girl in love with a boxer. They plan to went abroad after making a lot of money by cheating in a match...

Plot Keywords:

Boxing | Political | Identity

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Adjani	...	Laure
Gérard Depardieu	...	Samson / Samson's Killer
Marie-France Pisier	...	Nelly
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Walt
Julien Guiomar	...	Gauthier
Hélène Surgère	...	Antoinette
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Jeune homme brun
Peter Bonke	...	Acolyte 1
Leny Suck	...	Acolyte 2
Elise Hoomans	...	Mère de Samson
Frans Vorstman	...	Secrétaire
Helmert Woudenberg	...	L'emtraineur
Adrian Brine	...	L'inspecteur
Truus Dekker	...	L'employée
Susan Senduk	...	Serveuse B

Also Known As:

Barroco (France) (original script title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | France:-12

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Les Films de la Boétie

Movie Connections:

References North by Northwest (1959)

Soundtrack:

On se voit se voir

An ambiguous, confused and relentlessly gloomy thriller

Whilst this film does occasionally impress in a few scenes, it is overwhelmingly a major disappointment. The plot is faintly ridiculous, although it might just have been possible, given the right mood and the right actors, to convince the audience that a woman can fall for the murderer of her boyfriend. The trouble is that the film does not seem to have either the right mood or the right actors, and the end result is rather like an unconvincing melee of film noire out-takes.

The acting is noticeably below par throughout, particularly from the lead characters Adjani and Depardieu - all the more surprising that both are now recognised as actors of no mean standing in France. The chemistry between the two lead characters just doesn't feel right, and it looks as if Téchiné made a great error of judgement to cast Depardieu in the role of both Samson and his killer. Certainly, Depardieu makes little effort to differentiate the two characters except by wearing a wig and, as a result, the underlying premise of the plot is lost completely.

However, it is the general mood of the film that is the most irritating aspect of this film. It is just so relentlessly grim and dark that it seems to stifle the plot and imbue the moments of great tension with an air of third-rate melodrama.

It is difficult to believe that, with such a wealth of talent on both sides of the camera, such a film could have failed so badly to hit its mark.