The Old Gun (1975)

In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu in a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Enrico

Writers:

Robert Enrico, Pascal Jardin

Stars:

Philippe Noiret, Romy Schneider, Jean Bouise

4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philippe Noiret	...	Julien Dandieu
Romy Schneider	...	Clara Dandieu
Jean Bouise	...	François
Joachim Hansen	...	L'officier S.S.
Robert Hoffmann	...	Le lieutenant
Karl Michael Vogler	...	Docteur Müller
Caroline Bonhomme	...	Florence Dandieu (8 years)
Catherine Delaporte	...	Florence Dandieu (13 years)
Madeleine Ozeray	...	Julien's Mother
Daniel Breton
Jean-Paul Cisife	...	Le chef milicien
Antoine Saint-John	...	German soldier killed in the kitchen
Maurice Bes
Bernard Bireaud
Jean Le Boulbar

Storyline

In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu in a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in the back country village where Julien has an old castle. One week later, Julien decided to meet then for the week end, but the Germans are already occupying the village.

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Plot Keywords:

child murder | war atrocity | murder | one man army | grief | 

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Taglines:

Is a Love Worth Dying For...Is a Love Worth Killing For...?

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

distributor's official site Productor's official site

Country:

France West Germany

Language:

French German

Release Date:

22 August 1975 (France)

Also Known As:

Vengeance One by One

Filming Locations:

Bruniquel, Tarn-et-Garonne, Midi-Pyrénées, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Productions Artistes Associés, Mercure Productions, TIT Filmproduktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lino Ventura was asked to have Philippe Noiret's character but Ventura refused because it was too violent for him.

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Goofs

Close to the end, when Julien burned the whole room together with the SS Officer, a crew member with fire extinguisher can be seen on the right side of the scene.

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Alternate Versions

West German theatrical version was changed to show German soldiers in a less inhuman way. Some scenes were deleted, others were substituted. The East German version was unchanged.

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Connections

Referenced in Man Bites Dog (1992)

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Soundtracks

Le Vieux Fusil 1944
Written and Performed by François de Roubaix Et Orchestre

User Reviews

Love and fury in French

One of my favorite childhood French films, which with great success was in the 70's in the Soviet box office. It's hard to say exactly what this film is about - about love, about war or about revenge. As it seems to me, this film from the category of stylish and very thin.

"In a conversation with a Frenchman, never touch upon the theme of the Second World War and, especially, the fascist occupation," - because we are taught by the French experts.

It is known that almost every Frenchman lives with the awareness of his national exclusiveness. This feeling was brought up for many centuries. Therefore, to shoot a French movie about the events that are associated with the defeat and surrender without a fight of entire cities is a very delicate matter for the filmmaker.

Probably, I will leave not far from the truth, if I assume that the French were waiting for such a film. They were waiting to again justify themselves (first of all, before themselves), once again skillfully revenge, and prove that even during the years of occupation they remained real Frenchmen - the cleverest, the strongest and able to truly love.

On the other hand, the authors of the film needed to withstand a certain political correctness and, if possible, not to abuse the demonstration of the cruelty of the German invaders. The fact is that during the filming of the film, two-year talks ended in Europe, concluding with the signing in 1975 of the Final Helsinki Act (the birth of the OSCE). In fact, this meant a great European truce and the beginning of a new life together. And during the truce, it is known what happens to the eye of someone who remembers the old ...

All this complicated the task of director Robert Enrico, but he masterfully operated with all the film tools, coped with it "perfectly", although in an ordinary French manner in a florid manner.

One of the director's finds is the combination of flashbacks, that is, the memories of surgeon Julien about pre-war life, his acquaintance and love with Clara, and the real situation where the Nazis have already occupied his country, and the doctor's hands have to take up his gun. At the same time, transitions to flashbacks do not create an acute contrast, and the romantic soundtrack of the composer Francois de Rubé helps the protagonist to swim in the waves of his memory. These memories, as it were, zombie Julien so that his revenge is not troublesome, filled with confident and prudent actions. It is much more interesting to observe the revenge when it is performed by an ordinary person. It excites and makes the viewer to empathize.

Another director's luck is the successful selection of actors. Philip Noiret and Romy Schneider seem to be created for each other, a great duo. Frames flashbacks are covered with a light haze and this only emphasizes the grace and beauty of Romy Schneider.

In 1976, the film was awarded the CESAR award immediately by categories: Best film (Robert Enrico), Best actor (Philip Noiret), Best music (Francois De Rube) and more ... Thanks to the viewers of different countries.