The Old Gun (1975): Movie That I Can’t Forget (Review)

In this blog post, I review The Old Gun, a French war drama starring Philippe Noiret and Romy Schneider. I explore the plot, the themes, and the messages of this powerful and emotional film, and explain why it is one of my all-time favorites. If you are looking for a movie that will move you, challenge you, and stay with you, read on and discover The Old Gun.

Some movies have the power to stay with us for a long time, even after we watch them. They touch our hearts, make us think, and leave a lasting impression. One of such movies for me is The Old Gun (Le vieux fusil - 1975), a French-German production directed by Robert Enrico and starring Philippe Noiret. The movie was translated into Turkish as War Victims, and I watched it when I was a child. Even though it is an old movie, it is not like the ones that I forget soon after watching. It is a movie that still gives me goosebumps whenever I think about it.

The movie is set in 1944, during the Second World War, when the Nazi army is retreating from France. Dr. Julien Dandieu (Philippe Noiret) is a doctor working in a local hospital in Montauban. He is worried about the safety of his wife and daughter, so he asks a friend to take them to his chateau in a remote village.

A week later, he follows them and arrives at the village, only to find out that it has been occupied by Nazi soldiers. The soldiers have massacred the villagers, including his daughter, and burned his wife alive with a flamethrower. Devastated and enraged, Dandieu decides to take revenge on the Nazis. He knows the castle very well, as he grew up there, and he finds an old rifle that belonged to his father. He sets a trap on the bridge that connects the castle to the village, and then he starts hunting down the soldiers one by one.

He uses the secret passages and hidden places of the castle to ambush and kill the Nazis, who are terrified and confused. They think they are surrounded by French resistance fighters, but they do not realize that it is only one man who is killing them. Dandieu is relentless and ruthless, and he does not spare anyone. The last one to die is the commander of the Nazi unit, who tries to kill himself, but Dandieu burns him with his own flamethrower.

The Old Gun is a movie that explores the themes of war, violence, revenge, and madness. It is based on a true story, the massacre of the village of Oradour-sur-Glane by the Nazi Waffen-SS on June 10, 1944. The Nazis killed 642 people, including women and children, and destroyed the village. The village was preserved as a memorial by the order of Charles de Gaulle, the then president of France.

The movie shows the contrast between the peaceful and idyllic life of Dandieu and his family before the war, and the horror and brutality of the war itself. It also shows how war can change a person, and how revenge can consume a person. Dandieu is a doctor, who is supposed to heal people, not kill them. But after he loses his family, he becomes a killer, who does not care about anything else. He loses his sanity and his humanity, and he becomes a weapon of vengeance.

The movie is very realistic and graphic, and it does not shy away from showing the atrocities of war. The scenes of the massacre and the burning of Dandieu’s wife are very disturbing and shocking. The movie also uses flashbacks to show the happy moments of Dandieu and his family, which makes the contrast even more poignant and heartbreaking. The movie also has a haunting soundtrack, composed by François de Roubaix, which adds to the emotional impact of the movie.

The Old Gun is a movie that I will never forget, and that I recommend to anyone who likes powerful and emotional movies. It is a movie that shows the horrors of war, and the consequences of revenge. It is a movie that makes us think about the value of life, and the cost of violence. It is a movie that makes us feel, and that makes us cry. It is a movie that deserves to be watched and remembered.

• Director: Robert Enrico
• Cast: Philippe Noiret
• Romy Schneider
• Jean Bouise
• Genre: Drama, War, Thriller
• Production: France, Germany - 1975
• My rating: 10/10