Les Granges Brulées

I cannot complain about French movies. As if the seventies were truly made for five stars. The Burned Barns kept me in suspense for the whole time. The amazing, at times even mysterious music made by Jean Michel Jarre was perfectly fitting for the snowy village with the very special family that this film is about. What is interesting, and in my opinion a bit unusual, is that in this film none of the characters really suited me. Alain Delon as the investigator stays more or less in the background. Everything else is controlled by the absolutely perfect, almost scary-looking Simone Signoret, who controls everybody with a flick of her finger. The dryness of the movie almost gives you shivers. Nevertheless, the winter atmosphere and the classic staring caused that after watching it I was again on cloud nine from the filmmaking quality. Mentally, I was doing much worse. (21.09.2014)

One remote French settlement in an area where harsh winter rages for 5 months a year, and even when the snow melts, foxes bid a good night. One farming family whose younger generation longs to escape social poverty, numbing toil, and bleak prospects. And one naked female body, a crime that disrupts the peaceful lives of local residents and brings the police and members of the justice system to the scene. The Burned Barns is not a typical detective story or even a crime thriller; it is rather a psychological drama, a clash between two strong personalities, though extremely different in temperament and experiences, yet attracted to each other precisely because of the strength of their characters. Alain Delon in the role of the investigating judge and Simon Signoret as the mother who defends her children threatened by suspicion. A captivating acting concert and a surprising resolution. The atmosphere is enhanced by the music, which often uses organ motifs, and the camera, which circles around the expansive farm from overhead, only to suddenly shift to a close-up detail. Overall impression: 80%. (21.11.2010)

A great film with an unbelievably real Delon, a (literally) chilling atmosphere, and an unease that grabs you at the beginning of The Burnt Barns and doesn't let go. One of the best French crime thrillers and one of Delon's best films__P.S. When I saw the very first long shot of a snowmobile making its way through the snowdrifts, only one thing came to my mind: Fargo. What do you say, dear Coens? (26.10.2010)