Les Granges brûlées (1973)

Les Granges brûlées (=The Burned Barns) is the name of a farm located in Haut-Doubs, where Rose (Simone Signoret) lives with her husband, two sons, one daughter, two daughter-in-laws, and some grandchildren. One day, a dead body of a rich, beautiful young girl is found near the farm and a judge (Alain Delon) comes to investigate. He suspects Rose's two sons and since then destroys the life balance in the family.


The audience learns about Rose and her family through the eyes of the judge, who is also an outsider. The police inspector says that he knows every one in the village and none of them is capable of murder. Although the barns are not burned, like the title suggests, it could mean that because of the murder, the fire enters into Rose's family and even though it ends well, the family will never be the same again. The movie more focuses on the characters than the murder investigation. Its strength lies on the relationship between the judge and Rose and the beauty of the snowy village. I like the music by Jean-Michel Jarre, too.

During the shooting, there was a big problem between the director/writer Jean Chapot and Delon - Signoret, who thought Chapot wasn't good enough. Chapot had all the idea in his head, but could not actualise it. Delon then directed himself scenes that concerned him. According to the assistant director, in the last scene - one of the best moments in the movie - where Rose and the judge say goodbye, the director was not there.