''La Horse'' ( it, Il Clan degli uomini violenti, german: Der Erbarmungslose) is a 1970 French-language thriller directed by

Pierre Granier-Deferre Pierre Granier-Deferre (27 July 1927 – 16 November 2007) was a French film director and screenwriter His 1971 film ''Le Chat'' (The Cat) won the Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the 21st Berlin International Film Festival. His 196 ...

and based on Michel Lambesc's novel of the same name.

Plot

In Normandy, the widower Auguste Maroilleur rules his family and his farm with an iron hand. Bien Phu, a disabled veteran of the war in Indochina, is a valued employee. Out shooting duck, Auguste and Bien Phu discover a huge cache of heroin. Auguste deduces that his grandson Henri, whose vacation job is on a ship, must be a courier. He destroys the drug, worth millions, and confines Henri to a cellar. When the gangsters cannot find their man or their merchandise, they try to destroy Auguste's livelihood and peace of mind. They burn a barn, brutally kill his cattle and rape his virgin granddaughter. He and Bien Phu fight back, eventually killing all five villains by shotgun and grenade. This private war does not go unnoticed and the police bring the whole family in for questioning. Following Auguste's orders, none of them give a thing away and all are released.

Reception

Though massacred by French critics, the film was loved by the French public. As well as the magisterial presence of Jean Gabin, it carried echoes of the unsolved

Dominici affair The Dominici affair was the criminal investigation into the murder of three Britons in France. During the night of 4/5 August 1952, Sir Jack Drummond, a 61-year-old scientist; his 44-year-old wife Anne (née Wilbraham); and their 10-year-old da ...

of 1952 and the 1943 film Goupi Mains Rouges.

Cast

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), '' La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ...

as Auguste Maroilleur, farm owner *

Marc Porel Marc Michel Marrier de Lagatinerie (3 January 1949 – 15 August 1983), known professionally as Marc Porel, was a Swiss-born French film actor. He appeared in 40 films between 1967 and 1983. Life Marc Michel Marrier de Lagatinerie was bo ...

as Henri, Auguste's grandson * Danièle Ajoret as Louise, younger daughter of Auguste *

Michel Barbey Michel Barbey (1927-) is a French stage, film, and television actor known for his comic roles. He starred in the 1950 film '' Dominique''.Goble p.346 Selected filmography * ''Lawless Roads'' (1947) * ''Rendezvous in July'' (1949) * '' The Wolf'' ...

as Maurice, husband of Louise * Christian Barbier as Léon, husband of Mathilde *

Pierre Dux Pierre Dux (21 October 1908 – 1 December 1990) was a French stage director, stage actor, and film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1932 and 1990. Filmography References External links * * 1908 births 1990 deaths Burials ...

as the investigating magistrate *

Armando Francioli Armando Francioli (21 October 1919 – 6 April 2020) was an Italian actor. He appeared in over 50 films since 1942. Selected filmography References External links

* 1919 births 2020 deaths Male actors from Rome Italian centenaria ...

as Francis Grutti, a gangster *

Julien Guiomar Julien Guiomar (3 May 1928 in Morlaix, Finistère, Brittany – 22 November 2010 in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), was a French film actor. The actor had retired to the Dordogne at Monpazier. The person who incarnated Colonel Vincent in ...

as the police inspector * Eléonore Hirt as Mathilde, elder daughter of Auguste *

Reinhard Kolldehoff Reinhard Kolldehoff (29 April 1914 – 18 November 1995) was a German film actor. He appeared in 140 films between 1941 and 1988. He was born and died in Berlin, Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Gasman'' (1941) - Polizeibeamter (uncr ...

as Hans, a drug baron *

Astrid Frank Astrid Frank (born 1945) is a retired German film and television actress.Fenton & Flint p.317 She starred in number of sex comedies during the 1970s. Selected filmography * '' The True Jacob'' (1960) * ''A Woman for Life'' (1960) * ''Charley's ...

as girlfriend of Hans *

Félix Marten Félix Marten (1919–1992) was a German-born French film actor. He was born in Remagen to a Finnish father, and his family fled Germany following the Nazi takeover. He is one of a number of actors to play Leslie Charteris's character Simon Templ ...

as Marc, a gangster * Orlane Paquin as Véronique, granddaughter of Auguste * André Weber as Bien-Phu, farm worker *

Henri Attal Henri Attal (1936 in Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populat ...

as Louis, a gangster *

Dominique Zardi Dominique Zardi (born Emile Jean Cohen-Zardi; 2 March 1930 – 13 December 2009) was a French actor from Paris. He acted in more than 200 feature films, including '' Fantômas'' with Louis De Funès and Jean Marais. He died of cancer at the age of ...

as Tony, a gangster *

Albert Delpy Albert Delpy (born 13 September 1941) is a Vietnamese-born French actor and writer. He has appeared in more than one hundred films since 1970. Personal life He is the father of Julie Delpy and has appeared as her on-screen father in '' 2 Days in ...

Awards

References

External links

* 1970 films 1970s crime drama films French crime drama films Italian crime drama films West German films Films directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre Films based on crime novels Films based on French novels Films set in France Films about families Films scored by Serge Gainsbourg 1970 drama films 1970s French-language films 1970s French films 1970s Italian films {{1970s-France-film-stub