The merciless one

This article deals with the Franco-German feature film. See also: Merciless , US Western.

Movie
German title	The merciless one
Original title	La horse
Country of production	Italy , France , Germany
original language	French
Publishing year	1970
length	80 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Pierre Granier-Deferre
script	Pascal Jardin
production	Paul Cadéac , Cyril Grize , Ludwig Waldleitner
music	Serge Gainsbourg , Michel Colombier
camera	Walter Wottitz
cut	Jean Ravel
occupation
Jean Gabin : Auguste Maroilleur, owner of the farm Marc Porel : Henri, Augustes grandson Danièle Ajoret : Louise, Auguste's younger daughter Michel Barbey : Maurice, Louise's husband Christian Barbier : Léon, Mathilde's husband Pierre Dux : Investigator Armando Francioli : Francis Grutti, a gangster Julien Guiomar : Police Inspector Eléonore Hirt : Mathilde, Auguste's older daughter Reinhard Kolldehoff : Hans, drug baron Astrid Frank : friend of Hans Félix Marten : Marc, a gangster Orlane Paquin : Véronique, Augustes granddaughter André Weber : Bien-Phu, farmhand Henri Attal : Louis, a gangster Dominique Zardi : Tony, a gangster

The merciless (original title: La horse , in German: Heroin) is an Italian-French-German feature film from 1970 by Pierre Granier-Deferre . The screenplay, written by Pascal Jardin , is based on the novel La horse by Michel Lambesc . The leading roles are cast with Jean Gabin , Eléonore Hirt , Christian Barbier and Marc Porel . The film had its world premiere on February 22, 1970 in France . In Germany it was first seen in cinemas on June 26, 1970.

action

He is only called the "old man", the farmer in the country who orders daughter Louise, son-in-law Maurice and granddaughter Véronique around on his farm. He determines everything that has to happen, because: “ I inherited the farm!” The world around him has changed, but he himself has not. This becomes particularly clear when his grandson Henri, 24 years old and a bartender at sea, goes on holiday on the farm and the old man discovers that Henri is involved in the drug trade. He sees this as the onset of the "new time"; but there is no such thing here, where the "old days" still prevail. He destroys the heroin (hence the original title “horse” equals “heroin”) and unceremoniously kills a messenger from the underworld. But then the cheated traders approach with several people and pester the old man, kill his cattle and rape the granddaughter - until the peasant family, under the guidance of the patriarch, kills the intruders with cunning and cold-bloodedness.

Finally the police come and investigate. But the family sticks together; nothing can be proven, and in the end the grandson Henri even wants to become a farmer himself.

criticism

The lexicon of international films succinctly notes that the film is a crime film of some quality set in an unusual setting. The evangelical film observer , who sums up his criticism as follows: "The film justifies authoritarian and dictatorial behavior and spreads a reactionary view of law, society and order."

Web links

• The Merciless in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• The merciless at filmportal.de (with photo gallery)
• Five pictures from the film at Cinema.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Source: Evangelischer Filmbeobachter , Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 295/1970,
   pp. 298–299
2. ↑ The Merciless. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed November 18, 2016 .