Scan and Pan
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Indigènes (Days of Glory)
During World War II, the Free French Army of Charles de Gaulle recruits young men from the French colonies in North Africa, including Algeria. Some of the men are patriots, some are looking for adventure, and some join because the pay is good and poverty isn't. Once in the army, they discover that there's one standard for French Christian soldiers, and another for North African Muslim soldiers. The former get better food and are even allowed leave, while the latter are looked down on as inferior men, not deserving leave or any other consideration--in short, cannon fodder. One soldier's love letters are even censored because his relationship with a French woman is disapproved of. Despite this, one unit makes its mark in battles from Italy to France, and they're given a final mission to hold a small town from German forces at any cost.
Writer/director Rachid Bouchareb and co-writer Olivier Lorelle bring the struggles of these forgotten soldiers back into the light of day, examining their sacrifices for a country that saw them as lesser human beings. The film employs a traditional war film narrative with the dramatic punch coming from the conflict between French officers and North African infantrymen, the conflicts between the infantrymen themselves, and the sergeant who has to mediate the contradictions. Although the latter part of the film seems to borrow from Saving Private Ryan, the well-realized characters, vivid battle scenes, and a sense of justified indignation combine to make it a powerful film, powerful enough to shame the current French government into paying pensions to surviving North African soldiers, a practice that was stopped after the colonies they came from gained independence.
Excellent cinematography by Patrick Blossier (Music Box, Mad City) captures the look of war-torn Europe with desaturated colors, the standard in war movies since Saving Private Ryan, and that of Algeria with brighter colors, while finely balancing the epic sweep of the battle scenes with the more intimate character scenes. Armand Amar and Cheb Khaled contribute a good, and at times moving, score with both European and North African influences.
The cast is outstanding all around, with Sami Bouajila as Abdelkader, a corporal who stands up to French racism; Jamel Debbouze as Said, a shy but illiterate peasant who becomes valet to the unit's sergeant; Roschdy Zem as Messaoud, the unit's best marksman, who falls in love with a French woman in Marseilles; Samy Naceri as Yassir, a Berber who joins for the money and has a penchant for stealing from the dead; Assaad Bouab as Yassir's younger brother, Larbi; Bernard Blancan as the French sergeant who conceals that his mother was an Arab so he won't be discriminated against; Antoine Chappey as a French colonel; and Aurélie Eltvedt as Irène, Messaoud's lover.
The sacrifices these men made in the face of colonialism and racism deserve to be remembered, and this film not only serves as a fitting memorial, it's also good enough to form a triumvirate of great 2006 war movies with Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. Highly recommended.
This 2006 Algerian production tells the story of a forgotten group of soldiers and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Picture Oscar.
During World War II, the Free French Army of Charles de Gaulle recruits young men from the French colonies in North Africa, including Algeria. Some of the men are patriots, some are looking for adventure, and some join because the pay is good and poverty isn't. Once in the army, they discover that there's one standard for French Christian soldiers, and another for North African Muslim soldiers. The former get better food and are even allowed leave, while the latter are looked down on as inferior men, not deserving leave or any other consideration--in short, cannon fodder. One soldier's love letters are even censored because his relationship with a French woman is disapproved of. Despite this, one unit makes its mark in battles from Italy to France, and they're given a final mission to hold a small town from German forces at any cost.
Writer/director Rachid Bouchareb and co-writer Olivier Lorelle bring the struggles of these forgotten soldiers back into the light of day, examining their sacrifices for a country that saw them as lesser human beings. The film employs a traditional war film narrative with the dramatic punch coming from the conflict between French officers and North African infantrymen, the conflicts between the infantrymen themselves, and the sergeant who has to mediate the contradictions. Although the latter part of the film seems to borrow from Saving Private Ryan, the well-realized characters, vivid battle scenes, and a sense of justified indignation combine to make it a powerful film, powerful enough to shame the current French government into paying pensions to surviving North African soldiers, a practice that was stopped after the colonies they came from gained independence.
Excellent cinematography by Patrick Blossier (Music Box, Mad City) captures the look of war-torn Europe with desaturated colors, the standard in war movies since Saving Private Ryan, and that of Algeria with brighter colors, while finely balancing the epic sweep of the battle scenes with the more intimate character scenes. Armand Amar and Cheb Khaled contribute a good, and at times moving, score with both European and North African influences.
The cast is outstanding all around, with Sami Bouajila as Abdelkader, a corporal who stands up to French racism; Jamel Debbouze as Said, a shy but illiterate peasant who becomes valet to the unit's sergeant; Roschdy Zem as Messaoud, the unit's best marksman, who falls in love with a French woman in Marseilles; Samy Naceri as Yassir, a Berber who joins for the money and has a penchant for stealing from the dead; Assaad Bouab as Yassir's younger brother, Larbi; Bernard Blancan as the French sergeant who conceals that his mother was an Arab so he won't be discriminated against; Antoine Chappey as a French colonel; and Aurélie Eltvedt as Irène, Messaoud's lover.
The sacrifices these men made in the face of colonialism and racism deserve to be remembered, and this film not only serves as a fitting memorial, it's also good enough to form a triumvirate of great 2006 war movies with Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers. Highly recommended.
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