Frances pain over algeria reawakens with 2 new films the new. The algerian war evokes such bad memories because it was a particularly vicious conflict even by the standards of anticolonial warfare. French colonial empire war films algerian war films. Theorists such as frenchmartinican frantz fanon and frenchtunisian albert memmi draw parallels between nazism and the decolonization struggle. They felt that frances leaders under the fourth republic were more worried. French movie biz turns attention to algerian war reuters. It is based on events by rebels during the algerian war 195462 against the french government in north africa. Everyone involved considers that they lived through it in their own way, and any attempt to understand the algerian war globally is immediately rejected by protagonists. Supplying weapons to their brothers, planting bombs, and even dying alongside their compatriots. Even though stora has counted 3,000 publications in french on the algerian war, there still is no work produced by french and algerian authors cooperating with one another. Anthony quinn, alain delon, george segal, michele morgan.
Feraoun was a western educated algerian and well accquainted with the french. Only a handful of acclaimed films have tackled the conflict, notably gillo pontecorvos acclaimed the battle of algiers, which did not appear until. Metropolitics explores the role of conflict in their development. French paratroopers was published and distributed in france and around the world in 1958, at the height of the algerian war. Hundreds protest as antifrench outside the law is screened. Torture in the algerian war 195462 world socialist web site. Clark honors college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts june 2016. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the invasion of algiers and lasted until the algerian war of independence concluded in 1962.
The algerian war, the french state, official memory 221 the algerian war was different. The scale of french retaliations instilled fear and anger among the algerian population and vengeance among the pied noirs. Stories about independence fighters in mainland french are especially rare. There are a few important works on the algerian civil war available for the english reader. Apr 09, 2001 torture in the algerian war 195462 the algerian war 195462 by marianne arens and francoise thull 9 april 2001 the french army systematically used torture and murder in algeria against its. Biographical film about french writer jeanpaul sartre, concentrating on his passionate affairs with women. Bringing to an end one hundred and thirty two years of french rule, the algerian struggle caused the fall of six french prime ministers, the collapse of the fourth republic and expulsion of one million french settlers. French army colonel raspeguy leads his paratroopers in battle against the communist viet minh in indochina and against algerian guerrilla during the algerian war. The francoalgerian war through a twentyfirst century lens. Director breaks french taboo with film tackling algerian war world. Later, the highly controversial war between algeria and its former colonial power, france, fought from the mid1950s until the granting of independence in 1962. Aug 17, 2015 the algerian war of independence was a brutal and bitter struggle, one which continues to haunt both countries today. Theorists such as french martinican frantz fanon and french tunisian albert memmi draw parallels between nazism and the decolonization struggle. A young french algerian woman travels to algeria in search for her fiance.
Less than 24 hours by ship from marseille, it was fought with draftees. Le petit soldat is a french film, written and directed by french filmmaker jeanluc godard in 1960, but not released until 1963. Alleg was unaware that a french detective h ad arrested audin the previous day and was waiting in audins home. Ater eight years of fighting, the algerian war finally came to an end in 1962. Algerian revolutionary djamila bouhired bouhired is a nationalist who opposed the french colonial rule of algeria. Its the first blockbuster that deals with the algerian war and that follows the codes of a true war film, that is, soldiers who go off to fight and are exposed little by little to the. The film is one of few cinematic treatments of the algerian conflict. Determined to find his whereabouts, she is facing political and religious obstacles in a country that is struggling with the aftermath of a civil war.
The movement for independence began during world war i 191418 and gained momentum after french promises of greater selfrule in algeria went unfulfilled after world war ii 193945. The algerian war, also known as the algerian war of independence or the algerian revolution arabic. Oct 03, 2007 but one french director is attempting to redress the balance, giving the action film treatment to the bloody saga of algerias war of independence against france between 1954 and 1962. During the algerian war, both the french army in algeria and the pieds noirs felt abandoned by the french government. Moreover, a period of five decades allows historical information and material, whether occulted, forgotten, or simply unknown, to emerge. But one french director is attempting to redress the balance, giving the actionfilm treatment to the bloody saga of algerias war of independence. Set in the second world war era the film tries to cover a notsowellknown side of the war as it depicts the discriminatory treatment of soldiers from algeria and other french colonies, who fought for the fatherland, but their contribution was hardly recognized as. The torture used by the french is contrasted with the algerians use of bombs in soda shops. Bouhired is considered by many as being among the most powerful female freedom fighters of the twentieth century, but still for vague reasons, very little is known about this national cum international heroine despite her being widely considered the. Frances postcolonial war in algeria left such a bitter legacy that remarkably few films have been made on the subject. Major lecoq is to build an elite unit with these wayward soldiers who are exposed to war, torture and death. If americans have knowledge of the algerian war, it is likely in this context. According to historian benjamin stora, one of the leading historians on the algerian war, memories concerning the war remain fragmented, with no common ground to speak of.
At times horribly savage, it was an undeclared war in the sense that no formal declaration of hostilities was ever made. Oct 04, 2007 a film billed as the french platoon uses hollywoodstyle action cinema to relate one of the most painful episodes in recent french history, the brutal algerian war of independence. The algerian war is the subject of this french documentary, as is only proper, because that war gave the french a new government, a new constitution, and resulted in the repatriation of over a million french colonists from algeria. The algerian war began just nine years after the end of wwii. French film breaks silence of algerian war atrocities the. I was fascinated to see women taking part in the conflict. At the outbreak of the conflict in november 1954 the liberal pierre mendesfrance, who had been willing to negotiate the. The simple truth about the french algerian war is that the algerian muslims lost their patience and the french lost their chance.
The francoalgerian war through a twentyfirst century. Considering the films disturbing depiction of the war and the directors past it is a wonder avoir vingt ans dans les aures made it past the censors. Torture in the algerian war 195462 world socialist. French film breaks silence of algerian war atrocities. The algerian war, also known as the algerian war of independence or the algerian revolution arabic language. Before the outbreak of war, nativealgerians modestly called for more autonomy, asking for citizenship, religious freedom, and equality in education and work. The french algerian war 19541962 was one of the bloodiest and most significant of such conflicts. The film, then, is arguably an important milestone in the slow pro cess of reassessing frances part in the algerian war. France admits torture during algerias war of independence. Even today, the war is known in the arab world as the revolution of a million martyrs in honor of the high algerian casualty rate. During the algerian war of independence, mistrust abounds between the drafted local algerians and metropolitan french forming a french army platoon. Silent heroes, women of the algerian revolution alache. Before the war, algeria was a favored setting for french films with the british french professor leslie hill having written.
Franz fannon, alistair hornes history, the film battle of algiers, and recently feraouns diary are the ones that readily come to mind. In the late 1920s and 1930s, for instance, north africa provided film makers in france with a ready fund of familiar images of the exotics, mingling, for instance, the languid eroticism of arabian nights with the. For nearly five decades, when asked for a film on the algerian war, most scholars, historians, and film buffs would immediately point to the battle of algiers. The algerian war unifrance, promoting french cinema. Algerian war of independence 1960 cia archives french. Albert camus and the frenchalgerian war bonjour paris. It was a complex conflict, which would soon be denied by french authorities. During these decades historians and writers have continued to revisit key moments of. Jul the algerian war of independence against the french ends. The rotmantavernier documentary focused on the psychological effects of the algerian war of independence 195462 on french soldiers who served in the conflict, the impact of french military tactics and extrajudicial actions and included oncamera interviews with french veterans speaking about their experiences of the socalled undeclared war. Guerre dalgerie, algerian war was a war between france and the algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to algeria gaining its independence from france.
It began on november 1, 1954, and ended eight years later. Le parisien called it the film that disturbs because it is an angry and coarse indictment of french colonial rule, opening with the may 1945 massacre of mostly unarmed algerian civilians by. The french foreign legion has left vietnam in defeat and has something to prove. Most popular french algerian war movies and tv shows imdb. At age twentytwo vautier was jailed for his 1950 debut films accurate account. The algerian war remains a contentious event today.
A chronology of the algerian war of independence the. A film commissioned by the algerian government that shows the algerian revolution from both sides. Bouhired is considered by many as being among the most powerful female freedom fighters of the twentieth century, but still for vague reasons, very little is known about this national cum international heroine despite her being widely considered the face. The algerian war of independence, which coincided with a turning point in frances urban history, had a significant influence on the future of french cities. Algerian independence film reopens french war wounds france 24. Released in 1972, rene vautiers film is a gritty, realistic, and troubling account of the algerian war. Our idea is to provide all sorts of bloggers with data and commentary about this issue. Algerian war, 195462 war for algerian independence from france. A film billed as the french platoon uses hollywoodstyle action cinema to relate one of the most painful episodes in recent french history, the. Henri alleg, while in hiding from the french military in algeria, went to his friend maurice audins home. These are films set in the algerian war 19541962, including those based on fact and fiction. Algerian and french production partnershipssuch as. The battle of algiers is a 1966 italianalgerian historical war film cowritten and directed by gillo pontecorvo and starring jean martin and saadi yacef. This film, is about the courage and the determination of a young woman in djurdjuras mountain in algeria, fighting for her ancestor land during the earlier years of.
The simple truth about the frenchalgerian war is that the algerian muslims lost their patience and the french lost their chance. As stated in a previous post, the algerian war of independence was a longlasting conflict. The main and most important consequence of this was the decolonisation of algeria, and the creation of the country algeria. Through its nuanced analysis of the wars depiction in film, the francoalgerian war through a twentyfirst century lens locates an international reckoning with history that both condemns and exonerates past generations. The francoalgerian war 195462 remains a powerful international symbol of third worldism and the finality of empire. The three depicted were among the 11,000 plus women that took part in the eight year long. Algerian independence film draws french protest at cannes. Sep 12, 2015 watching the battle of algiers, the 1966 war film about the algerian war of independence. Algerian jews during the war for independence, 19541962, by jessica hammerman the past decade and a half has witnessed an outpouring of scholarship on the history of french algeria, and particularly the period of the frenchalgerian war 19541962.
Released in 2006, the english title of rachid boucharebs film, indigenes, or natives in french, is a traditional war movie. Indeed, there is much to admire about gillo pontecorvos 1966 classic. Algeria finally won its independence in 1962 after a war that shook france, brought down the fourth republic and caused nearly a million french. May 21, 2010 bouchareb insisted after the screening. Jan 04, 2011 le parisien called it the film that disturbs because it is an angry and coarse indictment of french colonial rule, opening with the may 1945 massacre of mostly unarmed algerian civilians by. Three french conscripts with diverse political motives, are sent to a disciplinary battalion in the midst of the algerian war. This trajectory silenced the voices on both sides that called for moderation, and the algerian war of independence 19541962 was thus characterized by fln terrorism and french brutality.
Films and documentaries about algerian war of independence. Hundreds of people at the french film festival in cannes have protested against a movie about algerias struggle for independence from france. The frenchalgerian war 19541962 was one of the bloodiest and most significant of such conflicts. The torture used by the french is contrasted with the algerian s use of bombs in soda shops. One of the things that emerges from a glance at french history during the algerian war 1954. Director breaks french taboo with film tackling algerian war. There is no such thing as a history of the algerian war. Though the consensus in europe in 1945 was that the horrors of the war should never be allowed to take place again. The algerian war, the french state and official memory. May 21, 2010 hundreds protest as antifrench outside the law is screened. For example, french archives pertaining to the algerian war, closed until 1999, are now accessible to researchers. French platoon brings algeria war to big screen reuters.
How the algerian war shaped french cities metropolitics. Pages in category algerian war films the following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total. May 20, 2011 our idea is to provide all sorts of bloggers with data and commentary about this issue. Interpreting colonialism and violence through contemporary french films on the algerian war by sarah jane carey a thesis presented to the department of philosophy and the robert d.
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