Product Description

"1943. Although they have never set foot on French soil, four young Algerian soldiers feel it is their duty to enlist along with 130,000 other 'indigenous troops'. Their noble aim is to fight for the liberation of their 'fatherland' from the Nazi enemy ravaging Europe and the world. The epic journey these forgotten heroes embark upon shows us the injustices they faced in the time of war, the fearless courage they displayed in the face of brutal conflict and the discrimination they encountered from the nation they helped defend". So powerful is the impact of Days of Glory (Indigènes), that when it was released in France in September 2006, the French government were forced to challenges the discrimination between the war veteran's pensions received by the colonial troops and those received by French nationals. French president Jacques Chirac was so moved by the film he immediately raised the pensions of thousands of veteran soldiers from former French colonies to the same level as their French national peers. The film has also functioned as a catalyst in rectifying unjust pension laws in Belgium and Italy. The film has bought to light similar injustices faced by British colonial troops like the Gurkhas.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1067 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-24
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 120 minutes

Synopsis
There has never been a WWII film quite like Rachid Bouchareb’s DAYS OF GLORY, which shows the ‘good war’ through the eyes of four North African soldiers fighting for the French army during the German occupation. Though similar in both structure and tone to Steven Spielberg’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, GLORY seeks recognition for soldiers who were treated as second-class citizens during their service and never given their due. Under the leadership of Sergeant Martinez (Bernard Blancan), a company of North African soldiers undergoes a series of skirmishes across Italy and France, preventing the advance of the Nazis. Uneducated Said (Jamel Debbouzel, AMELIE), who had few options outside of enlistment, acts as a virtual servant to Martinez. Yassir (Samy Naceri) and his brother, Larbi (Assad Bouab), also come from poverty and--though they joined for selfish reasons--are fierce fighters. Messaoud (Roschdy Zem) is strong and silent, and has deadly aim with a rifle. Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), however, is the ambitious one, unafraid to speak up when he and his company encounter prejudice, yet ever hopeful that he will be recognized for his achievements and be given the same liberty, equality, and fraternity as those who were born French. Through a series of bloody and spectacular battles with the Germans, these men risk their lives, never knowing what they will have at the end of it all. DAYS OF GLORY packs all the punch of a great war film---thrilling and heartbreaking battles, humor, and the loss of people we grow to care for. Bouchareb fearlessly uses a time-honored genre to address an elephant in the French living room: we are told at the film’s conclusion that, in 1952, France voted to cease pension payments to soldiers from countries no longer under French rule. In 2006, following a screening of this film, Jacques Chirac reinstituted their pensions.

Customer Reviews

Long overdue
An intense film that while has often been compared to Saving Private Ryan other than them both being war films has very little in common.

The film depicts Algerian soldiers who had volunteered to fight in the French army during world war 2. The film begins with a village elder in Algeria calling upon the men to fight for the 'motherland' France against German occupation. When enlisted, they are brought together with North African troops who had already been fighting in North Africa and were to be posted to France. They are put under the command of an Algerian born French officer, given the most basic of training and then sent to the front.

Their first battle is to take a hilltop heavily fortified by German forces. While suffering heavy casualties they manage to capture the position. Encouraged by their success and now with valuable military experience they are greeted as heroes in France. Still prejudice is never far away. The first most obvious example we are give is when on board a boat the men are receiving a meal however, the chef refuses to give a tomato to a black soldier resulting in a minor mutiny that is only quelled when their commanding officer assures them that all will receive the same rations.

The army unit moves to the mountains where they are commanded to hold positions in freezing conditions while white French troops are given leave, finally they are given leave only to return back to be given a mission to hold a small French village under near impossible conditions.

Much of the film is given to developing each character. One is an illiterate man from a village, incapable of making his own decisions and quickly falls under the leadership of his commanding officer. Another is a fairly well educated man who seeks promotion in the army and sees himself as a career officer. Then we have two brothers and a man who falls in love with a local girl and hopes that when the war ends, he may return to her and settle down in Marseilles. Finally, there is their commanding officer, who while born in Algeria sees himself as very much French with something of a colonial contempt for the Arabs while keeping a dark secret hidden.

While there is ample time for character development and throughout the film you do come to relate to the characters I found it interesting that the black African soldiers barely said a word (Other than complain about not getting a tomato) and played very much a background role. No doubt they were Senegalese troops due to their dress and there does exists a fair amount of racism towards black Africans by some Arabs so I would have been interested to see something of that examined in the film. I felt the simple "All us colonials together" A little far fetched.

That out of the main characters one it seems wishes to remain in France, another begins to feel increasingly that while Fighting for the freedom of France that should also extend to his own people I found quite realistic. I have spoken to many Africans who had fought during the second word war and many tell of how on returning from the war saw the freedom of their own nation just as important as the freedom of Britain or France for which they fought.

The fact that it has took so long to recognise the contribution of 'colonial' troops during the second world war both in the cinema and in history books may go some way to explain why some would see this film as 'politically correct' The fact that France frozen the pensions of these men who fought to free their country is a source of shame.

This is a touching film. One of the concluding scenes where after the Algerian troops having fought so bravely to defend the village the photographer takes pictures of white troops celebrating with local villages was an excellent way in showing how history has been whitewashed.

Well worth watching.

A different point of view
The war with the eyes of North African french army volountiers. Only good fellows like depicted in the film ? Not in Italy.

a clash of loyalties
It was a great idea to show the war through the eyes of colonial troops. Were they patriots or mercenaries? The conflicting emotions are well shown and this excellent film is well constructed although the cemetary at the end is a bit of a cliche. The director does not pretend to political neutrality. He is out to make a point.
I fought alongside the 'goums' [as we called them] in the Liri valley. Their officers were all French andthey were regarded as semi-civilised, although their bravery [savagery?] was admired. There were many rumours - they were paid for the number of German ears they brought in [false] - they were addicted to rape [too often true]. I would be surprised if many of them enlisted for patriotic rather than economic reasons.