The algerian war, also known as the algerian war of independence or in french. Algerian war, 195462 war for algerian independence from france. 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. The french military used th ese dehumanizing identifications to break down the prisoners sense of self. Follows the conflict between a young algerian man and the local islamic fundamentalists. Benoit tessier scars from the algerian conflict still divide the french as a presidential runoff approaches. The algerian war was a momentous struggle for independence from france by algerian nationalists between 1954 and 1962. Specifically, i want to find out more about what was going on in paris at that time, including but not exclusive to curfews and protests and car bombings, etc. Algerian nationalism 1954 film about french algeria. Films open french wounds from algeria the new york times. Sep 12, 2015 watching the battle of algiers, the 1966 war film about the algerian war of independence. This eightyear conflict resulted in at least one million algerian deaths, the exodus of as many european settlers, and caused the fall of six french prime ministers. The algerian is an international political thriller about the colliding worlds of the middle east and america. The algerian war, the french state and official memory.
Watching the battle of algiers, the 1966 war film about the algerian war of independence. The three depicted were among the 11,000 plus women that took part in the eight year long. An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by. Fifty years after algerias independence, france is still.
During the algerian war 19541962, the french military used torture to gain information and, in turn, suppress the algerian nationalist movement. Algeria, 19541962 by alistair horne, the stranger by albert camus, decolonizing christianity. Jul 05, 2012 fifty years after algerias independence, france is still in denial. While hollywood produced dozens of vietnam war epics and is now tackling iraq, the french film industry has shied away from making. It began on november 1, 1954, and ended eight years later. Dramatic reenactment of the conflict between algerian nationalists and french colonialists that culminated in algerias independence in 1962. Major lecoq is to build an elite unit with these wayward soldiers who are exposed to war, torture and death. An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare, maquis fighting, and the use of torture.
Fifty years after algerias independence, france is still in. Emmanuel macron speaks at a may day rally in paris. But unlike the neighbouring french protectorates of tunesia or morocco, algeria was considered french. If americans have knowledge of the algerian war, it is likely in this context. Albert camus and the frenchalgerian war bonjour paris. Supplying weapons to their brothers, planting bombs, and even dying alongside their compatriots. Many algerian born french citizens are forced to flee algeria as the situation deteriorates for those loyal to france. The film takes place in the city of algiers during the time when france controlled algeria but when revolutions were taking place. May 21, 2010 the film is one of few cinematic treatments of the algerian conflict. Formerly published as fiction and film for french historians vol. The algerian war, also known as the algerian war of independence or the algerian revolution arabic. Italian director gillo pontecorvo was at pains to show both sides of the french algerian conflict during the algerian war of independence, but the film was still labelled as an unfair depiction of the french forces.
Stories about independence fighters in mainland french are especially rare. However, just as the french were stubborn about allowing vietnam to go its separate way, the french also will take drastic measures to keep algeria as one of the last. Her husband is a journalist, and on her arrival home from work, she discovers that her husband is missing. Director breaks french taboo with film tackling algerian war.
Oct 19, 2007 algerian conflict fair game for film as hollywood continues to pour salt over the fresh wounds of the iraq war with a wave of movies, the algerian war is making its way out of the shadows and into. Three french conscripts with diverse political motives, are sent to a disciplinary battalion in the midst of the algerian war. 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. Frances postcolonial war in algeria left such a bitter legacy that remarkably few films have been made on the subject. The french algerian war 19541962 was one of the bloodiest and most significant of such conflicts. The conflict at home over the algerian warwhich is to say, the virtual civil war fought within france over the war in algeriawas part of a grand struggle for the soul of france, for the very. Through his investigations, the likable and handsome karim meets a number of gay arabs, from selffocused youssef to sexually aggressive mustapha. Algeria finally won its independence in 1962 after a war that shook france, brought down the fourth republic and caused nearly a million french citizens of algeria, the socalled pieds noirs, and.
Just as camuss frenchalgerian identity crisis is somehow omitted in contemporary discussion, so too is the bloody war over algerian independence. It is for sociologists or other experts to say why in france people find it difficult to journey into the past, bouchareb told a news conference. Torture had a dehumanizing effect on the individuals of the native population. Elements of both sides in the algerian war of independencethe french armed forces and the opposing algerian national liberation front flnused deliberate torture during that conflict 19541962, creating an ongoing public controversy. The torture used by the french is contrasted with the algerians use. I want to find a good book or books about the frenchalgerian conflict during the early 1960s. It was a complex conflict, which would soon be denied by french authorities. The algerian war nicolas tikhomiroff magnum photos. Most popular french algerian war movies and tv shows imdb.
Nadia kaci, laurent maurel, layla metssitane, ourais achour. Director breaks french taboo with film tackling algerian. The film the battle of algiers, published in 1966, adds a powerful insight to imperialism and colonial revolution. Documentary on the frenchalgerian conflict 19541962 which. 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 french occupation. 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. How the french debacle in algeria shaped the rise of marine. It is based on events by rebels during the algerian war 195462 against the french government in north africa. The films release contributed to a partial recognition of the pension rights of soldiers from former french possessions by the french government. Algeria is on the verge of winning its independence. Algeria and the defeat of french humanism by james heartfield. It was a war that raged violently until the islamic salvation army surrendered in 2002, but as with all wars many innocent people died. 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. While hollywood produced dozens of vietnam war epics and is now tackling iraq, the french film industry has shied away from making guntoting.
Nonetheless, educators might take certain sections of the film, specifically the rape scene and a few other scenes of brutality, to teach the violence of the war, especially if screened in conjunction with selected readings from frantz fanon specifically the case studies of his french and algerian patients who both survived and committed acts. Frances pain over algeria reawakens with 2 new films. One film features algerian martyrs and the other french martyrs. It was the start of a decade which would forever be associated with creativity and. The international reputation of the film, however, remained untarnished, with. Demonstrators, who included rightwing politicians and french war veterans, say the film is biased. These are films set in the algerian war 19541962, including those based on fact and fiction.
Jamila, the algerian wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. The personal history of the le pens is interesting, but whats more important is the way the algerian conflict still casts a long shadow over french politics, and the way it has played into the. Pages in category algerian war films the following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total. The algerian war evokes such bad memories because it was a particularly vicious conflict even by the standards of anticolonial warfare. The frenchalgerian war 19541962 was one of the bloodiest and most significant of such conflicts. This romantic drama follows a young and apparently straight frenchalgerian student, karim, on a sociological quest to find gay muslims. Only two per cent of the algerian population was educated in 1950, and whatever influences the french left had on the algerian national movement were thrown away. Italian director gillo pontecorvo was at pains to show both sides of the frenchalgerian conflict during the algerian war of independence, but the film was still labelled as an unfair depiction of the french forces. In march 1996, seven were kidnapped during the algerian civil war, held for.
Before the war, algeria was a favored setting for french films with the british french professor leslie hill having written. 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. Fifty years after algerias independence, france is still in denial. The film follows the story of a doctor, living and working in algeria during the time of the civil war. A film well worth your time december 1991 marked the beginning of the algerian civil war, as conflict broke out between isalmist rebels and the government of algeria. Most popular french algerian war movies and tv shows refine see titles to watch instantly. Pierrot escapes his boring society and travels from paris to the mediterranean sea with marianne, a girl chased by hitmen from algeria. May 20, 2011 as stated in a previous post, the algerian war of independence was a longlasting conflict. The algerian war, general bollardiere commented on the french dehumanization of the algerian people, its easy to torture a. The conflict began as a series of attacks by the fln against the french forces followed by terrorist attacks on algerian civilians by future oas elements in algiers, reprisals followed and the violence escalated leading the french governorgeneral to deploy the french army in algiers to suppress the fln.
Commissioned by the algerian government, the film reconstructs the. Thus, they felt concerned by the algerian conflict and supported the fln on the international stage. Consisting almost entirely of interviews with french veterans, it is the first film to take a serious look at the scars the war left on the nation. 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. Algerian independence film draws french protest at cannes. A small frenchalgerian war memorial can be found along the seine river walkway between the eiffel tower and the notre dame. As an example, in 1954, a few days after the first insurrection, the radio in yugoslavia thirdworldist begun to make propaganda for the struggle of algeria. This eightyear conflict caused the fall of six french prime ministers and eventually the collapse of the fourth republic. For nearly five decades, when asked for a film on the algerian war, most scholars, historians. Both muslim and european algerians took part in world war ii, fighting for france. The battle of algiers is a 1966 italianalgerian historical war film cowritten and directed by gillo pontecorvo and starring jean martin and saadi yacef.
Algerian war of independence 1960 cia archives french. Guerre dalgerie or revolution algerienne was fought between france and the algerian national liberation front french. In the building that until recently was the main storehouse of french memory, the walls failed to commemorate a war, to leave it as its critics were to call the conflict, a war without a name. Frances pain over algeria reawakens with 2 new films the new.
Torture during the algerian war of independence wikipedia. The algerian war nicolas tikhomiroffs document of the conflict between france and algeria, splitting the french colonial powers who wanted to retain an algerie francaise and the local population led by the rebel fln national liberation front, which demanded independence. How the french debacle in algeria shaped the rise of. The algerian war, also known as the algerian war of independence or the algerian revolution was fought between france and the algerian national liberation front from 1954 to 1962, which led to algeria gaining its independence from france. I was fascinated to see women taking part in the conflict. But even those narrow avenues for the inculcation of french humanism had been blocked off for the younger generation of algerians. It follows ali ben youcef across the world from algeria to new york, las vegas and.
Director breaks french taboo with film tackling algerian war world. Algerian conflict fair game for film hollywood reporter. Oct 19, 2007 paris intimate enemies is the latest french film to bring the 195462 algerian war long taboo out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Algeria, africas second largest country was colonised by the french in the 19th century. French colonial empire war films algerian war films. Guerre dalgerie, was a conflict between france and algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to algeria gaining its independence from france. It began on 1 november 1954, with the shooting by the fln of two young french schoolteachers who had recently married and were on holiday in the aures mountains the wife survived but the husband died. But if we talk about camus, we must talk about the frenchalgerian war, and lets face it, we must talk about camus. War without images algeria, i know that you know youtube. March 18, 1992, was a date of some importance in the french historical. Nevertheless, it was about to provoke a conflict in metropolitan france. Berber protests tend to be related to broader social issues rather than focusing on berber rights and identity alone, thus the. The film deals with the contribution of north african soldiers to the free french forces during the second world war and, controversially, with the discrimination against them. Popular french cinema filmed or set in algeria often echoed many of the tropes common in administrationfunded films.
Our idea is to provide all sorts of bloggers with data and commentary about this issue. Algerian independence film reopens french war wounds france 24. The government has made a number of concessions to berber communities following discontent over its arabisation policies. The battle of algiers and the presented conflict of the.
Silent heroes, women of the algerian revolution alache. French historians estimate that some 15,000 algerians were killed in setif when forces fired on a proindependence rally, but their algerian counterparts put the figure as high as 45,000. Apr 30, 2017 the personal history of the le pens is interesting, but whats more important is the way the algerian conflict still casts a long shadow over french politics, and the way it has played into the. Jacques spiesser, jacques villeret, jacques weber, claude brosset. Films and documentaries about algerian war of independence. Film chronicles persecution of monks in algeria of gods and men, a french film set in an algerian monastery in the 1990s, is loosely based on the story of seven monks who were kidnapped and. One of the things that emerges from a glance at french history during the algerian war 19541962 is just how turbulent and brutal a time it.
Algerian muslims served as tirailleurs such regiments were created as early as 1842 46 and spahis. Algerian conflict fair game for film as hollywood continues to pour salt over the fresh wounds of the iraq war with a wave of movies, the algerian war is. One must add that this absence is also an absence of physical locations in french cinema. Paris intimate enemies is the latest french film to bring the 195462 algerian war long taboo out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
French and arabic dialogue, with title, opening credits and subtitles in english and end credits in french. Despite current french president francois hollandes sympathy towards algeria and his pledge to reverse french intransigence, france was still excluded from the 50th anniversary of algerian independence last july. As stated in a previous post, the algerian war of independence was a longlasting conflict. A look at war as a nasty thing that harms and sullies everyone who participates in it.
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