Lost Command (1966) Director: Mark Robson Actors: Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal Runtime: 129 min Hollywood movie on the Algerian War that was banned in France for ten years (1966–1976). Main protagonist of the “Lost Command” is a French peasant determined to become a newcomer to the military aristocracy. He was decisive on becoming …
Chronique des Années de Braise (1975) Director: Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina Actors: Yorgo Voyagis, Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Leila Shenna Runtime: 177 min It is very rare to see colonialism depicted from the perspective of the enslaved. In this great Algerian movie, director Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina succeeded in showing the essence of colonial rule and many aspects of resistance to …
Week end (1967) Director: Jean-Luc Godard Actors: Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne Runtime: 105 min A couple prepares for the weekend. He doesn’t love her, she doesn’t love him. Both have someone on the side and wish that the other gets killed. This weekend they are going to the hospital where her father is dying, in …
Afrique 50 (1950) Director: René Vautier Runtime: 17 min René Vautier went to West Africa to make a documentary for the French League of Schooling, but when he arrived there he was appalled by the colonial exploitation, brutal crimes of the French army and poverty people lived in. Although upon his return to the country, …
Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972) Director: Luis Buñuel Actors: Fernando Rey, Paul Frankeur, Delphine Seyrig Runtime: 102 min The movie follows a group of friends from upper middle class and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together. They are experts on expensive food and drinks, know how to enjoy without haste, …
Le chagrin et la pitié (1969) Director: Marcel Ophüls Runtime: 251 min This two-part documentary analyzes the occupation of France in World War II through the example of a city with a population of approximately 100,000 people. The spirit of the time is quite well conveyed with the use of archive materials, as well as …
The Victors (1963) Director: Carl Foreman Actors: Vince Edwards, Albert Finney, George Hamilton Runtime: 150 min (175?) This movie follows a group of American soldiers through different European battlefields in World War II: Italy, France, Belgium, Germany. It is composed of several short stories that share the same theme and characters, divided by sequences of …
Hors la loi (2010) Director: Rachid Bouchareb Actors: Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila Runtime: 138 min This tale of three Algerian brothers who are living in France in the late 1950s and early 1960s presents an exceptional insight into the Algerian anti-colonial struggle. Critics place this movie somewhere between film noir and western, comparing …
L’ordre et la morale (2011) Director: Mathieu Kassovitz Actors: Mathieu Kassovitz Runtime: 136 min New Caledonia in 1988, group FLNKS abducted two dozen police officers and demanded independence from France. Since this happened just before the second round of presidential elections in France, the politicians decided to terminate the negotiations and resolve the hostage crisis …
La battaglia di Algeri (1966) Director: Gillo Pontecorvo Actors: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi Runtime: 121 min The Algerian revolution was an anti-colonial conflict between France and the Algerian liberation movements from 1954 to 1962, when Algeria gained its independence. The movie covers a period of intense urban-guerrilla activity in the capital Algiers from …
