CANNES 2006 Competition / France
An unglorified Days of Glory
This morning’s press screening of Days of Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Bréhat
interview: Rachid Bouchareb
film profile], by French/Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb, was greeted with grand applause.
Featuring four top actors – Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila and Samy Nacéri – the moving war epic reveals the truth behind a dark event in French history: the active participation of North Africa soldiers during the 1944-1945 Liberation from Fascism and Nazism.
United in 1943 by the conflict that sought volunteers even in the most distant villages, Saïd, a kind illiterate; Messaoud, the sentimental marksman; Abdelkader the ambitious justice-loving corporal and Yacir, the savage looter turned soldier, cross the Mediterranean to find themselves at war in Monte Cassino, Italy the following year. They then follow the festive liberation of Marseille in August 1944, before being sent to Rhône valley, the snow-capped Vosges and finally Alsace.
A trail of death and intimate moments of military life little by little lead the main characters to the realisation that not even uniforms can hide racial inequality (“Blacks aren’t made to give orders”), a far cry from the French slogan of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.
A story of men and a melodramatic action film, Bouchareb’s work follows in the classical cinematic tradition and successfully combines historical accuracy with moments of powerful fictional intensity. Reaching its peak in the last half hour, the film proves to be an homage to these little-known war heroes, while also contributing to lively debates on the topical themes of immigration and integration in French society.
A French/Moroccan/Algerian/Belgian co-production headed by French company Tessalit Productions (founded and directed by Jean Bréat and Bouchareb), Days of Glory was made on a €14.4m budget.
The film was backed by France 3 Cinéma (€1.3m) and France 2 Cinéma (€1.1m), and received an advance of receipts from the CNC (€500,000), as well as several regional funding bodies. The film is a 10 % co-production by Belgian outfit Versus Production and is being sold internationally by Films Distribution.
(Translated from French)
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