April 9, 2007
This film deals with the little-explored theme of soliders from the colonies fighting for the 'Motherland.' The clichéd English title misses entirely the irony of the French title, 'Indigenes' Whilst this simply means 'natives' the word at the time was laced with snobbery and racism, which are the themes of this story.
Like the Gurkhas of the British Army, the North African veterans have fought for years to be recognised on par with their European comrades with regards to payment of pensions. This film highlights similar examples of double standards during the war itself; in how much leave from service the soldiers would get, in how likely they were to be promoted etc.
Unfortunately the film doesn't seem to scratch far below the surface of these 'grandstanded' occasions (lots of 'liberté, egalité, fraternité). There is the odd pejorative thrown at the soldiers (the word 'bunyol' is translated as 'wog') but the personal reactions of the lead characters are not shown. All but one of them profess valour and duty towards France, but their reasons are never clear. The other mentions that his grandfather's generation had been killed in Algeria by the imperial French, but the conflict between these emotions and those of his companions is never explored.
The performances are reasonable and actors did win a collective award at Cannes. But I can't help feeling that the characters were little more than sketches; the fierce noble one, the naive simple one (predictable casting in Jamel Debbouze), the jaded mercenary....
Overall the film was entertaining enough in that it sheds light on a little known part of history and there are moments of engaging dialogue. But expect a rather predictable 'struggle against adversity' rather than a 'mesmerising tour de force.'
Like the Gurkhas of the British Army, the North African veterans have fought for years to be recognised on par with their European comrades with regards to payment of pensions. This film highlights similar examples of double standards during the war itself; in how much leave from service the soldiers would get, in how likely they were to be promoted etc.
Unfortunately the film doesn't seem to scratch far below the surface of these 'grandstanded' occasions (lots of 'liberté, egalité, fraternité). There is the odd pejorative thrown at the soldiers (the word 'bunyol' is translated as 'wog') but the personal reactions of the lead characters are not shown. All but one of them profess valour and duty towards France, but their reasons are never clear. The other mentions that his grandfather's generation had been killed in Algeria by the imperial French, but the conflict between these emotions and those of his companions is never explored.
The performances are reasonable and actors did win a collective award at Cannes. But I can't help feeling that the characters were little more than sketches; the fierce noble one, the naive simple one (predictable casting in Jamel Debbouze), the jaded mercenary....
Overall the film was entertaining enough in that it sheds light on a little known part of history and there are moments of engaging dialogue. But expect a rather predictable 'struggle against adversity' rather than a 'mesmerising tour de force.'