The story of a handful of Berber tribesmen from Algeria who enlist in the French Army during World War II and slog their way through North Africa, Italy, France, and Alsace in order to rid the world of Nazi occupiers. There are several effective scenes of combat and the ending somewhat resembles that of "Saving Private Ryan". Man, they are a rag tag bunch too. They always look dirty, their uniforms tatty and irregular, and they always need a shave. Their equipment looks like it was bought in a dollar store. The men wear helmets that are variously British, American, and French.
There is also a subtext. The North African troops, including their French leaders, are looked down upon by the native French troops. And, on top of that, the Berbers face prejudice because they are swarthy, sometimes illiterate, and speak French with an accent, their native language being Arabic.
I'm not sure there's very much new in the story. We follow half a dozen men as they suffer deaths, failed loves, and internal conflicts. The strongest performance -- possibly because it's one of the most carefully written -- is that of Bernard Blancan as the French sergeant who heads the platoon. He looks like one of the villainous chumps one might find in a Laurel and Hardy short but his character is complex. He treats the Berber recruits with disdain and does everything possible to hide the fact that his mother was an Arab.
The photography and location shooting are mostly pretty gloomy and there's little in the way of light-hearted humor. Everyone seems rather sad even the two pretty young French ladies, of whom we should have seen more. There's a touching scene in which a girl in Marseilles takes one of the men up to her room. She strips. He hesitates, his shirt half off. She asks what's wrong and he tells her that where he comes from men like him are not allowed to be with French girls.
I understand the Algerian's nationalism but I'm not sure that what it led to after the war was such a marvelous improvement. However, it's all over now.
There is also a subtext. The North African troops, including their French leaders, are looked down upon by the native French troops. And, on top of that, the Berbers face prejudice because they are swarthy, sometimes illiterate, and speak French with an accent, their native language being Arabic.
I'm not sure there's very much new in the story. We follow half a dozen men as they suffer deaths, failed loves, and internal conflicts. The strongest performance -- possibly because it's one of the most carefully written -- is that of Bernard Blancan as the French sergeant who heads the platoon. He looks like one of the villainous chumps one might find in a Laurel and Hardy short but his character is complex. He treats the Berber recruits with disdain and does everything possible to hide the fact that his mother was an Arab.
The photography and location shooting are mostly pretty gloomy and there's little in the way of light-hearted humor. Everyone seems rather sad even the two pretty young French ladies, of whom we should have seen more. There's a touching scene in which a girl in Marseilles takes one of the men up to her room. She strips. He hesitates, his shirt half off. She asks what's wrong and he tells her that where he comes from men like him are not allowed to be with French girls.
I understand the Algerian's nationalism but I'm not sure that what it led to after the war was such a marvelous improvement. However, it's all over now.