In association with

Days Of Glory [2006]
from Metrodome Distribution
starring Jamel Debbouzel, Antoine Chappey, Aurelie Eltvedt, Roschdy Zem, Samy Naceri
directed by Rachid Bouchareb

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

"1943. Although they have never set foot on French soil, four young Algerian soldiers feel it is their duty to enlist along with 130,000 other 'indigenous troops'. Their noble aim is to fight for the liberation of their 'fatherland' from the Nazi enemy ravaging Europe and the world. The epic journey these forgotten heroes embark upon shows us the injustices they faced in the time of war, the fearless courage they displayed in the face of brutal conflict and the discrimination they encountered from the nation they helped defend". So powerful is the impact of Days of Glory (Indigènes), that when it was released in France in September 2006, the French government were forced to challenges the discrimination between the war veteran's pensions received by the colonial troops and those received by French nationals. French president Jacques Chirac was so moved by the film he immediately raised the pensions of thousands of veteran soldiers from former French colonies to the same level as their French national peers. The film has also functioned as a catalyst in rectifying unjust pension laws in Belgium and Italy. The film has bought to light similar injustices faced by British colonial troops like the Gurkhas.

There has never been a WWII film quite like Rachid Bouchareb’s DAYS OF GLORY, which shows the ‘good war’ through the eyes of four North African soldiers fighting for the French army during the German occupation. Though similar in both structure and tone to Steven Spielberg’s SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, GLORY seeks recognition for soldiers who were treated as second-class citizens during their service and never given their due. Under the leadership of Sergeant Martinez (Bernard Blancan), a company of North African soldiers undergoes a series of skirmishes across Italy and France, preventing the advance of the Nazis. Uneducated Said (Jamel Debbouzel, AMELIE), who had few options outside of enlistment, acts as a virtual servant to Martinez. Yassir (Samy Naceri) and his brother, Larbi (Assad Bouab), also come from poverty and--though they joined for selfish reasons--are fierce fighters. Messaoud (Roschdy Zem) is strong and silent, and has deadly aim with a rifle. Abdelkader (Sami Bouajila), however, is the ambitious one, unafraid to speak up when he and his company encounter prejudice, yet ever hopeful that he will be recognized for his achievements and be given the same liberty, equality, and fraternity as those who were born French. Through a series of bloody and spectacular battles with the Germans, these men risk their lives, never knowing what they will have at the end of it all. DAYS OF GLORY packs all the punch of a great war film---thrilling and heartbreaking battles, humor, and the loss of people we grow to care for. Bouchareb fearlessly uses a time-honored genre to address an elephant in the French living room: we are told at the film’s conclusion that, in 1952, France voted to cease pension payments to soldiers from countries no longer under French rule. In 2006, following a screening of this film, Jacques Chirac reinstituted their pensions.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

• Worst war film ever
  saw this film with my dad,not even 18 cans of carlsberg could make it watchable. definately the worst war film ive ever watched

• 2.5 stars
  This movie lives somewhere in the land of 'bad' to 'ok'. A topic that could have been turned into such a powerful movie but falls rather flat in its portrayal.
  'Days of Glory' is about the many Muslims from French colonies in Africa joined the fight to liberate France during WW2 only to be treated as second class 'citizens'.
  It's a rather slow paced movie with no real climax to speak of and I felt my interest start to wane towards the end.
  Not particularly worth watching, even for movie... more info

• incomplete history of French war crimes...
  Following the fall of Monte Cassino, to the allied forces, French officers gave permission to the Muslim men portrayed in this film to enter local Italian villages and murder over 800 men then systematically mass rape and abuse over 2000 Catholic women, girls and boys as well as a priest. This film tries to glorify these men led by French Officers and did enough to get a law passed granting them higher pensions...I did not see this war crime portrayed in the film...as was done in the Sophia Loren film 'Two... more info

• Long overdue
  An intense film that while has often been compared to Saving Private Ryan other than them both being war films has very little in common.
  The film depicts Algerian soldiers who had volunteered to fight in the French army during world war 2. The film begins with a village elder in Algeria calling upon the men to fight for the 'motherland' France against German occupation. When enlisted, they are brought together with North African troops who had already been fighting in North Africa and were to be... more info

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