This movie follows the formula of a typical war movie, except the main characters are North African soldiers, a minority group in the narrative of WWII but a large integral presence whose contributions have been marginalized. The premise is similar to "Glory," the Civil War movie about an all-black regiment that faces discrimination. The title even evokes "Glory." Upon doing further research, I learned that the title actually refers to La Marsaillaise, the French national anthem. The movie asks fundamental questions about Algerian identity--do they feel a part of the French society that has done them wrong? The title suggests that not only do they identify with France, but that they are willing to die for the French cause. However, this sentiment is not constant in the film, but constantly questioned. And there might not be one right answer, for there are highly conflicting emotions. Each of the main characters has a different motive, background, and view. This gives the viewer a sense of the range of people and ideas that were present. And, of course, though WWII was a separate event, this must be taken in context with the Algerian war of independence that followed the war, which would greatly complicated French-Algerian relations. Finally, the movie had a political motive that is made apparent in the very last scene--to bring awareness to the North African veterans who had their pensions frozen in 1959. The film succeeded to an extent, though no money that would have been paid in the forty year gap was considered. On a side note, I greatly appreciated the use of North African-style music in the score.
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