This riveting, poignant, deeply ironic docudrama tells the story of the 7th Algerian Infantry Division, a battle unit composed of Arab Algerians, mobilized, trained and led by French officers, that took part in the invasion of Italy and southern France to liberate these territories from the Nazis in 1944-45. It is war writ small, up close and personal. The focus is relentlessly cast upon the fortunes of the men in a single squad. Noteworthy is the subtext of unequal, discriminatory treatment of the Algerians, compared to French soldiers (e.g., inferior food, no leave). In that regard, the film prefigures circumstances that led eventually to the Algerian war of independence from France years later.
The ensemble acting is nothing short of stupendous. Deeply etched character studies are offered by Jamel Debbouze (humble Saïd, the youngest, the man with the withered arm), Samy Naceri (Yassir, the protective big brother), Roschdy Zem (Messaoud, the marksman who falls in love with a French woman), Sami Bouajila (the ambitious natural leader, corporal Abdelkader) and Bernard Blancan (Sgt. Martinez, the French Algerian squad leader). This group jointly received the Best Actor award at Cannes last May. I think that "Glory" ranks with the very best war movies made in the modern era, right up there with films like Oliver Stone's "Platoon," Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line," and Clint Eastwood's recent "Letters from Iwo Jima." I wouldn't argue with anyone who claims that "Glory" is the best of the lot. My grades: 9/10 (A) (Seen on 01/29/07)
The ensemble acting is nothing short of stupendous. Deeply etched character studies are offered by Jamel Debbouze (humble Saïd, the youngest, the man with the withered arm), Samy Naceri (Yassir, the protective big brother), Roschdy Zem (Messaoud, the marksman who falls in love with a French woman), Sami Bouajila (the ambitious natural leader, corporal Abdelkader) and Bernard Blancan (Sgt. Martinez, the French Algerian squad leader). This group jointly received the Best Actor award at Cannes last May. I think that "Glory" ranks with the very best war movies made in the modern era, right up there with films like Oliver Stone's "Platoon," Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line," and Clint Eastwood's recent "Letters from Iwo Jima." I wouldn't argue with anyone who claims that "Glory" is the best of the lot. My grades: 9/10 (A) (Seen on 01/29/07)