Days Of Glory [2006] [UK Import] (DVD)

Jamel Debbouzel, Antoine Chappey, Aurelie Eltvedt

Rachid Bouchareb

«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.

Ton
Englisch