SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

H_Mahran This is a masterpiece, an epic tragedy that resembles a critical and uncovered chapter of human's struggle against discrimination, poverty, tyranny and inequality, this movie explains a lot about the diversity of the modern days French society and the historical right of Arabs in France through the sacrifices of their ancestors to liberate France when it was in its weakest state, defeated, occupied and humiliated.The original title in French is "indigènes" (indigenous) which refers to the native North Africans in French culture, I find this title more relevant than the English more commercial one "Days of Glory".For the first half of the movie I wasn't getting the "glory" in nomad soldiers from the remote villages or Algerian mountains recruited in the French army to liberate France from German invasion! that was absolute dishonor according to my principles, it was obvious that French commanders don't give a damn to the number of casualties between Arab and African soldiers as long as they achieve a symbolic victory over their oppressive opponent, discrimination was institutionalized, even "returning home" meant to French commanders returning to the French mainland, not returning every soldier to his own village in Africa.Soldiers mingle into the French territories with people cheering and praising their courage in the battlefield, Arab soldiers feel they belong to France, Saiid says to a French young lady that was listening to his courage stories: "je libère une pays, c'est mon pays" (I liberate a country, it's my country).Soldiers are now fighting for glory, for the principles of the French Revolution (liberté, égalité, fraternité) and under the slogans of Charles de Gaulle, they fight against Nazism and tyranny, they reject the German temptations to dilute their loyalty to the French army, they still see clear discrimination but still aspire for equality and fair compensation when they complete their mission and liberate what's now their own land, France.Music plays a great part in this movie, soundtrack and songs by Cheb Khalid are a solid part of the tragedy with its Arabic lyrics about alienation and leaving motherland in search for glory, homesickness and yearning to homeland's characteristics.

Man from Mars I would add some contextual points which may not be well known to non French audiences but are essential to fully understand this film and where it is coming from. Firstly, it is not a "WW2 film", it is a film about the Armée d'Afrique in WW2: the film structure follows the campaign history of the Army across Europe.If France was able to have a seat with the Big 4 at Berlin and UN Security Council, it rests on the shoulders of the Armée d'Afrique and its role in the Italy Campaign, Dragoon Landings of Provence, Liberation of France, and drive into Germany, and its soldiers which we see in this film - they gave France its place with the victorious allies, and were conveniently forgotten by a France seeking to forget the débacle of its discredited political leaders of 1940. Such soldiers also fought in WW1 (some can be seen on the Memorial Arch war monument in Constantine as alluded to by Saïd/Debbouze's mother), and in the Indochina War. Ergo, they were French, spilled their blood for France, but were denied their political rights (and full pensions), which is to France's shame. By accepting their service, France acknowledged their equality implicitly but could never bring itself to acknowledge it explicitly - a typical characteristic I might add.Indeed to this day, there is not only a fissure between the French and the "indigènes" of the movie - the Arab soldiers, but between the "mainland French" and the "overseas French" - the "Pieds Noirs" - Martinez of the movie. Pieds Noirs are present day rootless French that feel they were sold down the river when France let Algeria go, and who are still rancorous, as mainland French look down on them and their accents (upon arriving in Marseille in 1962, the Pieds Noirs were told get back on their boats and get out of town). This film speaks to all these implied elements, as the French officers look down at Martinez, with his immigrant name, neither French, nor Arab (they would know he was half Arab due to his "etat civil" which is a type of long form birth certificate and part of his Army Record). These are the present day right wing of France - hankering after a lost Algeria, never really at home in a France of cold weather and strange food, vocal and militant.As for the film, the ethnic music may be considered heavy handed but it is meant to illustrate the duality of the Army - a hybrid of two cultures that was threatening to become something new that eventually, both sides backed away from - a "rendezvous manqué", as the French would say - one of several in this long Franco-Algerian story which is not yet over and continues in an odd symbiotic post independence relationship that transcends the behaviour of petulant idiosyncratic individuals.Finally, regarding the controversy about rapes in Italy of this army, this should also be placed in the overall context of the conduct of victorious armies in War, episodic cases of excess in all armies too numerous and tiresome to mention, and which pales in comparison to the systematic behaviour of the Einsatzgruppen in the Eastern Front, SS at Oradour-Sur-Glane, or Wehrmacht executing 41 African POWs at Clamecy, France in 1940 for example. It behooved Fascist Axis Italy to point the finger of blame elsewhere by discrediting a multiracial victorious French Armée d'Afrique with racial atrocity stories - such proponents may wish to consider the behaviour of the Regio Exercito in Africa Orientale Italiana to give such matters fuller consideration.All in all this film tells a story which needed telling, and tells it competently in the two limited hours it has, but it helps to understand the context behind the scenes. Having seen it, one leaves it having learned something important and sad - as Saïd and Martinez were unable to connect in life but were drawn together in death, Indigènes to me is a story above all of missed rendezvous which is very much with us today.

thethundersd The days of glory illustrate a part of the history during the World War 2, when the French resistance commanded by general De Gaulle gathered a new army to fight with the allies, this new army was called 'les indigènes', they were men recruited from the countries occupied by the French empire.The movie shows how they participate in the liberation of the French Republic from the Nazis, and how during the war they suffered from injustice inside the army, they were "under feeded, not well dressed and not well trained" comparing to the French soldiers, in spite of they struggled believing the day of liberty is close.The idea to tell the story of those called 'les indigènes' was great, but not well exposed, the scenario and the emotions were poor, the whole movie was about the North African soldiers (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), especially the Algerian ones, certainly because of the background of the director who is originally from Algeria.The good thing about the movie was the music which was very interesting and very expressive, and the performance of the actors, great combination between the French language and the Arabic language.It is a nice movie after all, because it shows a historical reality unknown by many persons.--http://theearthdiary.blogspot.com/

freemantle_uk Days of Glory is a multi-layered film about a small unit that served in the 17th Algerian Infactry during the Second World War. Before starting this review I think a quick history lesson is needed to help explain the film. The French history of Empire is very complex, and the most easiest way to explain it is it's a history of paradoxes: the French never investigated in their empire as much as the Britain, but it held such an important place in the psyche of the French, because if the Empire seemed strong then France was strong. Algeria also held a very place in French hearts because it was seen as place of France and rule from their Interior Minstry (and that's one of the reasons why the French fought so hard during the Algerian war in the 50s and 60s). Finally the North African territories were loyal to the Vinchy regime (which kept the Empire neutral) until Operation Torch when the territories switched to the allies and the Algerians thought they could get a better deal from the Free French.The film starts off very quickly when you see some of the Algerian soldiers getting recruited to fight for the Free French and taken to Morocco to be trained. This is not looked in at depth compared to films like the 9th Company or Full Metal Jacket. It then fast forwards to 1944 when the Algerians have to fight in some tough battles in Italy and then in the South of France. The scenes set in Italy were really well done. The Algerians fight bravely but are not respected by their French commanders. After fighting in Italy the ugly face of racism shows itself, and the Algerian troops face having less luxuries like types of food, are less educated then their French counterparts, having their post censured and blocked and no leave from the army. The reason why some of the Algerians fight is the hope that Algeria would become more respected by the French and get more rights. They believe in the ideas of France like equality and liberty but their question if it's true. Other join to escape the harshness of poverty and hope to make something of themselves in the army, maybe get the chance to settle in France after the war. Many social and political issues are touched on in this film, such as the army employing a quota system, and the issues of inter-racial relationships.Days of Glory has been compared to Saving Private Ryan, I personally don't think it's that fair a comparison. Saving Private Ryan was more about fighting during the Second World War, Days of Glory is more about the politics and society aspects of the Army. A more fair comparison would be with the American Civil War film Glory.The film is two longs, which is pretty short of a war film: as mentioned the recruitment and training of the army is brief but it doesn't lose any impact on the story. It is shot in an effective way and the war scenes were well handled, but I personally think that it could have been a little more violence, like in films like Saving Private Ryan and Brotherhood. The film also handle its subject matter well and you get to see all these issues in quite an average length film. It has a bitter-sweet ending which is fitting, and doesn't whitewash the issues compared to what a Hollywood film might do.The film also has some modern parallels. In France nowadays the North African population then to live in sink estates and racism is still an issue in the nation. Ethnic minorities are under represented in politics and the media in France. Racist policies have led to raids in main French cities in 2005 and in a recent football friendly French born North Africans booed the French national anthem during a match against Tunisa. Days of Glory has some positive affects, after the film was released and seen by the French government war-pensions for veterans from the Empire were re-introduced and paid in full.A small criticism of the film is that a small scene showed a propaganda effort by the Germans to get the Algerians to turn against the French. I felt that could have been played on a little more.All in all a very good film and worth watching if you are a fan of war films.