The film so dangerous, France made it illegal to screen.
Documentary edited from testimonies on the torture of people who experienced the war. Some witnesses were tortured by Jean-Marie Le Pen. These testimonies will help defend the newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné in court against Jean-Marie Le Pen for defamation. The film was shown in 1985 during the trial and some witnesses also came to support the newspaper. But the 1963 amnesty law protects the politician, prohibiting the use of images that could harm people who served during the Algerian war.
Direction
Vautier's raw assembly lets survivors speak, not perform.
Editing
Testimony cut like evidence — no flourish, just truth.
Director
René Vautier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Vautier had already spent WWII filming for the Resistance and been imprisoned for exposing French colonial violence in Africa — this was his final act of cinematic insurrection.
Le Canard Enchaîné won the 1985 case, but the film remained banned until 2001 when the 'loi sur la liberté de communication' finally allowed screening.
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