"Days of Glory" is a movie with noble intent that educates more than it entertains, though the two benefits aren't far apart from each other.  Nominated for an Academy Award for the best foreign film, "Days of Glory" (or Indignes) focuses on a  little known fact from World War II about how North Africans took up arms alongside the French to battle the Nazis.  To this day, I am continually surprised by how many facets there were in WW2 and a movie like this serves as an example of just how deep the stories go.

 

The film is told through the eyes of four main characters, all of whom come from varying North African descent and backgrounds.  The fjourney begins with a recruitment scene from one of the Arabic villages where the elders are proclaiming it a viable duty to battle the Nazis.  From there, there is a brief boot camp sequence where the Arabic volunteers are put through training by the French.  It's in these scenes that I was able to see that this film wasn't setting out to feature the intensity of a film like "Full Metal Jacket" or "Saving Private Ryan," rather, it was intent on telling more of an intimate story.  This film was more about the plight of the soldiers than the war itself.

 

The military conflicts are few and far between. The internal conflicts, however, are waged throughout the film.  It was sad to see the type of racially motivated treatment the Arab soldiers had to suffer from their comrades.  It was bad enough that they had to toil against a vicious enemy like Germany, but the lack of respect from their French allies made things even worse.  A theme that emerged from this lack of equality was one of descent; if the French did not appreciate their services, why should the Arabs not go back home to their villages?  While some were tempted, those bound by honor sought to see things through, no matter the inequality that existed in the ranks.  The entirety of all these issues are brought to life through some fantastic acting performances by the lead characters, which is a delight to watch even in a language that I am not fluent in.

 

While the drama of the internal struggles were compelling to watch, I do think this film could have used a bit more of the graphic war imagery to further put their sacrifices in perspective.  The production team did come close, however, in the final act of the film where 4 volunteers defend a small french town against overwhelming odds.  The finale made for a very intense experience, even though it felt like the scene itself was inspired directly from "Saving Private Ryan." 

 

While "Days of Glory" received a fair amount of press during the 2007 Academy Awards, this is a film that absolutely deserved more of a spotlight shined on it.  It's a well made film that was created with a lot of respect and it offers a bit of history that few of us knew anything about.  And, with a good script, superb acting performances and above par cinematography, this film is more than just an educational exercise and is indeed a worthwhile recommendation.