J'ai vu tuer Ben Barka (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Directors:

Serge Le Péron
Saïd Smihi (co-director)

Writers:

Serge Le Péron (writer)
Frédérique Moreau (writer)

Release Date:

2 November 2005 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

My name is Georges Figon. Okay I'm dead but, being the talkative kind, death isn't going to stop me from speaking...

Plot Keywords:

Quai Des Orfèvres | Character Name In Title

Cast

Charles Berling	...	Georges Figon
Simon Abkarian	...	Mehdi Ben Barka
Josiane Balasko	...	Marguerite Duras
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Georges Franju
Fabienne Babe	...	Anne-Marie Coffinet
Mathieu Amalric	...	Philippe Bernier
Azize Kabouche	...	Chtouki
François Hadji-Lazaro	...	Le Ny
Jean-Marie Winling	...	Maître Pierre Lemarchand
Franck Tiozzo	...	Georges Boucheseiche
Jo Prestia	...	Dubail
José María Blanco	...	Juge
Georges Bigot	...	Inspecteur Louis Souchon
Rony Kramer	...	Lopez
Xavier Serrat	...	Voitot

Also Known As:

I Saw Ben Barka Get Killed (International: English title)

Runtime:

UK:102 min (uncut) | France:101 min

Country:

France | Morocco

Language:

Arabic | French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Aéroport d'Orly Sud, Val-de-Marne, France

Company:

Maïa Films

Trivia:

One of the characters mentions reading 'Buck John'. These are a series of western adventures published in France, with the full title 'Buck John le bayard de Far West'. The English versions were published under the title 'Buck Jones' by Cowboy Comics (a Fleetway publication). They are based on the silent movie star, Buck Jones. Prior to his death, he had given permission for his name to be used in a comic book series. The series ran until around 1953 (USA) and was a important source of income for his widow Odille.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Figon shows Anne-Marie his gun, the position of his hand on the gun varies depending up whether the shot is from her point of view or his.

Movie Connections:

Features Les maîtres fous (1955)

Documented and thrilling

"J'ai vu tuer Ben Barka" may not qualify as the masterpiece of the twenty-first century, it is nonetheless well worth seeing.

Its prime quality is its high informative value. Never so much has been said and in such precise details about the Ben Barka case as in this film. The first version, "L'attentat" by Yves Boisset was good but a bit vague and confused, but Le Péron and Saïd Smihi's present effort is as accurate as can be about the facts,protagonists (who bear their real names)and period details. It notably amazed me to learn that people connected with the French movie world had been (unwittingly) involved in this political scandal. I am a film buff but I never knew to this day (or had I forgotten?) that director Georges Franju, writer-director Marguerite Duras, actress Anne-Marie Coffinet had something to do with the abduction and elimination of the Moroccan opposition leader.

Another good point is the choice of Georges Figon as the (dead)narrator. As the man is a shady individual (nervously portrayed by fidgety Charles Berling), confusion first prevails but the story being told three times, it gets clearer and clearer as it unfurls. Costa Gavras would have chosen a white knight figure as a hero, not Serge Le Péron, whose accusatory tone is made all the sharper by apparent ambiguity.

Jean-Pierre Léaud is a stunning Georges Franju depicted as a dreamer a bit cut off from the outside world but Josiane Balasko is only fair as Duras. I personally preferred Jeanne Moreau in "Cet amour-là"

A good quality political thriller, not unworthy of its model of the seventies. Go and see it soon, for the houses which show it are far from packed.