I saw this movie in 1977 in of all places Olongapo City in the Philippines while waiting for my girlfriend to get off work. This film deals with a unit of French draftees sent to fight in Algeria in the late 1950's. It is an anti-war story dealing the viewer the usual ironies, hypocracies and heartbreaks. Think of "Go Tell the Spartans", it's similar in theme. Since we know that France eventually pulled out of Algeria in 1962, all the efforts of the troops in this film are for nought. The action is mild with much verbal sparring about war, colonialism and patriotism. The most redeeming part of this film is the military equipment used. If you are a militaria buff, especially of the post WWII era, this movie is interesting. We see Spahi and Senegalese units, the various French uniforms of the era, and most fun for me, lots of MAS 36 rifles (which happens to be my favorite weapon). Since this film does not appear to be on tape or DVD, we may never see it in the USA-pity too. Not a great movie, but entertaining for military buffs.
