Bianco e nero a colori

This film stands in its caliber up there with Oh! What a Lovely War (1969), All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), and Johnny Got his Gun. It is World War in a microcosm.

The film is not dated, nor will it ever be. All long as men fight for territory or for ideals, this film will stand among the top few as a testament to the idiocy and pettiness of war. Was not available for many years.

"Ich auch"-- closing line -- as the two lieutenants walk together off set-- burned in my memory from one viewing nearly 30 years ago. If you saw it you will remember.

At the time I'm writing this we are at war in the USA. I would hope that anyone worn down by the reality of these times would see this picture. What a testament to the insanity.

My favorite part in this movie is when the natives are traveling and singing as they carry the lazy priests along their journey. The translations of the lyrics are hilarious, considering the pompous priests have no idea what they are singing and think its rather quaint.

A 10 and a 0 poke.*

*see my other reviews for poke definition

...Nous Ouvre la Barrière

La Liberté Guide Nos Pas.....

Borrowing from one of the most famous military marches for its original title ("Black and White in color" became the title when it was awarded an AA),"La Victoire En Chantant" remained Annaud's best : bitter and utterly uncompromising qualities .At the time ,he had not been swallowed by the Hollywood machine and he did not need a Brad Pitt to flog his stuff.

His actors are not very famous on an international level but all of them are to be commended:Jean Carmet,Jacques Spiesser,Catherine Rouvel or Jacques Dufilho are all excellent thespians .

Africa 1915:the French colonizers do not know their country is at war.but a geographer learns the whole story and urges his compatriots to join the fight against those Barbarian Germans .There are Germans in the neighborhood,therefore they have become enemies.So let's enlist the natives and let's wage war through "black" intermediaries.

A brilliant metaphor of the absurdity of war,an excellent spoof on jingoist spirit .You should see the heroes having a picnic while their men go to be slaughtered.

While I would be the first to admit that this slight little film will probably not change your life, it is very clever and well worth watching. It is the story of an inept little French village in West Africa that discovers that World War I has been raging for 6 months. So, as patriotic Frenchmen, they decide to launch a completely inept invasion of a nearby German village--even though they had been on excellent terms for some time. The silly slogans and patriotism as well as the ensuing stupidity of their assault is a great mini-version of the real war back in Europe. The parallel is actually quite smart as is the acting and direction.

A slight movie, yes, but it will give you a little chuckle and it's all harmless fun.

Black and White in Color is a French anti war movie, done as a black comedy, which won the Best Foreign Film Academy Award in 1976.

World War I is the setting for the French colonists fighting the Germans on the Ivory Coast. The French draft the locals in order to battle the Germans, supplying the natives with guns, uniforms, and other equipment and attempt to train their reluctant soldiers in the ways of war.

The result is a combination of keystone cops and a Marx Brothers saga, with everyone running around, clueless. No one really gets hurt as the real fighting is occurring far from Africa. I am reminded of The Mouse That Roared with Peter Sellers for comparison to Black and White in Color. A funny satire with a positive universal message on man's follies, this is worth watching.