R.A.S. - Nulla da segnalare

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.

The Algeria war was a taboo subject for about ten years.Then at the beginning of the seventies ,came Claude Berri's "le pistonné" ,Yves Boisset's "RAS " and the best of them "avoir 20 ans dans les Aurès" by René Vautier.

Boisset's movie is a good work which ,although his characters may seem stereotyped (there's a commie,a pacifist,an anarchist,a sadistic warrant officer...),still deeply touches the audience today.Some scenes are very well directed;the riot in the station where the crowd tries to stop the train,the brothel in a tent in the desert..

The most satisfying part is the second one,because of Philippe Leroy's sensational part of commandant Lecoq.This is a clever officer.He tries to treat his men as men ,to leave them the right to argue ,in a nutshell he's a human soldier although he seems as cold as ice.....and the commie (Jacques Weber) quickly realizes that he is the most dangerous of them all...Can that be a clean war? a human soldier?A noble cause?The final pictures are an act of rebellion,and the audience sides with the deserter (Jacques Spiesser)

A beautiful song (Leny Escudero) opens the movie.

This movie is not just a basic war film. It does not show habitual war scenes, fights or other spectacular events. It depicts the different ways that the three main characters (an anarchist, a communist, and a "common" guy) will choose to follow during the Algerian war. The anarchist and the communist are forced by law to engage to the army (the french army was still a conscription army), but this war goes against all their political conviction. The "common" guy has no sense of politics, and although he is not a war enthusiast, he don't show opposition to the war. The three will eventually became friends. The "common" guy will quickly became politically tainted by the two others.

The film is only about one question : what are you willing to lose, to stay within your conscience ?

Would you chose to obey, and kill peoples that you don't know, and that you can't blame for anything ? Would you rebel against your own society, sacrificing yourself, your life, your parents, love and children, and everything you owns for the only sake of not betraying your inner self and convictions ?

Sad and intelligent movie. With humor elements, and some side elements of reflection.

Note that this film was "remaked" by Kubrick, with "full metal jacket", although Kubrick did lost some significant things, FMJ being a bit obscure.

If we often hear that contrary to the US, the French did not make movies on its own wars, we had a few movies like "R.A.S." or "Avoir 20 ans dans les Aurès", shot in the beginning of the seventies, i.e. a bit less than 20 years since Algeria war start (1954-1962) - to be fair some movies have been shot before but weren't focused on the war itself and the French army, or were banned.

These are done however quite differently. Realistically shot - therefore less packed with action and more rough and dry - as the mountains and desert there - compared to the american movies in the luxuriant jungle. And centered on the individual choice of every soldier - every conscripted I should say - and its relation with the war and with the authorities. Do I believe that I am requested and doing the right thing? Do I have the right to kill, even to defend myself? Can I cope with torture, even if that can save soldiers lives? As French had no choice but to join the army, the focus is put on the people that struggle to deal with all these things and how the army try to "free" their soldiers from these individual choices and make them "good" soldiers, obeying whatever order they can be given. In that way, these French movies are more biting towards the army than american movies, the downside being that following more the ethical debates within the soldiers we are less "feeling" the war and how it can affect them.

R.A.S. (nothing to report) is that type of movie and follows a few of these young men that had to rally the flag and go to Algeria. It focuses on a few that decides to stick to their principles and how they can remain true to themselves - or not.

Many people told that the late Yves Boisset was a communist because of his opinions which appeared thru his films. I don't totally agree, but the director was certainly a left winged film maker, always finding an opportunity to annoy the French government, whatever the period, whatever the matter, the social issue. It was Yves Boisset's trademark, as also was Costa Gavras, though the latest did not focus on France but the international matters. This is one of the first and unique, rare films, French films, speaking of the war in Algeria, between 1954 and 1962. An anti military plot, that attracted much trouble to Yves Boisset. As many other of his films, such as LE JUGE FAYARD or LA FEMME FLIC.... Among many other movies. Powerful story, awesome and convincing acting and cast. Claude Brosset and Michel Peyrelon are here outstanding as disturbing and disgusting army officers.