Noite Negra

This movie is at the moment being broadcast on the French channel TV5. It shows the events of 17th October 1961 when the police in Paris were ordered to crush brutally a pro Algerian FLN protest against a curfew imposed on Algerians in Paris. What emerged was in short appalling. Police Prefect Papon previously a Vichy boss who was involved in the German expulsion of the French Jews from France. It is thought anything up to 200+ Algerians were murdered in these events, before these events up to 30 police had been murdered by the FLN in Paris hence an urge for revenge existed and was encouraged by the Interior Minister Fey and Prefect Papon. It was perhaps foolish, given these circumstances, for the FLN to engage in demonstrations in Paris given the feelings but it is no excuse for the killings that happened. It is time that these events were officially investigated and those responsible brought to justice whilst they are still alive.

However, whilst it's easy to examine critically the role of the Parisien police in these events and rightly so, we should also remember and have an account of FLN atrocities in Algeria and France.

Well done TV5 for having the courage to show this movie. A movie nicely filmed, good camera work, good acting and continuity, the night scenes in particular are realistic.

In the aftermath of the colonial empire of France there were severe riots between the Algerians (living in France) who wanted to be independent and the French government. This documentary gives a shocking view of the more or less open racial behaviour of the French police of those days and the cover-up that the French authorities made.

I think it's very good that modern day filmmakers chose these these subjects because the effects of the colonial history of Europe still influences todays news. Such films give us insight in our history. I hope they will help us to understand why things are the way they are.

It's not a nice film, but it really grips me.