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22/09/1976 Drama, Comedy, War 1h 32m
64
User score

The picture that marches to a different drummer

Overview

French colonists in Africa, several months behind in the news, find themselves at war with their German neighbors. Deciding that they must do their proper duty and fight the Germans, they promptly conscript the local native population. Issuing them boots and rifles, the French attempt to make "proper" soldiers out of the Africans. A young, idealistic French geographer seems to be the only rational person in the town, and he takes over control of the "war" after several bungles on the part of the others.

  1. Jean-Jacques Annaud

    Director, Writer

  2. Georges Conchon

    Writer

Top billed cast

  1. Jean Carmet

    Sergeant Bosselet

  2. Jacques Dufilho

    Paul Rechampot

  3. Catherine Rouvel

    Marinette

  4. Jacques Spiesser

    Hubert Fresnoy

  5. Dora Doll

    Maryvonne

  6. Maurice Barrier

    Caprice

  7. Benjamin Memel Atchory

    Assomption

  8. Peter Berling

    Père Jean de la Croix

  9. Marius Beugre Boignan

    Barthelmy

  10. View more

Full Cast & Crew

Reviews

A review by CinemaSerf
Written by CinemaSerf on 2025-07-27
There’s something really quite fitting about the end of this film that rather sums up the whole approach to Africa that was taken by the European powers. This film is set on the Côte D’Ivoire where the war has once again pitched the adjacent French and German forces against each other. The French aren’t immediately convinced that this is remotely their war, but eventually the soldiers decide that they ought to do their bit so round up their native bearers and start handing out rifles. If it wasn’t a war for the white folks, what on Earth did it have to do with the locals? The only Mon...read the rest
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Status
Released

Original Language
French

Budget
$0.00

Revenue
$0.00

Keywords