Name Saadi Yacef
Born 20 January 1928, Algiers Background Having worked in a bakery he joined the Parti du Peuple Algerien (Algerian nationalist party) in 1945. Soon after the grOup was Outlawed and Yacef became one of the leaders of the National Liberation Front during Algeria's War of Independence. He was captured by French troops on 24 September 1957 and sentenced to death. While on death row he wrote a memoir based on his experiences as a freedom fighter. After being pardoned by Charles de Gaulle in 1958 his memoir. The Battle ofA/gi'ers. was published in 1962. FOur years later one of the greatest movies of all time was made based on his novel with Yacef producing and playing a character based on his own experiences.
What he’s up to now Touring with the reissue prints of The Battle of Algiers to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its release. What he says about The Battle of Algiers ‘The film has been asleep but now it is awake. It's amazing that this small film that we made with hardly any action is still giving me an opportunity to tour and speak to the world. It makes me happy because I get to speak about a country that has been forgotten by the world for some years. especially by cinema.’
What he says about his acting role 'We gave the book to Italian filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo. We met and I told him my story and he wanted me to be on set to make sure that everything that was depicted was as close to the truth as possible. In the end he felt it was just easier to get me to play the part.’ Interesting fact The only professional actor in the film was Jean Martin who played Colonel Mathieu. lronically. Martin was almost unemployable for a number of years after starring in the film because he publicly condemned France's actions in Algeria. The film was banned in France for a number of years. (Kaleem Aftab)
I The Battle of Algiers is on selected release in cinemas and on DVD (Argent Films) now.
38 THE LIST 7-3 Ma, 1' Jun 900/
nocuMl NlAhy
JOE STRUMMER: THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN
(15) 124min 0...
Joe Strummer was man of contradictions, some he could deal with, others he couldn’t. Director Julien Temple was a part of the London punk scene and experienced many of Joe’s magnificent contradictions first hand.
Temple has a patchy record on he documentary front, last year’s Glastonbury was a near disaster, an idea that failed to make the transition from pub notion to celluloid and his Sex Pistols history The Filth and the Fury was a hagiographic, if loveable shambles.
Luckily here he has his archivist hat on. He collects together a phenomenal cast list of faces to throw in their tuppenceworth: from Strummer’s immediate family to Johnny Depp, Bono and Jim Jarmusch to those there at the time like Keith Levene, Don Letts and Steve Jones. Only Paul Simonon is conspicuous by his absence. Archive interviews from Strummer himself are intercut with an amazing array of archive footage of
(DOME- [)Y
48 hours flat.
every part of Strummer’s life, including the very first rehearsals of The Clash. All the interviewees are filmed round campfires - the kind of communal experience Joe was fascinated by - which works incredibly well to bring all those featured onto the same plane. They touch on Strummer’s journey from his incarnation as John Mellor the diplomat’s son to Woody the hippy and squatter to Strummer the punk revolutionary through to his latter days as Joe the creative, spiritual glue between those around him up to his untimely death aged 50. The film is a fascinating trove of unseen, unheard nuggets for fans but those who don’t know the man‘s history might be struggling to follow the trajectory. This is a loving film made by a passionate filmmaker that doesn’t always claim to understand or even care about its subject’s life choices. Temple does manage to capture some of the ragged, free flowing energy that made so many of the moments of Strummer’s time on earth worth witnessing.
(Mark Robertson)
I (EFT. Glasgow and Cameo. Edinburgh from Fri l Jun.
WEDDING DAZE (15) 90min oo
In an excruciatingly embarrassing opening sequence ‘.'.'ortliy of the notorious ‘.'-.«'arm apple tart snag in American Pie. the star of both somewhat infantile romantic comedies. the chaimingly gormless Jason ngs. proposes marriage to his sn‘xeelhearl dressed as (:upzd in the middle of a crowded restaurant. and then x'xatches ‘.‘.’llll disbelief as his girlfriend's response is to drop dead on the spot. This supremely silly set-up in place. stand-up comedian Michael Ian Black's \.'.'i‘itingdirecting dehut then proceeds to a second scene in \.'.«'hich Biggs' eternally hesotted nerd is {I()ll‘.’lll(Z(3(f l)\,' his exaspeialeg hest pal to get oxer the dead gzi'l l); pioposing niai'iiage to ill‘.()lll(}l. l|\.'lllt] one. \"Jhch he llilfll(?(ll£llt"l\, does. not expecting lsla l ishei "s ‘.'.’lllf§()lll(} ‘.'.'aitiess to say \es. ‘l'hert-t-after the film rain'ples hree/ih along as the unlikely couple do the courtship thing —- meeting the parents. moving in together. learning each other's names —- ll‘.
The leads are likeahle enough. and there's a modicum of chemistn, between Biggs and Fishei. but this nuptials i'om com has much that is old and lame and nothing that is new and fresh. The owr—egged double opening gag inerer highlights the film's lack of decent jokes and failure to say anything interesting about romance. llvliles Fieldei'l I General release from Fri l Jun.