A remarkably elegant multidisciplinary analysis of cinematic engagement with the Algerian War for independence (1954-62), Anne Donadey’s latest work is a significant contribution to both Francophone cinema studies and the study of its long-standing aftereffects. Based on a corpus of twenty narrative films (2004-2012), Donadey incisively examines cross-generational perspectives on understanding collective, if difficult, anamnesis fifty years on. Expertly weaving together close readings of historical approaches and meticulous filmic sequence analyses, Donadey’s nuanced study foregrounds the lingering effects of a partially repressed memory of a fraught war that has since haunted Algeria and France. Her writing stands out for its explicit signposting and extensive references, making it accessible to undergraduates and graduates alike. Anne Donadey’s capacious and critical engagement with postcolonial thought and the work of eminent historians clearly establishes this book as a key reference for students and scholars of Franco-Algerian history, film and memory studies.

Vinay Swamy, Vassar College

Asking where France and Algeria are today with respect to memories of the Algerian war of independence, Anne Donadey turns to narrative film. Arguing that film offers crucial perspectives on cross-cultural relations, she draws on the ‘Algeria Syndrome’—French society’s difficulty in coming to terms with its colonial past—to explore the fraught relationship between the two nations. A meticulous and compelling work that examines the cultural, political, and aesthetic significance of films made five decades after the war began, this study reveals the extent to which cinema grants new perspectives on a war and its aftermath. An excellent book!

Mildred Mortimer, University of Colorado, Boulder

If historical consciousness varies in its degree of symbolic elaborations, the author shrewdly illustrates how history exists as a negotiable resource that can be reworked by protean social worlds and cinematic art. This monograph will be of interest to critics of Francophone film, historians, and students and teachers of colonialism, war, and memory.

Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature