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The First Man

2011 1h 40m Drama List
Reviews 60% Audience Score Fewer than 50 Ratings
A writer returns to Algeria and remembers his childhood and his encounter with a teacher. Read More Read Less

Critics Reviews

View All (1) Critics Reviews
Ron Wilkinson Monsters and Critics With all the depression and twice the passion of Camus' final novel, this film comes as close as could be imagined to putting the impossible on the silver screen. Rated: 8/10 Jul 28, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Slow and jerky myopic camera style. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/16/18 Full Review Audience Member un film sans grande histoire avec comme toile de fonds les troubles en Algérie en 1957. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member It's only me who saw this movie? lol It's a film that tries to explain the period in which Algeria was still a French colony but soon to separate. That period was very chaotic, but the movie is unbielievably calm and relaxing. Also the parts in which you should feel indignated and angry, don't reach the objective to make you feel that way. Difficult to say if it's wanted or not, also because there are just two scenes in all the lasting of the film that I remember being particularly heated (one very strong actually), but nothing seems able to interrupt the calmness of the situation. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Jean Cormery, alter-ego dello scrittore Camus, fa ritorno in Algeria poco prima del 1960 per visitare la madre e alla ricerca di tracce del padre defunto. Ma il suo Paese è in pieno conflitto tra il Fronte di Liberazione Nazionale e l'esercito della Francia. Egli crede nella convivenza pacifica tra arabi e francesi, ma la realtà è costituita da attentati e pratiche di tortura. [it.wikipedia.org] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Un buon adattamento del romanzo incompiuto e autobigrafico di Camus. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on Albert Camusâ(TM) unfinished last work, The First Man is an semi-autobiography, balancing tales of the authorâ(TM)s upbringing in a fatherless home with scenes from 1957 Algeria. The filmâ(TM)s twin timelines succeed in profiling author Jacques Comà (C)ry and his time in Algeria during two separate times, the 1920s and the 1950s. Scenes from his childhood and the path that led him to become a writer and make a career for himself are juxtaposed with a recent trip to the country to visit his family and speak on the subject of the independence movement. As Comà (C)ry speaks to integral figures in his life, the film shows how they impacted him earlier. There are incredible tensions between French citizens and Algerian nationalists. As the author reflects about his upbringing, he realizes that the two sides are very much alike. He wishes to understand his parents - especially his father who died in World War I - and how their were able to balance their heritage with life in North Africa. Although Comà (C)ryâ(TM)s family was very impoverished, they remained devoted to him and supported his education. His mother lives happily despite the fact that she cannot read his books or newspapers articles about him. To Comà (C)ry, violence is not the only answer to the conflict and he urges (with little success) both parties to find a solution which can be mutually beneficial for all Algerian citizens. He knows from his experience that there should not be two separate classes and that all young people should have equal chances. Director Gianni Amelio faithfully recreates the lives of average Algerians during two different times. The cinematography is non-descript, occasionally highlighting the stark beauty of the North African landscape or the close quarters in which Europeans and Algerians must live together. From a film perspective, this plain direction leads to few memorable shots; aside from an opening scene when Comà (C)ryâ(TM)s remarks at a local university inspire chaos among the audience. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The First Man

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A writer returns to Algeria and remembers his childhood and his encounter with a teacher.
Director
Gianni Amelio
Producer
Marco Chimenz, Bruno Pèsery, Giovanni Stabilini, Riccardo Tozzi
Screenwriter
Gianni Amelio
Production Co
Cattleya, RAI Cinema
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Runtime
1h 40m