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Past Film/Video | Classics | Series & Festivals
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American documentarian James Blue’s first and only narrative feature, The Olive Trees of Justice is the only French film to have been shot during the Algerian War in 1962.
Made under the pretense of shooting a documentary about the wine industry, the film follows the son of a French colonialist who returns to his native Algiers from France to visit his dying father. His visit stokes fond boyhood memories of his father’s farm and happier times with French and Arab friends. His daily walks through the streets of Algiers bring him face-to-face with the horrible impact of the war on the lives of everyday people. He is determined to return to his peaceful life in Paris after his father’s death but is unable to shake the pull of the country of his birth. Maurice Jarre composed the score during a busy year (his score for 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia won that year’s Oscar). The film was the inaugural winner of the Critics' Prize at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. (81 mins, 4K DCP)
The Olive Trees of Justice | Image courtesy of Kino Lorber
Restored in 4K in 2020 by L’Atelier d’Images and Thierry Derocles in collaboration with The James and Richard Blue Foundation with the support of The Film Foundation, James Ivory, and CNC–Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée at L’Image Retrouvée (Paris) from a fine-grain print preserved at Les Archives Françaises du Film.
FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY Cardinal Health Kaufman Development
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Rohauer Collection Foundation
WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY The Wexner Family Greater Columbus Arts Council The Columbus Foundation Ohio Arts Council American Electric Power Foundation L Brands Foundation Adam Flatto Mary and C. Robert Kidder Bill and Sheila Lambert Institute of Museum and Library Services Nationwide Foundation Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease Arlene and Michael Weiss
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Mike and Paige Crane Pete Scantland Axium Packaging Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams President Kristina M. Johnson and Mrs. Veronica Meinhard Nancy Kramer Huntington Lisa Barton Johanna DeStefano Russell and Joyce Gertmenian Liza Kessler and Greg Henchel Ron and Ann Pizzuti Joyce and Chuck Shenk Bruce and Joy Soll Clark and Sandra Swanson Jones Day
Past Film/Video
The Olive Trees of Justice
