Return to Algiers

2000 1h 54m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 8

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Famous TV news anchorman Pierre Nivel left Algiers for France in 1962. That's been a secret; his Paris co-workers have never known that he was formerly an Algerian pied noir. An Algerian delivers an urgent message to Pierre from a Leïla Jalal... Algiers, 1962. The Nivels live in the same apartment building as the Moslem Jalal family. Lycée student Pierre is in love with their daughter, Leïla. The civil unrest in Algeria is heating up and violence is spreading in Algiers. At school, Pierre is friends with a Moslem student, Issam, but he is made fun of for that... Pierre's jet arrives in Algiers. As a celebrity, Pierre is met on arrival by a government official, Nader Mansour. Because of the civil war raging between the government and Islamic terrorists, they drive into the city in a heavily armed convoy. Pierre does not tell Mansour his real reason for returning: Leïla has asked him to help her daughter Amina escape to safety in France.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Antoine de Caunes
Pierre Nivel
Samy Naceri
Issam
Mathilda May
Nelly Azera
Nozha Khouadra
Leila/Amina
Pierre Vaneck
Blanville
Lorànt Deutsch
Versanti
Wadeck Stanczak
Francis
Elsa Zylberstein
Pierre Nivel's wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexandre Arcady
Writers: Alexandre Arcady
Languages: Arabic, French, Hebrew
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, French, Hebrew.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Antoine de Caunes and Samy Naceri and Mathilda May carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0242627 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexandre Arcady directs. Produced in France. Dialogue in Arabic, French, Hebrew.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, French, Hebrew.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Antoine de Caunes and Samy Naceri and Mathilda May carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0242627 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.