Communist, anti-colonialist, right-wing extremist? What convictions guide the moral mind of Jacques Vergès? Barbet Schroeder takes us down history’s darkest paths in his attempt to illuminate the mystery behind this enigmatic figure. As a young lawyer during the Algerian war, Vergès espoused the anti-colonialist cause and defended Djamila Bouhired, obtaining her release, marrying her and having two children with her. Suddenly, at the height of an illustrious career, Vergès disappeared without trace for eight years. When he re-emerged from his mysterious absence, he took on the defense of terrorists of all kinds, from Magdalena Kopp and Anis Naccache to Carlos the Jackal, representing historical monsters such as Nazi lieutenant Klaus Barbie.
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| Barbet Schroeder |
| He has directed, among other films, More (1969), La vallée (1972), General Idi Amin Dada (1974), Barfly (1987), Reversal of Fortune (1990), for which he received an Oscar nomination, Single White Female (1992), Before and After (1996), Desperate Measures (1998), Our Lady of Assassins (2000) and Murder by Numbers (2002). The San Sebastian Festival dedicated a retrospective to him in 2006. |
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