Le Petit Soldat (1963) on Netflix
In 1958 Geneva, Bruno Forestier, an army deserter posing as a reporter, works for La Main Rouge. Ordered to assassinate Arthur Palivoda, a radio host backing Algerian independence, he refuses.
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Plot summary
During the Algerian War, Bruno Forestier lives in Geneva, a deserter from the French army. He has no strong political convictions, yet he works for La Main Rouge, a French group that fights Algerian independence, while passing himself off as a journalist. His comrades suspect he may be a double agent, and to clear himself he is ordered to assassinate Arthur Palivoda, a radio presenter who supports the independence movement. Bruno first calls the job too dangerous, then says he has no wish to do it. He meets Véronica Dreyer and falls in love with her. When his comrades in La Main Rouge arrange a crash with his car, he faces charges that could send him back to France.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Le Petit Soldat (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In 1962 Jean-Luc Godard said he made Le petit soldat to correct his image as an apolitical filmmaker, telling Cahiers du Cinéma the New Wave was criticized for showing people only in bed.
- While making Breathless, Godard told the journalist Marc Pierret that his next film would be shot in Switzerland with three times less money, and would be "something about torture."
