Shadows of Freedom directors celebrate historic WWII campaign Operation Torch
World War II documentary Shadows of Freedom, from Gravitas Ventures, spotlights the heroic Jewish resistance in Algiers.
Shadows of Freedom composer/director Amos Carlen and co-director Aline Robichaud deliver a compelling cinematic response to the World War II comedy Jojo Rabbit. In place of silly satire, Carlen and Robichaud combine archival news footage, interviews with WWII historians, and artist Joseph Sherman’s stark illustrations for the documentary. They matter-of-factly recreate the six-hour takeover of Algiers by 388 Jewish and French resistance fighters from the Nazi-aligned, French Vichy Army into a concise and exciting WWII tale.
Shadows of Freedom spotlights Jewish resistance fighters like José Aboulka in Algiers as key to the successful North African invasion by American and British troops known as Operation Torch. It’s the first, small step towards ultimate victory by the Allies, or, as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously describes in a 1942 speech as, “Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Only 300,000 WWII veterans remain, and, with every loss, the people and stories behind key events like Operation Torch continue to fade into memory. Thankfully, the well-crafted documentary Shadows of Freedom helps puts a permanent spotlight on a vital tale of heroism on the first victory against the Nazis.
Shadows of Freedom, from Gravitas Ventures, is currently available via VOD platforms
Cast: Helen Fry, Robert Gildea, Brian Lane Herder, Christopher Kolakowski, Jeannine Verdes-Leroux, and Robert Satloff
Illustrator: Joseph Sherman
Composer: Amos Carlen
Cinematographer: Jay Dacey and Russ Goozee
Producers: Amos Carlen and Aline Robichaud
Directors: Amos Carlen and Aline Robichaud
Editor: Lee Walker
Executive Producer: Sarah Taieb Carlen
Rating: Unrated