The first and only narrative feature by American documentarian James Blue (Oscar®-nominated for A Few Notes On Our Food Problem), The Olive Trees Of Justice holds the dual distinctions of being the only French film to have been shot in Algeria during the Algerian War, and to have been the winner of the Prize of the Society of Film and Television Writers at the inaugural Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962.

Filmed in Algiers and the surrounding countryside during the late stages of the Algerian War, under the pretext that it was a documentary about the wine industry, the film depicts the Algerian struggle for independence from the French by concentrating on a young “pied-noir” (Frenchman of Algerian descent) who returns to Algiers to visit his dying father. His memories of boyhood on his father’s farm are told in flashbacks with a lush serenity that contrasts to the teeming, tank-filled streets of contemporary Algiers.

Giving the film a neorealist tone by shooting in a documentary style and enrolling a cast that consisted largely of non-professional actors, including author Jean Pelegri who wrote the autobiographical novel from which the film is based, Blue tells a powerful story of common people living and struggling in their daily lives, while providing a valuable testimony to the complexity of the Algerian situation in that time period.

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Video Quality

The Olive Trees Of Justice makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p master from a 4K restoration from a fine grain print preserved at Les Archives Françaises du Film. From the sheer number of entities involved in funding this restoration, you can tell that a lot of care was put into this project. For a film that was shot in a documentary style 60 years ago, this is a truly spectacular presentation. The gorgeous black-and-white photography appears luminous in high definition with natural grain intact. Black levels are very deep with no overwhelming occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track experiences next to nothing in the way of flicker or other instability. There is a striking amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the setting. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. This presentation has been lovingly restored to eliminate pretty much all damage. Kino Classics and all of the preservation entities have done some spectacular work here.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a pleasant DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original languages, with an emphasis on French, that serves this movie really well. This track has been restored to eliminate nearly all age related wear and tear including hissing which allows it to sound more stable than it ever has. Dialogue and background noises such as men calling out for work are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. The sparse music never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. The good folks at Kino Classics have provided a wonderful audio experience for this title.

Special Features

Amal (1960): A 21-minute short film from James Blue is provided here which takes the form of a fictionalized documentary and centers on soil erosion and how it impacts children specifically. This is a nice complement to the feature film worth checking out.

Trailer: A 90-second trailer is provided for The Olive Trees Of Justice.

Final Thoughts

The Olive Trees Of Justice is a beautifully layered look at a region of the world that is often overlooked at a time when it is experiencing a reality of unrest. On a more intimate level, this is a story about the relationship between a father and son and the experience of reexamining the past during volatile changes. The documentary style of James Blue gives this narrative a more visceral impact as you move between time periods and mull over the changes that have affected the people in various ways. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation and a couple of worthwhile special features. If you are a fan of international cinema, this feature is easily worth checking out. Recommended

The Olive Trees Of Justice is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.