Posted in Afghanistan for six months, two legionnaires, Markov and
Hamilton, are ambushed during an expedition that has not been
sanctioned by their superiors. Markov saves Hamilton, badly
wounded by rebel gunfire, but he leaves the legion under a cloud.
Convalescing in Paris, Hamilton intends remaining a legionnaire, whilst
Markov, a civilian now living in France as an illegal immigrant, tries
to get by with his son Khadji. Moved by the plight of his Chechen
friend, Hamilton lends him his identity so that he can work legally in
France...
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
The cinema of Japan is noteworthy for its purity, subtlety and visual impact. The films of Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa are sublime masterpieces of film poetry.