'Les Magnifiques' depicts lives of quintet of North African Jews who fled their countries in the '50s and '60s before finding huge success in the French entertainment industry
From eulogizing Anwar Sadat in song to sharing laughs onscreen with Jerry Lewis, five North African Jewish immigrants revolutionized French pop culture. Their impact from the 1960s through the ’80s is now being further immortalized in a new documentary, “Les Magnifiques.”
Algerian-born singer Enrico Macias became an international pop star. Philippe Clair of Morocco and Robert Castel of Algeria mastered the art of comedy. Tunisian producers Norbert Saada and Régis Talar excelled at finding talent.
“These five Magnifiques are part of the life of France, even if sometimes we ignore it,” Yves Azeroual, who co-directed the film with Mathieu Alterman, wrote in an email. “Through this film I wanted to pay homage to their work, their talent and also their tenacity.”
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Azeroual and Alterman both have careers in French journalism. Azeroual is also an author and documentary filmmaker whose subjects have included the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
“Les Magnifiques” made its international premiere at the New York Sephardic Film Festival in March. Azeroual said that its five subjects “were very honored that we salute their work. And everyone was proud to be in the same movie as the other four.”
The film begins with the co-stars meeting for dinner at the famed Paris restaurant, La Boule Rouge. Over fig liqueur, the five reflect back on successful lives that all got their start in French North Africa.