François Ozon Film Restores Algerian Context to ‘L’Étranger’
François Ozon has brought Albert Camus' seminal novel 'L'Étranger' back to the screen, specifically addressing the political and historical context of Algeria that was previously omitted from the original work. This endeavor by Ozon marks a significant challenge to a cinematic "taboo" that emerged after Luchino Visconti's 1967 adaptation was criticized for being overly faithful to Camus' novel. Ozon stated his intent was to "continue a story that Camus had only left as clues, without developing it further," signaling a deliberate re-engagement with the underlying narratives.
The film initiates this re-contextualization by opening with footage that depicts colonial Algeria, framed through the typical colonialist perspective that presented French rule as a process of civilization and modernization. This strategic opening establishes a historical framework for viewers, inviting a more critical interpretation of Meursault's actions and experiences before his personal narrative unfolds. Ozon's direction ensures that the killing of the Arab victim is not solely reduced to Meursault's individual existential absurdity but is situated within the power dynamics of colonial society, challenging a Western-centric viewpoint by foregrounding the "otherness" of the Arab character. The original novel's portrayal of the court, for instance, is depicted not as a place for truth discovery but as a stage where preset roles are performed, further highlighting societal constructs.
Crucially, Ozon's adaptation confronts the long-standing anonymity of the victim. While Camus' novel left the victim unnamed as "the Arab," Algerian writer Kamel Daoud's novel "Meursault, contre-enquête" first gave the victim the name Moussa, retelling the story from the perspective of the Algerian victim's brother and returning Algeria's history and the memory of its Arab inhabitants to the narrative's core. Ozon's film directly incorporates this, adding a line absent from the novel where Meursault explicitly states, "I killed an Arab." The film culminates by engraving the name "Moussa Hamdani" on a tombstone, which is shown onscreen with the victim's sister, Jemila, standing before it, thereby definitively restoring the identity and presence of the Algerian victim within this iconic story.
