November 27, 2009 - 16:16 AMT
Charles Aznavour made significant contribution to creation of film, portraying Missak Manouchian's life
"Charles Aznavour made a significant contribution to creation of the film, portraying Missak Manouchian'a life," actor Serge Avedikian said, reminded of chansonnier's accounts about his father, Mishs Aznavourian. "They helped me a lot in my work in Robert Guediguian's "The army of crime" film to premier in Yerevan on November 29," the actor said.
The film deals with the true events surrounding the Affiche Rouge ("red poster") affair. The phrase "army of crime" was taken from the caption on historic propaganda poster, in which the Nazis sought to present prominent resistance fighters as criminals. The caption read "Liberators? Liberation by the army of crime".
In Paris during the German Occupation, an ill-assorted group of resistance fighters commits disorganized attacks. Missak Manouchian, an Armenian exile, is ready to help but is reluctant to kill; for him, being ready to die but not to kill is an ethical matter. However, circumstances lead him to abandon his reluctance. Under his leadership, the group structures and plans its actions and thus the Manouchian network is born. The film traces the story of this group, from its shaping to the execution of its members in 1944.
""The army of crime" has already won acclaim among the audience, owing to its truthfulness and professionalism," Ariane Askaride, the actress starring in the role of Madame Elek in Robert Guediguian's film, emphasized.