The Cruel Day

A French Army captain arrives with his wife and son at an outpost in a small town in Algeria during the Algerian War.

When a lieutenant recommends torturing the boy to elicit information on the rebels, the captain faces a crisis of conscience.

Meras, Peter Lorre as a cafe owner, Nehemiah Persoff as the Algerian father, and Thano Rama as Yazid Boussena (the prisoner).

[2] Larry Wolters of the Chicago Tribune called it "a sensitive, moving, and suspenseful drama.

"[4] Fred Danzig of the UPI praised the cast as excellent and opined that its treatment of profound questions made the play "one of unusual importance.