“Acts of violence don’t win wars. Neither wars, nor revolutions. Terrorism is useful as a start. But then, the people themselves must act.”
The Battle of Algiers outclasses the usual attributes that make a motion picture commendable. This violent wartime classic goes above and beyond a simple inspired vision. In terms of script, cast, direction, and score, writer/director/composer Gillo Pontecorvo renders viewers’ hearts pummeled and their souls affected. Don’t let anyone inform you otherwise, The Battle of Algiers is a merciless, informing, eye-opening, and absorbing work.
Shot in an unbiased documentary style, The Battle of Algiers depicts the Algerian nation’s ten-year struggle for independence from France. As war is waged, both the unending pride of the Algerian people and the torturous tactics of the French are apparent. Through the experiences of rebel troublemaker Ali La Pointe (Brahim Hadjadj) and French Colonel Matthieu (Jean Martin), the opposing sides of the revolution are presented.
The film’s most striking moments occur in its violence. The retelling of the escalating events of June 20, 1956 — at 10:32, 11:40, 15:30, and 16:15 respectively — is daunting. Watching unsuspected women remove their burkas, cut their hair, put on make-up, and use their handbags to bomb unwary enemies at a café, dance club, and airport is crushing. The suspense and violence builds further in observing an innocent man sitting on a curb accused of murder, a naive boy working concessions at a horse race getting blamed for a bombing and “paying” for those responsible, and National Liberation Front (FLN) members being brutally tortured as a method of interrogation.
Why is it that holding grudges and being at your wits' end turns to violence and killing innocent men, women, and children over race, religion, and political control? How do citizens stand stranded on a street corner frightened and vulnerable after a terrorist attack? Is it fair that one side fights with air bombers, while the other fights with baskets? Even though these questions make the motives of the FLN (to get the French out of Algeria) and the French (to hold dominion) all the more perceptible, the ideals behind them cause a band of people to unite in tyranny and protest.
The Battle of Algiers really allows one to consider the War on Terror from an Iraqi standpoint. Do the Iraqis view the invading U.S. in the same light that the Algerians viewed the French? If so, the fight is, to some extent, legitimized. Is the U.S. seen as the bully forcing its democratic system upon Iraq, while Iraq pushes for independence? If Iraq feels threatened, then their retaliation front is based on their self-determination for freedom, not hate.
Article comments
1 - Arlo J. Wiley
I had read before that the Pentagon had screened The Battle of Algiers, but I had totally forgotten about it. You've drawn some excellent, eye-opening parallels to the war in Iraq.