The Battle Of Algiers – Reviewing The Oldies
In 1966 an Italian filmmaker made a film that stunned audiences worldwide. His name was Gillo Pontecorvo and the film in question was The Battle Of Algiers.
The film is about the Algerian revolution and the story unfolds through the eyes of the Algerians who are seeking independence and the French who having retreated from Vietnam in defeat now have a point to prove.
Already the fact that it is a completely unbiased view of the situation makes this film stand out from average war films. It’s even more incredible that it was actually the Algerian government themselves who commissioned the film.
Instead of portraying themselves as the victims they wanted to show the battle exactly as it was. They both make mistakes and they both kill thousands of innocent people unnecessarily. They are shown to be human and the film is littered with examples of human weakness and error. The French are extremely violent in how they treat their supposed enemies but the Algerian counter this by sending suicide bombers into populated areas and cafes.
Despite this approach the film was still banned in France for 5 years. Nobody likes to be reminded of their mistakes, especially when the results are death and destruction.
When Pontecorvo wrote the script he was adamant that there wasn’t going to be any main characters. This is not war as told through the eyes of a single soldier or even a group of soldiers. Everybody has a voice and an opinion in this film and the idea of having the usual good vs. bad set-up would have resulted in a less powerful and ultimately worse film. Pontercorvo was not going to complicate matters by introducing a love story either. This was war plain and simple!
The film succeeds on so many levels but where it truly becomes a genuine masterpiece is in its realism. At the beginning of the movie we are told that everything we are about to see is not taken from documentary footage. It was all shot by the director and his crew and none of it is real.
Even with this disclaimer you can’t help but think it’s real. The way the camera moves, the pacing, the lighting all make it look like newsreel footage. When 3 Algerian women go to plant bombs in the city’s French quarter it’s as if it is happening right at that precise moment. When the bombs explode and you see the carnage they leave behind and the resulting shouts of pain from the people it is heart breaking.
You can’t help but think all those people are really dead or dying.
Right at the end of the film there is a massive rebellion. Thousands of extras are used and the fear, anger and torture on their faces says it all. Saving Private Ryan and Schindlers List have nothing on this film. Gillo Pontcorvo makes Steven Spielberg look like an amateur in the realism stakes.
The Battle Of Algiers subject matter is especially relevant today. In 2003 the Pentagon offered a screening for the film to highlight problems being faced in Iraq in the wake of September 11th. A flyer advertising the screening read:
“How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervour. Sound familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically. To understand why come to a rare showing of this film”
This is filmmaking at its most raw, powerful and exciting. Everybody who has seen this film never forgets it. It is a monumental achievement and will always be celebrated for the incredible film it is. The Battle Of Algiers was re-released on DVD on Monday 31st August 2009. If you haven’t seen it and you love cinema then make sure you check it out. You will never be the same person again.
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