The Battle of Algiers Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Battle of Algiers
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Year: 1966
Country: Algeria
Language: French

I first viewed Gillo Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers a few years ago but it didn't have a profound effect on me, mainly because I did not understand the history behind this film. A few years, protests, history lessons and Allyna Ward's Literary and Cultural Theory class later I finally understood why this film is so important. It needs to be shown by anybody who decides to fight the system, surely it if the Occupy Wall Street protesters saw this film they likely would have been more successful. Once described as a"training film for urban guerrillas" by an ill informed television journalist, it is anything but that. It is a cautionary tale about the nature of war and revolution. If you think an uprising is easy, then you are incredibly wrong.

Battle of Algiers is a film commissioned by the Algerian government and is a startling account of one of the bloodiest revolutions in history. It shows the Algerian revolution from both sides. The Algerian people fighting for their independance and the occupying French who are attempting to keep the revolution under control. The two nations clash in an all out fight for Algeria. Torture is used, bombs are blown, civilians die. Neither side is innocent.Director Gillo Pontecorvo created a detailed and mostly accurate account of this revolution. He shot this film in the actual locations in Algeria and used mainly non-actors in his cas. It's a film that looks so real that he had to have a disclaimer put into the credits stating that no newsreel or documentary footage was used.

Colonialism is dangerous, for it may not all end in a gandhi-like fashion. The main destructive thing it does is create a "them" vs "us" idealogy. The Algerians becoming foriegners in their own country. Of course they can belong with the occupied French, only if they look and act like the French.This is very humiliating for the Algerians and the French exploit that. The very first scene shows a captured Algerian who is forced to wear a French uniform, even though he would likely rather die. Though Pontecorvo tries to not choose sides, it is clear he sympathizes more with the Algerian underdogs. It's interesting that the French leader Col. Mathieu was once on the side of the resistance...against the Nazis several decades ago. He is clearly a hypocrite, in one scene he attempts to justify torture, in another he tells us that most of his men survived the concentration camps. Surely he must realize that what his justifications and take over of Algeria is not unlike the nazi's take-over of many European countries?

The French treatment of the Algerian's can be modernized to America's treatment of the Iranian's. The American's invade Iraq and any resistance towards them is automatically called "terrorism"/ Using the word "terrorism" or "terrorist" allows different treatments and thus gave Bush the ability to justify torture, even if it didn't get results. We can see much of George Bush in Col. Mathieu. We can see the similar affects of war even though they're in different countries and in different eras/ We can see the necessary alienation of the enemy, to make their deaths seem justifiable and we can also see the "white savior" complex take place.

In conclusion, Gille Pontecorvo's anti-war masterpiece Battle of Algiers is a stunningly authentic account of the Algerian resistance movement.The cinematography is beautiful, the editing is flawless and the score keeps us on the edge of our seat. Thrilling and suspenseful yet intelligent and informative. The Dvd/Blu Ray of this film, distributed by The Criterion Collection, is one of the best special editions of any film ever made. The many special features are incredibly informative and add a whole new depth  to this film. Buy this film and not only watch something great but learn about the nature of colonialism and the nature of the revolution.Praise it! 5/5