The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Drama, War /
8.1/10
96/100
99% – Critics
95% – Audience

The Battle of Algiers Storyline

1954. France, after the independence of the nations comprising Indochina, turns its attention to incidents in French Algeria, which they have ruled for approximately one hundred thirty years. The National Liberation Front (FLN) is leading the resistance in Algeria against their colonial rulers, the FLN who the French authorities believe, or want to believe, comprise only a small minority of the Muslim Algerian population in wanting Algerian independence. Specific incidents in this battle in Algiers between 1954 and the time of independence in 1962 are presented. The FLN began their campaign in shooting military police in the Casbah, the predominantly Muslim quarter of the city, as they were able to blend back into the scene with the support of the populace. These initial one by one attacks escalated on both sides to mass killings, where collateral damage was seen as being acceptable. Both sides also worked toward the United Nations discussion on the issue, each wanting global support for their cause. The events largely focus on two people, one on each side. The first is Ali La Pointe, a lifelong petty criminal and illiterate who the FLN recruited after being politicized while in prison. The second is French paratrooper Colonel Mathieu, a lead French strategist whose main goal is to dismantle the FLN activities by “cutting off the head of the tapeworm”.

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The Battle of Algiers Movie Reviews

A Brilliant War Film…

Just when I thought I was starting to hate every movie in sight, I had the amazing priveledge to watch “the Battle Of Algiers” which is this amazing account of the oppression of the Algierian people by the French in the 1950’s.

When the movie starts, we see 4 people hiding from the French Army. Then all of a sudden, this amazingly haunting music starts, and we’re told the story in flashback of how the Algierian people tried to revolt against the French Soldiers.

From what I understand, the movie uses no documentary footage, which is amazing as some of the scenes in the movie must have taken a great deal of effort to produce., There are some pretty amazing crowd scenes and the explosion scenes are just breathtaking.

Also, I guess some of the actual revolutionaries are in the film as well. They are pretty hard to point out as all of the acting here is amazing, very realistic.

So, looking for a war movie? Dammit, don’t go for Private Ryan, go to Algiers.

very good but oddly filmed

This is a documentary-like film about the Algerian revolution against the French in the 1950s and 60s–though 95% of the movie is set between 1956 and 1957. At first, it appears to be a documentary-like film about a revolutionary named Ali Le Pointe. It follows him episodically from his teenage years, to his joining the FLA (the Algerian Independence group) and follows many of his terrorist exploits as well as those of his compatriots. However, despite this being the focus, the film then diverges towards other characters and even after Ali’s death, the film continues–giving spotty accounts all the way up until their independence in 1962. While the film is greatly admired and it does seem to show both sides of the equation, it looks as if the film was made by two or more directors and then pieced together, as the focus and style of the film changed repeatedly. While this doesn’t undermine its overall impact, this keeps it from being a truly great film.

Also, and this is definitely a politically charged opinion, I had a bit of a hard time watching this film. While the French (and British and others) were dead wrong to establish colonial empires, the organizations that in many instances replaced these empires scares the life out of any thinking person. Also, no matter how noble the cause, so many innocent people were murdered it makes you wonder if it was all worth it or was it just a chance for nihilists to kill for the sake of killing?

France’s illusion

Told in a brutally realistic style The Battle For Algeria is the ultimate in docudrama. Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo made this film with a bit of distance between the French-Algerian War post World War II. Pontecorvo skillfully uses documentary footage to blend in nicely with the story he shot. You think you are getting an inside look at the war.

Looking back this seems so ludicrous. Post the Napoleonic age France’s colonial expansion took her to North Africa just across the Mediterranean and between Morocco, Tunisia, and the countries carved out of French Equatorial Africa and French West Africa she had one large chunk of the continent. By degree and somewhat hurried by the end of World War II. Except for Algeria and particularly Algiers it’s capital city on the coast. For some inexplicable reason the French took a proprietary interest in the place and would not let it go.

No hearts and minds were won by the French among the Moslem population. Especially after use of torture. Why they just didn’t let them go with the rest is beyond me.

The Algerian story is told from the point of view of freedom figter Braham Hadjaji. The French point of view is covered from high ranking officer Jean Martin. Martin’s attitudes are frightening as his sense of propriety concerning Algiers.

This is one great film with a lot of lessons to be learned about neo-colonialism.

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