The Battle of algiers
A gritty and realistic — if unreliable — account of Algeria’s struggle for independence
Certificate 15 Director Gillo Pontecorvo Cast Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef Released Out now
So often today, highly publicised ‘restoration’ or ‘remastered’ versions of classic cinema turn out to be very little more than thinly veiled, cynical cash-grab exercises.
That is just one of the reasons why this particular 4K restoration of The Battle of Algiers is such a welcome sight.
Its release fitting unnervingly well into the late-2017 state of world affairs, The Battle of Algiers is famously the first big-screen Algerian-produced film, the product of a newly independent state’s burgeoning cinema and art community — one still very much dealing with a nation’s turbulent past.
Co-produced by Italian filmmakers, directed by famous Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo and scored by Pontecorvo and the legendary Ennio Morricone, the film bears a very strong resemblance to Italian neorealist cinema. But instead of jarring against the highly dramatic narrative, based on a first-person wartime account by Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) commander Saadi Yacef (who also produced and starred in the film as a fictional FLN commander based on himself), the near-propaganda-like tone of the screenplay perfectly complements the disciplined approach by director Pontecorvo.
Of course, as a subjective account by an FLN fighter, the factual validity of the story will never be fully clear, especially seeing as the response by the French upon its original release in 1966 was to ban the film for years. It’s made believable by virtue of the realistic directorial approach, as well as Pontecorvo’s admirable decision to avoid painting one side as the poetic heroes and the other as snarling villains.
The antagonist, French lieutenant-colonel Mathieu, becomes a three-dimensional, empathetic character, and we see the morally questionable actions of the Algerian guerrilla forces highlighted, especially in a stunning sequence where three women are sent into Algiers’ European quarter to plant bombs among innocent civilians. In this sequence, sound and music editing is masterfully employed to heighten emotion and increase tension, and the performances, most by untrained actors, are convincing and empathetic.
Playing out to traditional Algerian drumming, the suspense is palpable, immersing the viewer into the scheme to almost a witness-like level, showing the protagonists as people who are definitely capable of evil, just like their enemies. This sequence, along with several others, highlights the emotional horrors of war and the unsavoury decisions made by both sides in any military struggle.
The historical significance of The Battle of Algiers, regardless of its debatable factual accuracy, cannot be overstated. Showing an actual expert insight into the methods and philosophy of guerrilla fighters up against a seemingly overwhelming industrial military force, the film has since been used as a blueprint on how not to fight a war against an indigenous rebellion, even by Pentagon officials in relation to the Iraq War post-9/11.
A dramatic retelling of Algeria’s fight for self-determination,
The Battle of Algiers is still effective viewing today.