La battaglia di Algeri (1966)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Gillo Pontecorvo (writer)
Franco Solinas (writer)

Release Date:

20 September 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The French Colonel...who was forced even to torture! One of the many women...who stopped at nothing to win! The Algerian Street Boy...who became a rebel hero!

Plot:

An account of the bloodiest revolution in modern history.

Plot Keywords:

Bomb | Independence | Government | Torture | Revolution

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins

Cast

Brahim Hadjadj	...	Ali La Pointe (as Brahim Haggiag)
Jean Martin	...	Col. Mathieu
Yacef Saadi	...	Djafar (as Saadi Yacef)
Samia Kerbash	...	One of the girls
Ugo Paletti	...	Captain
Fusia El Kader	...	Halima
Omar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mohamed Ben Kassen	...	Petit Omar

Also Known As:

The Battle of Algiers (UK) (USA)
Maarakat madinat al Jazaer (Algeria: Arabic title)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

Italy | Algeria

Language:

Italian | French | English | Arabic

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Norway:16 | USA:Not Rated | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | France:(Banned) (1965-1971) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1993) | UK:X (original rating) | West Germany:16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Algeria

Company:

Igor Film

Trivia:

In 2003, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon screened this film for officers and civilian experts who were discussing the challenges faced by the US military forces in Iraq. The flier inviting guests to the screening read: "How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas".

Goofs:

Continuity: The foot responsible for tripping Ali when running down the street changes from the right to the left foot between cuts.

Quotes:

Journalist: M. Ben M'Hidi, don't you think it's a bit cowardly to use women's baskets and handbags to carry explosive devices that kill so many innocent people?
Ben M'Hidi: And doesn't it seem to you even more cowardly to drop napalm bombs on defenseless villages, so that there are a thousand times more innocent victims? Of course, if we had your airplanes it would be a lot easier for us. Give us your bombers, and you can have our baskets.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Sahara with Michael Palin" (2002)

Should be mandatory viewing for every American

"Battle of Algiers" is simply one of the greatest films every made. If film making can be about truth as well as fantasy, then a movie that includes a title card telling viewers that there is not one foot of documentary or newsreel footage in it must deserve viewing.

"Battle of Algiers" contains scenes that seem so real, you suspect that they couldn't have been staged. When three Algerian women come down from the Casbah to plant bombs in the French quarter of the city, you can almost cut the tension with a knife. When the bombs go off, you think they must have been real bombs. And when you see the devastation they leave in their wake, you cannot fail to be moved. The massive rebellion in the streets at the end of the film also seems so real, you sit wondering how many extras must have been injured filming those scenes.

"Battle of Algiers" combines brilliant photography, crisp direction, an intriguing plot and some very fine acting. Throw in a terrific music score, splendid editing, impressive special effects and the best example ever of docudrama style production and you have a masterpiece of film making.

But film making is not nearly as important as human life and no film in general release today says more about America's current involvement in the middle east and many other parts of the world than this picture about the French in Algeria, made more than three decades ago.

Every American should view this film, then think about our current occupation of Iraq.