What I know going in
The film details the
revolution that took place in North Africa against colonial France during the
50’s. Great film about terrorism or the greatest film about terrorism? I also
forgot to mention that I have listened to Ennio Morricone’s score for the film
several times (which is great by the way and totally different from his work on
various spaghetti westerns).
Immediate thoughts
It is very tempting to
completely vilify the French colonialists in the movie. The Arab portion of the
city is blocked off and the residents are forced into work during a strike
(highly evocative of the Jewish ghettos and forced labor camps of World War
II). Random house’s full of civilians are destroyed. Numerous people are
subjected to brutal torture (electrocution, burning, waterboarding, and hanging
by the limbs to name a few), and it is unknown if the subjects are actually
involved in the conflict as the scenes are given no context. Needless to say,
these scenes are probably even more relevant today than they were during the
time of the film’s release. With the release of the horrible pictures from Abu
Ghraib, the film serves as a reminder that the issues surrounding torture have
existed for a very long time and remained unsolved.
Even though my own
political ideals make me sympathetic with the goal of the Algerian resistance,
the film still forced me to deal with the totality and messiness of the
situation. I believe even the film supports overthrow of the French, but that
doesn’t stop Gillo Pontecorvo (the director) from depicting the atrocities
committed by the rebels. This includes gunning down random policemen (who, up
to that point, may not have done anything against the native Algerians), and bombing
completely innocent people in café’s and horse racetracks. Three women who
commit the café bombing are shown hesitating before placing their bombs,
clearly showing that they know what they are doing is wrong. The greatest
strength of the film is its ability to remain even-handed in its depiction of
both sides of the conflict.
To remain so balanced, the film is shot in a style reminiscent of
Italian neo-realism. The camera weaves through throngs of people, down
countless back alleys, and into the run down apartments of the oppressed
Algerians. Its gritty black-and-white immediacy forced me to deal with the
human toll of the violence depicted. Every action has a horrible consequence.
Each bombing that takes place is followed by the piling-up of several bloodied
and mutilated bodies.
Further thoughts
Reading through my Facebook feed the other day, I a comment left by one
of my friends caught my eye. "You make mistakes because you're focusing on
the target and not your actions." Having just watched the Battle of
Algiers, this comment got me thinking. The comment perfectly sums up why all of
the horrific violence is allowed to happen throughout the movie. The French
police and paratroopers stop seeing the rebels as human and make horrible moral
compromises justified by their need to keep control of the country. The rebels
are so focused on their goal of liberation that the innocent lives their
attacks take are a simple afterthought. The Battle of Algiers represents what
happens when people become so dedicated to a cause that they lose their humanity.
As Jean Martin's Colonel Mathieu states: "No, gentlemen, believe me, it is
a vicious circle."
In addition, I realized that during my viewing of the film, around the halfway point, I began to feel a sense of extreme unease. It wasn't disgust or shock, but a quiet, creeping sense of dread. At a certain point, the endless sequence of bombing, shootings, and torture started to simultaneously numb and unnerve me. Knowing that this type of violence is currently going on in countries such as Syria, and will probably continue long after I pass away, made me want to stop watching and try to think of something positive.
In addition, I realized that during my viewing of the film, around the halfway point, I began to feel a sense of extreme unease. It wasn't disgust or shock, but a quiet, creeping sense of dread. At a certain point, the endless sequence of bombing, shootings, and torture started to simultaneously numb and unnerve me. Knowing that this type of violence is currently going on in countries such as Syria, and will probably continue long after I pass away, made me want to stop watching and try to think of something positive.
Does it belong on the list?
Yes, if you define a great movie as one that remains relevant far past
the time of its release, this is perhaps the greatest movie ever made.
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