By Jason Cunningham
Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers explores the world of the Front de Libération Nationale resistance against the French colonials who once occupied Algeria.
Released in 1966, the film takes place from between 1954 and 1962 and was shot entirely in black and white, making some scenes look like newsreel (a disclaimer that none is used marks the film’s opening). The Battle of Algiers is an essential film for everybody’s Netflix queue. Luckily, it’s currently available for instant streaming right from your computer or video game console, so no waiting by the mailbox for this title.
Pontecorvo begins the viewer’s journey through the Algerian War of Independence by introducing us to an elderly Arab man, who was tortured, leading French paratroopers to the hiding place of Ali la Pointe, the last remaining revolutionary leader behind the FLN. Troops run through the streets, narrow passageways that make the rush of French military seem inescapable. They arrive at a building where they brutally round up all of its inhabitants. Their informant, who is shaken and malnourished, has brought them to Ali, played by the sharply featured Brahim Haggiag.
Ali’s roots are founded within a world of thieves and hustlers, of which he is both. Illiterate and poor, Ali is radicalized while in prison after witnessing executions of his fellow Arabs. This radicalization is what leads to Ali’s recruitment by the FLN after he’s released from prison. After proving his loyalty after his recruitment, his climb from peasant to revolutionary leader begins.
Most versions of The Battle of Algiers released prior to the most recent 2003 version were poorly translated with subpar image quality. Since 2003, when the film was screened for military personnel by the Pentagon as a field guide to fighting terrorism, better versions have surfaced. The Criterion Collection release is well-translated and a higher quality version than ones seen before. This is the version you’ll be able to watch from Netflix.
Pontecorvo’s approach is gritty, realistic and well-paced. The Battle of Algiers has been used by the Provisional Irish Republican Army, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front and Black Panthers as an inspirational training film. The Battle of Algiers is in many ways is derived from Italian neorealism displaying the dignity that is lost within a world of pain and corruption. In the case of The Battle of Algiers, Western civilization is a disgusting imposer.
As the conflict caused by French occupation thickens throughout the film, the French begin to rule as tyrants, treating the people like animals herding them through sandbags and barb wired walls. Their response to FLN terrorism efforts is harsh, causing racism to become a part of everyday life. Arabs are persecuted, arrested or beat in the streets, usually due to vocal persecution from the angry French citizens of Algeria. Casbah is a place for the affluent French, while the indigenous population suffers under severe mistreatments.
The Arab revolutionaries include women as well as men. Women even discard their long gowns and veils in order to look “Western” so they can pass through French checkpoints unnoticed and unsearched. They’re reduced to the French standard of sexiness for the sake of the revolution. Their ability to easily maneuver through the Casbah is what allows the FLN to place bombs so easily, an act almost always committed by women in the film.
The Battle of Algiers also has one of the greatest onscreen advisories of all-time: Colonel Philippe Mathieu, who is intended to be the actual General Jacques Massu, the commander of the paratroopers during the war. Mathieu is the kind of character that believes that ordinary people can and should be tortured, with tactics ranging from electric shock to near drowning, for the sake of results, the main point that the folks at the Pentagon wanted to drive home to military personal. During the infamous press conference scene, Mathieu tells reporters that the consequences of war must be accepted for France to win against the FLN, an explanation so vivid and dark that it actually stirs up sympathy within the room towards the FLN’s cause. As soon as Mathieu realizes this he shuts down the press conference. This scene exposes the ugly and universal truth behind all wars: the winners must do anything in their power to win, otherwise they just aren’t playing the game seriously. The end justifying the means is the philosophy of failure, disgusting the French public until France willingly gave up Algeria.
The Battle of Algiers isn’t a film with an agenda, but a film with a striking focus on the larger picture of the grotesque nature of all war and the disgusting crimes committed by each side- revealing the horror in the loss of humanity we see when two strongly opposed sides clash. This insightful and often times painful film shouldn’t be missed by anyone, especially if they have a Netflix account.
