battle of algiers review

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. The film then reverts to 1954, showcasing the mounting tensions between the Arabs and the French within Algiers. By pulling the trigger, Ali has symbolically committed a murder, earning his entry into the FLN. "Battle of Algiers" combines brilliant photography, crisp direction, an intriguing plot and some very fine acting. It was described at the time as "impartial," alternating between the stories of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) and the French police and paratroopers assigned to destroy it. It is about the Algerian war, but those not interested in Algeria may substitute another war; "The Battle of Algiers" has a universal frame of reference. At the height of the street fighting in Algiers, the French stage a press conference for a captured FLN leader. The army disappeared, but it didn't leave. It shows the French setting up roadblocks and checkpoints between the Casbah and the European quarter. In the 1950s, fear and violence escalate as the people of Algiers fight … It is also an important primary source in which an interpretation of the legacy of Western colonialism may serve as a stimulus for thinking about the roots of discontent with the West in the Islamic world. he asks. And despite never feeling in the least bit didactic, the lessons The Battle of Algiers has to offer are painfully obvious. The reason they told him to shoot the cop instead of the informer is that, if he were a police stooge, the police wouldn't object to the murder of a civilian, but they wouldn't let an informer shoot a French policeman. But unfortunately, due to the age of the film’s monaural soundtrack the lossless linear PCM track we receive comes off weak, lacking much depth or fidelity. His score withholds sympathy for the dead police. What movie depicts urban warfare like few others? The United States, France, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, South Africa and several South American states have all had their experiences with urban guerrillas. 37. The Battle of Algiers opens in 1957 with a distressed and disheveled FLN member giving into the French paratroopers' torture and disclosing the identity and whereabouts of La Pointe. (Like all the crowd scenes in the film, this one has an electrifying shiver that feels both exciting and dangerous.) It is about the Algerian war, but those not interested in Algeria may substitute another war; "The Battle of Algiers" has a universal frame of reference. "No, but I like him even less as an enemy.". The Battle of Algiers features a coda that jumps a few years ahead to the final days of the revolution. a furious mob marches into the streets, crowded together in a closed-off ghetto. In a film that was cast almost entirely with local non-actors, he uses the Paris stage veteran Jean Martin to play Col. Mathieu, commander of paratroopers sent in to back up the police. "The Battle of Algiers," a great film by the young Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, exists at this level of bitter reality. "The Battle of Algiers," a great film by the young Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo, exists at this level of bitter reality. LinkedIn. He feels betrayed by the FLN, but the woman takes him to her contact, who explains the reasoning: They did not know if they could trust him. Battle of Algiers, The (Algeria/Italy, 1966) March 08, 2019. The FLN hierarchy called on the Muslims in Algeria to restore the dignity and independence of the Algerian state. The conflict began as a series of attacks by the FLN against the French forces followed by a terrorist attack on Algerian civilians in Algiers by a group of Pieds-Noirs (European settlers), aided by the police. Certainly it was shown by the Black Panthers and the IRA to their members, and in September 2003 the New York Times reported that the movie was being shown in the Pentagon to military and civilian experts. Truly a brilliant film. Ali might have been recruited by the French in prison. Review: The Unwavering Relevance of “The Battle of Algiers” The Algerian masterpiece remains one of the most relevant films of our time for good reason. He blamed some of the problems in Iraq on the fact that the U.S. victory came too easily and quickly; if the lessons of other conflicts are a guide, it may be too soon to declare that victory. In the early morning, tired French paratroopers exchange knowing glances. Pontecorvo has created a universal masterpiece with “The Battle of Algiers,” one that earns its place among the greatest films of all time. "Give us your airplanes and we will give you our women and their handbags.". It shows the French setting up roadblocks and checkpoints between the Casbah and the European quarter. I misspoke in the video! The strength of "The Battle of Algiers," the reason it is being viewed in the Pentagon 35 years after its making, is that it is lucid and dispassionate in its examination of the tactics of both sides. It involves the proving-ground of the emerging tactics in Algeria from 1954 to 1962, as France tried and failed to contain a nationalist uprising. Battle of Algiers might well be the best historical film ever. / Street Date August 9, 2011 / 49.95 Starring Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Samia Kerbash, Ugo Paletti, Fusia El Kader Cinematography Marcello Gatti Production Designer Sergio Canevari Film Editor Mario Morra, Mario Serandrei Original Music Ennio Morricone, Gillo Pontecorvo Regardless, The Battle of Algiers is justifiably regarded as a bona fide masterpiece. Algiers carefully, but emotionally, depicts the violence that results from the forceful occupation of Algeria by the French government, as rebels take drastic actions in the name of independence. The French colonel (himself a veteran of the anti-Nazi resistance), learns that Sartre supports the FLN. Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. The strength of the film, I think, comes because it is both passionate and neutral, concerned with both sides. WhatsApp A film is a piece of art that aims to entertain as well educate. The Battle of Algiers was an iconic film of the 1960s. It featured the Algerian war of independence from the French in the 1950s, and captured the revolutionary times of that decade. Film Review: Battle of Algiers (1966) Dir. dan spalinger August 13, 2020. By Sharon Rwakatungu, 19 Mar 18 15:55 GMT. It is a movie that rebuilds the events that were witnessed in Algeria in 1954-1962. This reasoning is chilling, and carries a terrible weight of logic. It is a popular kind of entertainment that is created by a certain culture, and may affect another one. The Battle of Algiers is a must-have for movie buffs and military strategists alike. Then it follows three women, one with a child, who walk right past the checkpoints with bombs in their purses. "Why are the liberals always on the other side?" “Algiers” has influenced the introduction of political thought into cinema, from Costa-Gavras’s conspiracy thriller “Z” to the work of Oliver Stone. This is a charged moment for Rialto Pictures to re-release Gillo Pontecorvo’s classic The Battle Of Algiers, which won the top prize at the 1966 Venice Film Festival. Gillo Pontecorvo . After The Battle. Pontecorvo's film remains even today a triumph of realistic production values. "The Battle of Algiers" was the winner of the Golden Lion at the 1965 Venice Film Festival in addition to being Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. 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