BATTLE OF ALGIERS

Italy/Algeria, 1966, 118 minutes, Black and white.
Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi.
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo.

The Battle of Algiers was hailed as a cinema masterpiece on its release, but it did not gain wide audiences. This is a pity since it is a very fine film and full of deep feeling.

Director Pontecorvo takes the Algerian situation of the 50's and intensely explores racial feeling and tension, the humiliation of subject peoples and the presumed arrogance of the colonial power. The French in the film are made to appeal to their heroic resistance against the Nazis without their realising that the Algerians are in a similar situation to the French and doing similar things.

The film is in striking black and white and action and sets reconstructed to look like on the spot reporting. Amateur actors are excellent as Algerians and Jean Martin excellently embodies French command.

Pontecorvo's next film was the Marlon Brando feature, Burn, which was interesting in its presentation of colonialism last century. An excellent film.

1. Which adjective would best describe this film - entertaining, exciting, informative, moving, propaganda? Why?

2. Did black and white photography suit this film better than colour? Why?

3. What were your first impressions of the film: the confession of the Arab to the French and his leading them to Ali and the others? Did your impressions change during the film?

4. Was the flashback structure successful? What did it add to the tension of the film?

5. Did the documentary style of photography, reporting, design of the crowd scenes, editing, time indications add to the film? Would it have been a much different film without this documentary tone? What did the music add to the film (especially in terms of pathos', drama and excitement)?

6. What kind of character was Ali? Was his background well enough explained? How typical was he of the Algerian Arab of the Casbah? Why?

7. What was the point of his test by the F.L.N.? Why were such tests necessary? What did it show of Ali?

8. Has the colonial Algerian situation well explained? Its relations with France?

9. How well were the relations between the Europeans in their city and the Casbah Algerians shown - e.g. in the tripping of Ali and later at the checkpoints? How did the Casbah contrast with the city?

10. How racial was the conflict between Algerians and French? How much nationalism, sense of independence, freedom? Had the French been good colonial authorities?

11. What impact did the terrorist sequences make on you - the shooting of policemen, the French planting explosives outside the building, the preparation of the Algerian girls and their leaving the bombs in the bars and airlines office, the deaths of women and children and unaware people; the chasing of the old Arab vagabond, the cries of "Assassin, Murderers", the racecourse bombings, the fomenting of terror and fear, the machine-gunnings in the street from the ambulance? What purpose did this terrorism serve? Why were the acts done? Did any good come out of it?

12. What were your impressions of Colonel Mathieu? Was he a fair representative of French interests? Was his assessment (and his briefing his soldiers) of the situation accurate? Were his tactics effective - routing-out groups, studying personalities, holding the Press Conference with the Arab leader, bargaining with Arabs, condoning torture (what impression did these sequences make?), blowing up Ali? Did he understand the F.L.N. organisation well?

13. Why did Kaden surrender? Why did Ali not surrender? How moving were these sequences? How did Mathieu handle each situation?

14. Why was there a two-year lull in terrorism and then the upsurge of nationalism? Why did the U.N. and the French take so long to get Algerian independence? Why did the French want to stay in Algeria?

15. What were your attitudes to colonialism by the end of the film? Was there anything to be said for the French presence in Algiers?

16. The French were proud of being the Resistance during the war. Now the Algerians were resisting them. Why couldn't the French see the parallels?

17. What is the value of re-living these years of the 50's which are now over? What value is there in presenting the past as vividly and as movingly as this?