A harrowing and powerful film

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2011)

Who says history lessons have to be boring and drawn out? They can also be visceral and intense in the form of a movie like The Battle of Algiers. This film tells the story of one of the bloodiest revolutions in history. The French occupied Algeria was a desolate and harrowing landscape that became a bloody battleground for the revolutionaries who would stop at nothing to regain control of their country. The film focuses on the leaders of the revolution as they plan violent terrorist attacks against the French to show them they are deathly serious. Parts of the film are also from the French army perspective, following General Mathieu as he hunts down the leaders of the revolution and aims to take them down one by one. These two perspectives create a balanced view of the war, one where we are never quite sure who is in the wrong and it is up to the audience to discern if the shamelessly brutal methods the Algerians use to gain independence are justified or not. It is a difficult film, but one that is executed with visceral beauty and grandeur.
The Battle of Algiers is a fascinating film that tells a emotionally chilling story about the determination and anguish of the Algerian people. Both sides are victimized in this story as the Algerians have their freedoms stripped and the French civilians living in Algeria pay the price through the revolutionaries acts of terrorism. There is a steadfast amount of determination here that is almost disturbing. However, I refrain from saying it is reasonable but there is of course reason behind the violence. These people want their freedom and they will stop at nothing to gain it. The various characters and perspectives in the film exemplify this determination so well and at such tense lengths that there are times where you won't even believe your eyes.
On that note, The Battle of Algiers is also an intense audio-visual experience. The sights and sounds of the film are haunting yet so compelling. Ennio Morricone, one of the all time greatest film composers, leads the action of the film with a brilliantly chilling score which makes scenes of destruction and desolation all the more harrowing. The film never holds back, displaying to us the grotesque results of the violence which this revolution brings about. Bodies of children. Demolished homes of innocent civilians. These things disturb us and yet we never know who to blame. It makes the film all the more fascinating. Gillo Pontecorvo directs with harrowing grace and glorious chaos that absorbs us into the action so well. We are thrown into such insanity and disorder via the noisy rallies and the always bustling streets of the ravaged Algeria. The Battle of Algiers is a film which throws us into the middle of an experience and forces itself upon us, making us handle every emotion. It is not just a film, it's an experience.
By todays standards, The Battle of Algiers may not seem like much but considering it was a film made in 1966 this is an impressive feat. The film doesn't sugarcoat anything. It is brutally honest and viscerally real. You won't find films like this from the time period often, especially ones that chronicle true events. This is a triumph in filmmaking that has forever changed the face of political cinema.