The battle of conscious

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2011)

The movie opening sequence is bird's eye view of Algiers, showing us the European part and the indigenous quarter ("Casbah", hinting us the main rivalry of the movie. Pontecorov's work is extraordinary, we can see his passion for cinematography by letting the camera moves and speak for it self, as the film develop we can recognize the importance of the footage which took place in the "Casbah" itself of Algiers just few years after the end of the struggle (and the following independence), the narrow alleys and cooperativeness local population. I was happy to find, though, involvement in the production of Algerian was huge, never the less the participant of some ex-FLN fighters as actors, the movie does show us the terrible affect of terrorist action against the local European civilians. Furthermore, the portrayal of the French army was decent, consider their complicated task in converting battlefield tactics into heavy populated areas.
I think in such delicate issues, and of course if the main purpose is to bring the audience neutral opinion, Pontecorovo did an excellent job. The movie, except from the great history lesson, is relevant for today also, we can refer to it in different clashes around the world involving regular army forces and guerilla fighting.