Rich in the struggle for culture and complexity

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2009)

The Battle of Algiers is a deep and enlightening film that shows the struggle of the Algerian people fighting for equality and the freedom to maintain their culture. Even though the French brought technology and civilization in a so-called "peaceful" way, the need to control another culture is never a great idea and that is truly displayed in this film. The film had a new realism style created in the most authentic manner possible and many of the actors were actually citizens that had experienced the struggle that the French brought to Algeria. Ali La Pointe, the main character of the film, is illiterate and displayed as a criminal in the beginning of the film, but ends up being one of the main leaders of the Algerian civilians revolt against the French as they fought for freedom.
The film is great because it shows how colonization is unrealistic in so many ways. It takes away identity, language, and culture from people that respect their ancestry. The beautiful parts of the city of Algers was occupied by the Europeans, yet the casbah "ghetto" was for the Algerians to reside and it was their country! In the end, the Algerian women provided the opportunity to fight against the French truly taking form of Europeanization which I felt was really well illustrated with the ethnic women dying their hair blonde and wearing clothing to mock European style. Overall, the film was way before it's time creating complex characters even within the female actresses and their roll of carrying the explosives across the controlled border.