Can A Mere Movie From 1966 Influence The 21st Century ? Maybe

Rating: 10/10 (22 September 2012)

What everyone forgets nowadays is that the French contribution to counter insurgency warfare was " The ink spot strategy " which was very effective against the Viet Minh in the early stages of the French Indo-China conflict 1946-54 . The same strategy was used most effectively by the British in Malaya in the 1950s where it crushed a communist insurrection , though it was painfully ineffective when the Brits used it in Afghanistan 50 years later . We can all remember the hurtful comments about France being shouted from The White House during Dubya's era but didn't stop the irony - if not out and out hypocrisy - of the same politicians watching this film in order to pick up a few tips on counter insurgency warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan
Before tonight I saw this almost 20 years ago and have never forgotten it . What I remembered most was the very even handed dealt out to both sides . This doesn't mean it tries either side as light gray , more like very very dark gray which neither side should be proud of . Based on the grim realities of the time . The French are happy to carry out black ops against the rebellion by blowing up innocent Algerian citizens making out houses are used for bomb factories and brutally torturing interned suspects while the Algerian rebels ( FLN ) blow up innocent civilians at coffee bars and sports stadiums , their victims not being the French military but innocent men woman and children . There are moments that can only be described as surreal irony where for example an Algerian child is stopped from being beaten to death by a French gendarme
This is a political film that shows a neutral point of view . In this type of conflict nearly everyone is neutral . Both the French and FLN try and make a headway in to turning the neutral in to being on " Our side ". Watching it in 2012 however you must be aware of one thing: The FLN are Muslims but they don't want to make a liberated Algeria in to a theocratic Islamic state - they're ( Relatively secular ) nationalists fighting again French colonialism . They're offering the Algerian people freedom from France not freedom from freedom . There's a subtlety to the ideas being put forward by both sides . The French realise not everyone is a terrorist whilst the FLN realise not everything can be solved by violence - revolutions need the will of the people . I could spend all day discussing the complex views put forward but there's a word limit of 1000 words . Just watch it and understand it
There's some obvious flaws to the movie . One is that many of the deaths are a bit too bloodless . Another is that we never see what is happening outside of the Algerian capital though the war in the countryside is referred to . Perhaps the biggest complaint is that two years after the main action the story jumps forward where more violent demonstrations take place without the benefit of historical context but if you understand revolution it's because the occupying power hasn't provided any political gains to the wider Algerian population after temporarily beating the FLN . All insurrections are political in nature and if politicians can't bring a political carrot to the table after beating the insurrection to death with a stick then the violence will continue periodically and ultimately end in defeat . I do hope all politicians in charge of a NATO country realise this