Still Highly RelevantIf Not More SoIconic Resistance Film Attacks Colonialism

Rating: 10/10 (19 September 2006)

It feels redundant to talk about a film as iconic as Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers". Still, as a descendant of the colonized (and quite possibly the colonizer, too) it's hard not to get affected by what could very well be the greatest anti-colonialism film ever made. Something as potent and political as this demands a reaction. "Algiers" is among a handful of films that are so exceptional and humanistic they ought to qualify as required viewing for a better humanity: Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay", Koreeda Hirokazu's "Nobody Knows", Kieslowski's "The Decalogues", and Lee Chang-Dong's "Oasis", to cite a few.
'Two hours' and 'black & white' aren't the most appetizing words even to the most adventurous of cineastes but here the story is quite absorbing, the work paced well, and the mood of resistance so palpable, one barely notices the film's length. Algeria's National Liberation Front (FLN) and one of its top leaders, Ali La Pointe (real name Ali Ammar?), are the obvious protagonists and, despite what some reviewers say, it's very clear that the colonizer, France, is the devil here. It's in the employment of war tactics where it gets blurry. Both parties resort to violence and murder for entirely different reasons, the Algerians' nobler than that of the French, but does purpose supersede the moral dilemma? Does the struggle for freedom justify murder?
Despite the quandary, it's quite easy to root for the Algerians especially when they're led by a reformed petty crook-turned-revolutionary. "Algiers" is a classic underdog film with a heavy dose of historical credibility. In other words, "It happened!" We repeatedly see the Algerian 'rebel' forces getting crushed by France's more superior military forces and it's very commendable and heartbreaking to see them fight back over and over again. And how. It's astonishing to finally witness the film's legendary realism. I actually cried at some point when Ali's situation seemed very bleak.
The history of colonization and oppression is naturally full of fascinating stories of rebels and revolutionaries, loyalties are tested, courage is in high demand, traitors abound, nationalism is in action. Sometimes I wonder how fellow Filipinos and I would've acted back then under Spanish oppression. Books I'm sure barely do justice to these crucial moments in history (not mention distort the truth rampantly) so to see a chunk of it staged in a very realistic manner on film is quite poignant for me. "Battle of Algiers" is easily among the most well-made films I've ever seen, heavy yet accessible, a well-deserved film icon that is still being talked about long after 1966 and will be so well beyond 2006.