Raises Too Many Questions

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2007)

It must be impossible today to discuss this film without branching out into broader political observations. The Battle Of Algiers may be more relevant today than it was in 1966, though the situations we face today are different to some degree, it's uncomfortably close to what we're seeing every night on cable news. This is one of those movies that everyone has heard about, but fewer have seen.
Filmed in a neorealist semi-documentary style, which was striking in the '60s but less impressive today, the film has the feel of old news footage, and to modern audiences unused to such a look, it might be hard to distinguish. Besides the obvious visual style and lack of professional actors, American audiences would now, as they have in the past, find it difficult to respond to a film that does not offer a clear/cut black and white storyline. Though it makes somewhat of an effort to portray both sides, the filmmakers sentiments are clearly on the side of the Algerian national resistance movement. This is one area that might raise a lot of questions. Obviously the issue of Algerian independence and its struggle cannot be recounted in a 2, 3 or 10 hour movie and it would take about 1,000 interviews with players of both sides for an outsider like an American to form any type of semi valid opinion about the events.
Lately the catchword in the U.S. is "I support the troops," though the ones who say it never can give a satisfactory response as to what it means. Supporting the Paras in Algeria obviously meant supporting their temporarily successful methods, that is, torturing suspects for information. For this film to make a statement on that it could have used more graphic scenes. The use of torture and savage methods by the French Army, while proving successful in Algiers, cost them the support of the French people and led to the downfall of the government, so it was a two edged sword which Americans should pay attention to. I think the entire issue should have been recounted here in more detail.
While the subject matter is even more timely today, the film making style is not, but anyone interested in current events as well as the history of Arab nationalism and revolutionary movements would be interested in this. I especially liked the character of the colonel as played by Jean Martin, he portrayed an effective and decisive leader without resorting to any kind of cliché, and you could respect him no matter where your sentiments were, a character I wish we'd see more of.