Liked it
Reaction to The Battle of Algiers
Gillo Pontecorvo’s La Battaglia di Algeri (1996) is about the Algerian struggle to escape the overbearing French rule.
Personally I wasn’t too surprised that there was a mass revolution after the French made a curfew, banned alcohol, prostitution, and ignored most personal rights of the Algerian people. When the United States tried to ban alcohol alone it was a disaster. I was however, impressed with the Algerian unity. Despite the director’s obvious bias, the Algerians fought relatively little among themselves and were able to band together for efforts such as strikes and protests.
Image via Wikipedia
The theme of the movie is one where the poor are looked down upon by the wealthier classes in France. The documentary style movie is also mainly from the perspective of Ali, one of the poor oppressed Algerians. While he and his revolutionary members of the FLN are executed by the French military, their efforts were not in vain. After two years of fighting, eventually the Algerian revolution was successful and the Algerians gained their independence.
One of my strongest reactions during the movie was when the general declared to the Algerian FLN leaders that they had lost and they might as well give up. He talked like he was playing a game. These people were fighting for their lives and freedom, giving up isn’t an option.
