The Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo's classic 1966 film, 'The Battle of Algiers', is about the long campaign fought by Algerians, between 1954 - 1957, to rid t
About this Event

Gillo Pontecorvo's classic 1966 film, 'The Battle of Algiers', is about the long campaign fought by Algerians, between 1954 - 1957, to rid themselves of the colonial yoke of France. It focuses on the revolt of the urban populace of the Casbah in Algiers, and in particular on a (fictitious) leader of the liberation movement (the FLN), Ali la Pointe. After rebels launch guerrilla attacks and bombings on the colonists, France deploys paratroopers who use checkpoints, torture and brutal counter-insurgency tactics to systematically dismantle the rebel cell. While the French military successfully assassinates the FLN leadership its brutal occupation ultimately leads to Algeria gaining its independence in 1962. This documentary-like reconstruction of events, in grainy black and white photography, is neither balanced nor impartial in its allegiances. Its argument is a moral one and its aim is to show the rightness of the Algerian cause. The film has become one of the most celebrated and influential political films in movie history with a powerful score by Ennio Morricone and Pontecorvo, an angry and intelligent script by Franco Solinas and its use of both professional and amateur actors.