| Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo Starring: Jean Martin, Brahim Hadjadi |
There are so many films that come out every week let alone every year, aren’t there? We can get so caught up in trying to keep up with the latest awards contenders, box office hits, and culturally relevant pieces that we just don’t have enough time to turn back the clock and check out films from the past. But it is so important to expand our horizons and experience the art that has set the stage for today’s cinema. You might need to find the time, so it is important to make wise choices with what you spend that time watching. Whether we head back 10 years, 50 years, or even 100 years, there is great cinema throughout the years. But let’s rewind the clock and here are some reasons why you should check out… The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Realism
When a film (which is a narrative piece) can trick the audience into thinking they are watching a documentary, that is something special. Director Gillo Pontecorvo takes on this naturalism with The Battle of Algiers which is an all too real look at the resistance in Algiers against the occupation by France. Cinematographer Marcello Gatti can use the camera as a voyeur who is following all the action. There are sequences where the camera is right there in the face of people giving speeches or being asked questions. The camera captures the violence that is breaking out in the streets. We see people being gunned down and the destruction of property everywhere. This does not feel like a film being made for entertainment or art. This feels like a visual record of the heroic and tragic acts of people fighting for their own homes.
The Conflict
The way that The Battle of Algiers is framed is fascinating. We know that the Algerian people are the victims of this globe-trotting empire that is here to take over their land. The tricky layer to it all is who is leading the French forces in this film. Jean Martin portrays Col. Mathieu who is a former leader in the French Resistance from WWII. This is a man who knows the fight and now finds himself on the opposite side of history. He leads the oppressor, but he was once the brave resistance to oppression. He understands the stakes and approaches which makes this game of strategy more compelling. The resistance? These are everyday men and women who take whatever lengths that they can to fight back. There are protests, standoffs, and (unfortunately) slaughters along the way.
Suspense and Tension
There are few films that can capture the horrors of life in war and rebellion quite like this Italian work.
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This is one of the most thrilling films I have seen in the cinema of the time. The 1960s were a time of scale and epic tales, but Pontecorvo goes with the intense and realistic horrors of an uprising. We see scenes of freedom fighters worried and anxious as they await the resolution of their destructive plots. The tension mounts as the audience have no idea when these events will occur. But when they do, Pontecorvo can convey the destructive nature of their actions. It is almost like we can feel the explosions. We see groups of protesters mowed down in horrifying ways by French bullets. The Battle of Algiers pulls no punches and rocks you to the core.
