Although The Battle of Algiers is a fictional movie, Gillo Pontecorvo (the director) puts scenes together beautifully to make it like a documentary or newsreel which makes the movie so real. The use of collective protagonists is very rare but the director does it well, as Jaffar and Ali la Pointe collectively play the leading role. Casting ordinary people from the street instead of professional actors makes it even better. According to Saadi Yacef, the bombings are a real reenactment where real houses were bombed and reconstructed instead of green screens and computer gimmicks used by Hollywood. If that is the case then I think they did a good job.How about the soundtrack? It is clearly a symphonic and composed in the Western style but one can hear a traditional Algerian beats undertone. When it comes to sad scenes where people are dead, the sound beat is quite slow and emotional, and befits the situation. In scenes where the FNL is preparing to strike, the beat is, however, different; as a very upbeat native drumming is used. It is synonymous with the heartbeat of an angry person which is indicative of the emotional state of the people. Combining all these, Pontecorvo makes the import of the movie easier to grasp as well. He does a brilliant job by presenting both sides of the argument; presenting their case and exposing their ills.
On the French side, the aim is to protect their citizens (the European French) and their resources. The drawback of this, however, is that they will do whatever it takes to accomplish this, even if it means killing the natives in addition to not granting them equal rights as French citizens. Upon the arrest of FNL members, the paratroopers often torture them for information, sometimes in the presence the latter’s families. The natives are more often than not described as wicked and terrorists, but Pontecorvo makes it clear in the movie that the first bomb attack was perpetrated by the French police force. That set the tone for the series of bomb attacks from the side of the FNL.To the FNL members these attacks are part of the fight for their freedom, so anything goes. They have had their rights snatched from their hands for over a hundred and thirty years and they have gone through all the possible legal channels to regain their freedom but all to no avail. The movie suggests that it is about time they resorted to other means. They finally win their freedom.
Nevertheless, Pontecorvo makes the audience know that not all their means are humane or right. The FNL used indiscriminate bombings to terrorize the French Quarters. When Hassida goes to hide her bomb at the bar she sees a child licking ice-cream in the crowd. A humane person would rescind her decision, but she goes ahead anyway. To me it is the most emotional scene in the movie. Pontecorvo is a well-known leftist who we might think would present only the case of the freedom fighters, but in this case I think he is quite impartial. He also does something which is almost impractical in real world but very important. In the history of the world, only men have been projected to be heroes wherever there has been a struggle for freedom and civil rights. Virtually no woman’s name is mentioned in the history books. The worst scenarios have been where religion is involved, especially in Islamic communities or countries. In the Battle of Algiers, however, Pontecorvo tells a different story. He elevates the role of women in the fight for independence which is a plus for him, I think. The four bombs planted by Fatiha, Hassida, and the other two young women were very significant to the cause. Such action told the world how serious and powerful the FNL had become.
It is important to note that those were chosen by Jaffar himself, who eventually became the overall leader of the FNL. In a very conservative Islamic community like the Casbah, for women to expose their heads in public is unthinkable. For these four women to drop their veil to assume a Western outlook is an abomination, yet for the cause of their nation’s freedom they had to do it to infiltrate the European Quarters to plant bombs. This scene has been described as the most moving scene in the movie by some critics. While some women were called upon to hide guns on them to be used by the men, others helped the cause on their own accord. One example is the woman who hid Jaffar and Ali la Pointe in her well. Getting to the end of the movie we see women at the forefront of the demonstrators waving the newly-created Algerian national flag, figuratively telling the world that they are irrepressible.
Pontecorvo does not end there; he projects the role of children as well. In the movie, we see kids chasing and beating a drunkard to death. It represents the role children played in the ridding the Casbah of indecent lifestyles. They are also part of the demonstrators on the streets and never fear the onslaught of the powerful colonial army. They put their lives on the line for their country just like their elders. The most important contribution children made in the struggle is exemplified by the role Petit Omar played. Pontecorvo portrays how tough and courageous some children can be in dire times. At a point in time when the threats of a French army officer on a megaphone has dampened the spirit of the people of the Casbah, it is the courageous act of Petit Omar that quickens them. His little but encouraging voice on the speaker brings back hope.I have not seen many political movies but this handiwork of Pontecorvo and his team is superb.
Work Cited:
Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristin. Film Art: An Introduction. 7th Edition. McGraw Hill. New York. 2004
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