The Battle of Algiers story
The Battle of Algiers (Italian: La battaglia di Algeri; Arabic: معركة الجزائر, romanized: Maʿrakat al-Jazāʾir) is a 1966 Italian-Algerian historical war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and starring Jean Martin and Saadi Yacef. It is based on events by rebels during the Algerian War (1954–62) against the French government in North Africa; the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It was shot on location and the film's score was composed by Ennio Morricone. The film was shot in a Roberto Rossellini-inspired newsreel style: in black and white with documentary-type editing to add to its sense of historical authenticity. It is often associated with Italian neorealist cinema.
9 total · 2 choice · 5 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| revolution in society | choice | we saw the beginning of the Algerian people's uprising to throw off the yoke of French colonialism |
| The Algerian War | choice | the film depicted the beginning of the FNL and their struggle against French rule in Algiers |
| coping with being tortured | major | a rebel had just been tortured for information in the first scene; later we saw gruesome shots of torture |
| ethnic hatred | major | The colonial French inhabitants of French Algiers came into violent conflict with their less affluent Muslim native neighbours and there was an ever worsening spiral of bad blood. |
| hate begets hate | major | we saw how acts of violence were answered by further violence in an escalating spiral of hate |
| justification for torture | major | Colonel Mathieu spoke at length about why torture was necessary to protect the innocent |
| terrorist or freedom fighter | major | The viewer is shown acts of terror carried out by early FNL members. |
| betrayal | minor | tortured rebel was ashamed over having betrayed his comrades |
| capital punishment | minor | A man was guilotined. |