Gillo Pontecorvo's La Battaglia Di Algeri

An Overview of the Film and Background of the Algerian Conflict

Released in 1965, La Battaglia di Algeri is a film about the Algerian revolutionary uprising against French occupation of the city of Algiers. The cast of La Battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers), aside from Jean Martin as Colonel Mathieu who acted in over 70 films, was virtually unknown and never appeared in future films. Some of the cast were actual revolutionaries from the Algerian independence from France and the believable, impassioned performances gave a vivid depiction of the Algerian revolution. The film is often called one of the greatest, if not "the" greatest achievements of revolutionary cinema.

Its documentary-style footage, enriched by actual "street" actors, grips a neorealist style from Pontecorvo's roots and influence from Italain Neorealist directors like Roberto Rossellini. Though the production was an Italian-French hybrid with Marcello Gatti's cinematography reaching moments of cinéma vérité elegance, capturing glory, grit and humor in the performances and cityscape. La Battaglia di Algeri is based on a book by Saadi Yacef, who plays himself as one of the revolutionary leaders. The loose adaptation gives a somewhat objective glimpse of history in a moving portrait of both sides of the conflict. There is no clear good vs. evil as the film's empathy extends to all humans, French or Algerian, trapped in ominous political circumstance.

Background of the Conflict

Algeria is a large country on the northern coast of Africa between Morocco and Libya. Powerfully positioned as a port is its largest city, Algiers, which has prosperously been occupied by the Romans, Spain, and the Ottomans. It is deeply influenced by the Muslim religion since the Arab conquest in the 6th century. The country's revolutionary spirit sparked inbetween occupations with a tradition of piracy, weakened by attacks from America in 1815 and British-Dutch forces in 1816. The French occupation of the country started in 1830, withstanding Islamic Jihads as the Muslim population reached 5 million 100 years later.