The Battle of Algiers
Here's the second one i promised. Enjoy!
The Battle of Algiers
This is another classic film, but this time, not one that I had seen. Many thanks to Derek who got it out for me on his netflix (otherwise, I might never have watched it – as Blockbuster lost theirs or gave it away). It is the inside story of the French colonial battle for Algiers, told from the ground level from the perspective of both the idealistic young Algerian FLN fighters and the French paratrooper colonel sent in to suppress the rebellion.
As I started to watch the film I was concerned that it would turn into a nightmarish apologist piece of propaganda, eager to portray the French as nothing but evil colonials and the freedom fighters heroic knights. While there was certainly an element of this (and quite rightly so, the French methods were horrific. In one instance they practically tortured their way through an entire neighborhood before they got what they wanted), it was balanced by shots of the miserable human impact of the FLN fighters actions (later actions in the colonial war were even worse, in one instance fighters went through the village of Beni-Messous slitting the throats of at least 87 people). It was certainly weighted against the French, but then again, considering when it was made and the fact that de Gaulle swept to power on the back of extraordinary popular discontent at how France was ruling its colony in Algeria, it seems somewhat appropriate. An interesting angle raised by today’s environment was the background of the FLN as a fundamentalist Islamic group. It was interesting to see how the film handled the spartan, sharia inspired lifestyle that the FLN tried to impose on the Casbah (it was this fundamentalism that led to the Beni-Messous massacre amongst others).
Survey says: an excellent film that surprised me. As a person who has been weaned on color television I am instinctively suspicious of black and whites – this proves that this is a horseshit perspective. A wonderful and insightful history lesson.
The Battle of Algiers
This is another classic film, but this time, not one that I had seen. Many thanks to Derek who got it out for me on his netflix (otherwise, I might never have watched it – as Blockbuster lost theirs or gave it away). It is the inside story of the French colonial battle for Algiers, told from the ground level from the perspective of both the idealistic young Algerian FLN fighters and the French paratrooper colonel sent in to suppress the rebellion.
As I started to watch the film I was concerned that it would turn into a nightmarish apologist piece of propaganda, eager to portray the French as nothing but evil colonials and the freedom fighters heroic knights. While there was certainly an element of this (and quite rightly so, the French methods were horrific. In one instance they practically tortured their way through an entire neighborhood before they got what they wanted), it was balanced by shots of the miserable human impact of the FLN fighters actions (later actions in the colonial war were even worse, in one instance fighters went through the village of Beni-Messous slitting the throats of at least 87 people). It was certainly weighted against the French, but then again, considering when it was made and the fact that de Gaulle swept to power on the back of extraordinary popular discontent at how France was ruling its colony in Algeria, it seems somewhat appropriate. An interesting angle raised by today’s environment was the background of the FLN as a fundamentalist Islamic group. It was interesting to see how the film handled the spartan, sharia inspired lifestyle that the FLN tried to impose on the Casbah (it was this fundamentalism that led to the Beni-Messous massacre amongst others).
Survey says: an excellent film that surprised me. As a person who has been weaned on color television I am instinctively suspicious of black and whites – this proves that this is a horseshit perspective. A wonderful and insightful history lesson.
posted by Raff @ 11:13 AM
2 Comments:
At 4:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
Morricone did the music - Niccolo
At 9:28 AM,
Raff said…
I noticed that. it was an all Italian production, and won the Venice film award.
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