The Battle Of Algiers

A powerful film which swept up a bunch of well-deserved awards and nominations. This intense story of the battle for Algerian independence from French rule begins with the claim that no newsreel footage was used. Without that prologue, most people would assume that Pontecorvo's film was a pastiche of documentary clippings. On the contrary, Pontecorvo took film realism to new heights. Covering the period of 1952-1957, the story centers on a few key individuals in the revolt, and the French military officer who inexorably closes in on them. Bombings, tortures, riots, The Battle of Algiers is a relentless (though not graphic) outpouring of violence that seems as real as television news. By focusing the story on a single fanatic, his rise through the clandestine revolutionary group, and his eventual downfall, Pontecorvo adds a moving human element to this tale of mindless violence. Neither pro-French, nor pro-Algerian, The Battle of Algiers is a riveting examination of the psychology of colonial empire, and the burning desire for freedom by a nation shackled in another country's chains. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--November 16, 2004--Criterion, 3 discs, 121 min., in French & Arabic w/English subtitles, not rated, $49.95--Making its debut on DVD, 1966's The Battle of Algiers receives the characteristic Criterion red-carpet treatment in this handsome triple-disc edition featuring a beautiful new high-definition transfer and a fine Dolby Digital mono soundtrack. The extensive extras include--on disc two--the 37-minute documentary profile "Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth," a 51-minute "making-of" documentary, and the 17-minute featurette "Five Directors" (with Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone talking about the film's influence). Disc three serves up four more documentaries that offer excellent historical context: the 69-minute "Remembering History" (on the Algerian battle for independence), the 28-minute "États d'armes" (a documentary excerpt featuring French military officers talking about torture), the 25-minute "The Battle of Algiers: A Case Study" (featuring former Bush administration official and bestselling author Richard A. Clarke, Against All Enemies), and the 58-minute "Gillo Pontecorvo's Return to Algiers (chronicling the filmmakers return to the country three decades after independence). Bottom line: a seminal foreign film, The Battle of Algiers receives showcase treatment here, and is highly recommended and an Editor's Choice.][Blu-ray Review—Nov. 8, 2011—Criterion, 2 discs, 121 min., in French & Arabic w/English subtitles, PG-13, $49.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1966's The Battle of Algiers features a great transfer and a mono soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the DVD release, including “Remembering History” on the Algerian battle for independence (69 min.), “Gillo Pontecorvo's Return to Algiers” chronicling the writer-director's return visit (58 min.), a “Marxist Poetry” making-of featurette (51 min.), a “Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth” profile of the director narrated by literary critic Edward Said (37 min.), an “États d'armes” documentary excerpt featuring French military officers (28 min.), “A Case Study” segment on counterterrorism (25 min.), a “Five Directors” segment featuring interviews with Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone on the film's influence (17 min.), a production gallery, and a 56-page booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Peter Matthews, excerpts from the film's screenplay, and Algerian National Liberation Front leader Saadi Yacef's original account of his arrest. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray debut for a landmark film.]