The Battle of Algiers
I watched The Battle of Algiers a few days ago and still have some pretty strong lingering feelings about the film. I don’t remember why I originally rented it, but I am very glad that I did. In short, the film is about the conflict between the French and the independence movement in the city of Algiers in the late 1950’s. Originally released in 1962, it was re-released in 2004. The Pentagon subsequently set up a screening of the film, which received quite a bit of media coverage at the time due to its relevance with the U.S. involvement in Iraq.
The New York Times published a very appropriate review of the film in September of 2003 (reprinted at rialtopictures.com). Following is a particularly insightful passage:
“During the last four decades the events re-enacted in the film and the wider war in Algeria have been cited as an effective use of the tactics of a ‘people’s war,’ where fighters emerge from seemingly ordinary lives to mount attacks and then retreat to the cover of their everyday identities. The question of how conventional armies can contend with such tactics and subdue their enemies seems as pressing today in Iraq as it did in Algiers in 1957. In both instances the need for on-the-ground intelligence is required to learn of impending attacks. Even in a world of electronic devices, human infiltration and interrogations remain indispensable, but how far should modern states go in the pursuit of such information?
“[Director] Pontecorvo, who was a member of the Italian Communist Party, obviously felt the French had gone much too far by adopting policies of torture, brutal intimidatio and outright killings. Though their use of force led to the triumph over La Pointe, it also provoked political scandals in France, discredited the French Army and traumatized French political life for decades, while inspiring support for the nationalists among Algerians and in much of the world. It was this tactical tradeoff that lies at the heart of the film and presumably makes it relevant for Pentagon study and discussion.”
Though I am not usually one to be drawn to “war movies,” I would highly recommend The Battle of Algiers to anyone with an interest in politics, foreign policy, independence movements or world history.
TAGS: This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 7th, 2006 at 2:20 pm and is filed under Books and Films, Interesting News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.