The Battle of Algiers (1966)
"La battaglia di Algeri" (original title)

An account of the bloodiest revolution in modern history.

Director:

Gillo Pontecorvo

Writers:

Gillo Pontecorvo, Franco Solinas

Stars:

Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Brahim Hadjadj	...	Ali La Pointe (as Brahim Haggiag)
Jean Martin	...	Col. Mathieu
Yacef Saadi	...	Djafar (as Saadi Yacef)
Samia Kerbash	...	One of the girls
Ugo Paletti	...	Captain
Fusia El Kader	...	Halima
Omar
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mohamed Ben Kassen	...	Petit Omar

Storyline

A film commissioned by the Algerian government that shows the Algerian revolution from both sides. The French foreign legion has left Vietnam in defeat and has something to prove. The Algerians are seeking independence. The two clash. The torture used by the French is contrasted with the Algerian's use of bombs in soda shops. A look at war as a nasty thing that harms and sullies everyone who participates in it.

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Plot Keywords:

algerian | french | independence | bomb | torture | 

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Taglines:

The Revolt that Stirred the World!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Distributor

Country:

Italy Algeria

Language:

French Italian English Arabic

Release Date:

20 September 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Battle of Algiers

Filming Locations:

Algeria

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$64,870 (USA) (9 January 2004)

Gross:

$815,345 (USA) (10 September 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Igor Film, Casbah Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only film in Oscar history to be a nominee in two separate non-consecutive years. It was a foreign film nominee for 1966, and then a nominee for screenplay and direction for 1968.

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Goofs

The foot responsible for tripping Ali when running down the street changes from the right to the left foot between cuts.

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Quotes

Journalist: M. Ben M'Hidi, don't you think it's a bit cowardly to use women's baskets and handbags to carry explosive devices that kill so many innocent people?
Ben M'Hidi: And doesn't it seem to you even more cowardly to drop napalm bombs on defenseless villages, so that there are a thousand times more innocent victims? Of course, if we had your airplanes it would be a lot easier for us. Give us your bombers, and you can have our baskets.

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Connections

Featured in Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth (1992)

User Reviews

A savage war of peace.

An historian writing about the Algerian war against the French colonial authorities entitled his book "A Savage War of Peace". "The Battle of Algiers" provides many answers to that enigmatic title. It does not attempt to show us the entire war but centers on the city of Algiers. Even though you are told at the beginning that no documentary footage is used it is at times hard to believe as many of the images you see have a stark and often unsettling reality to them. Considering that this was a co production between Algeria and Italy the film is remarkable in that it does not turn itself a political tirade by taking sides. Instead the camera is a sort of neutral observer allowing us to witness events that spiraled from individual demonstrations to a full scale war of savage intensity. French officers who fought the Nazis a few years before degenerated into the mode of their former enemy while Algerians had no problems exploding bombs that would kill their own people. The camera shows no heros or villains but humanity in its darkest forms. This is a powerful film with superb direction and cinematography. It truly is one of a kind and once seen will never be forgotten.