Wed, Nov 30, 2022
Tracing the struggle of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale to gain freedom from French colonial rule as seen through the eyes of Ali from his start as a petty thief to his rise to prominence in the organisation and capture by the French in 1957. The film traces the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell the revolt. Initially banned in France, the first release of the film on French screens dates from 1970 and was accompanied by numerous threats and pressure, going as far as attacks perpetrated against cinemas. The torture used by the French army and shown in the film was one of the reasons for its censorship until 2004, when it was finally shown at the Cannes Film Festival... According to the ranking established by Sight and Sound, the British Film Institute's cinema magazine, The Battle of Algiers is ranked 48th out of the 50 best films of all time.