The Battle of Algiers (1966)

'66 REVISITED: A look back at a radical year in film. In February and March, De Uitkijk is bringing two extraordinary films back to the big screen. 

‘The best political film ever made,’ according to Edward Saïd. THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966) was made several years after Algeria's bloody struggle for independence by partisan director Gillo Pontecorvo. In this neo-realist spectacle, we follow the Algerian resistance, led by Ali la Pointe (Brahim Hadjadj), during their struggle against the French presence in the capital Algiers. The French respond to their brutal attacks and assassinations with increasingly harsh repression.  

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS was shot in documentary style in the streets of Algiers and was banned in France because of its critical anti-colonial stance. The film is so realistic that it was used as a “source of inspiration” by the Pentagon, among others. 

[On Saturday 21 February, prior to the film, our colleague Benjamin will give a short presentation of an article he has written about THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS as a teaching tool for guerrillas and armed forces.]