Search - The Battle of Algiers [Criterion Collection]

The Battle of Algiers [Criterion Collection]

Actor(s): Brahim Haggiag, Yacef Saadi, Jean Martin, Tommaso Neri, Fawzia el Kader
Director(s): Gillo Pontecorvo
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Details

Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children
Movie Release: 1966
DVD Release: 10/12/2004
Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Edition: Special Collection
Audio Tracks: Arabic, French
Subtitles: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 3
Number of Discs: 3
Run Time: 2 hrs 1 mins
Studio: Criterion
Members Wishing: 16
Genres: Drama, Docudrama, Political Drama

Synopsis

This highly political film about the Algerian struggle for independence from France took "Best Film" honors at the 1966 Venice Film Festival. The bulk of the film is shot in flashback, presented as the memories of Ali (Brahim Haggiag), a leading member of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN), when finally captured by the French in 1957. Three years earlier, Ali was a petty thief who joined the secretive organization in order to help rid the Casbah of vice associated with the colonial government. The film traces the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell what soon becomes a nationwide revolt. After the flashback, Ali and the last of the FLN leaders are killed, and the film takes on a more general focus, leading to the declaration of Algerian independence in 1962. Director Gillo Pontecorvo's careful re-creation of a complicated guerrilla struggle presents a rather partisan view of some complex social and political issues, which got the film banned in France for many years. That should not come as a surprise, for La Battaglia di Algeri was subsidized by the Algerian government and -- with the exception of Jean Martin and Tommaso Neri as French officers -- the cast was entirely Algerian as well. At least three versions exist, running 135, 125, and 120 minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Cast

Brahim Haggiag - Ali La Pointe
Yacef Saadi - Kader
Jean Martin - Colonel Mathieu
Tommaso Neri - Captain
Fawzia el Kader - Halima

Awards

1971	United Nations Award (winner)	British Academy of Film and Television	Gillo Pontecorvo
1966	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gillo Pontecorvo
1966	Best Foreign Language Film (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gillo Pontecorvo
1968	Best Director (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gillo Pontecorvo
1968	Best Original Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Franco Solinas
1968	Best Original Screenplay (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Gillo Pontecorvo
1966	Golden Lion (winner)	Venice International Film Festival	Gillo Pontecorvo

Editorial Review

The Criterion Collection release of The Battle of Algiers shows once again why there is no more trustworthy name in DVD. The film itself looks as good as it ever has on home video. The image is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The French and Arabic soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Two discs of supplemental materials include documentaries on the director Gillo Pontecorvo, the making of the film itself, a look at the historical time period depicted in the film, a film about the director returning to Algiers three decades after making the film, and a short on how security expert Richard A. Clarke finds lessons in the film that can be applied to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Another short film features Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Steven Soderbergh, Julian Schnabel, and Mira Nair discussing the film's influence over their own work. This is one of the best discs of 2004. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide