The Battle of AlgiersCarter B. Horsley
This haunting, cinematic recreation of part of the struggle of Algerians for independence from French rule is the finest film about revolution in film history. For many viewers, the film appears to be a true documentary so convincing are the street scenes and the unfamiliarity of the faces, many of which are extraordinarily memorable. The film's fervor, which is incredibly intense, is surprisingly moderated by its cool and intelligent representation of the opposition, in this case the French military and its commander, Colonel Mathieu, played with indelibly powerful intensity by Jean Martin. The film clearly takes the side of the revolutionaries but its balanced overview escalated the import of the film and gave it an historical perspective that added greatly to its stature. The film is directed and acted and filmed with such realism that viewers can swept up into the action with an impact that is fantastically dramatic. One comes away with an abhorrence for the short film-clips of television news and the realization that the world's strifes are a lot more important than sports and weather coverage. The film was, and is, very controversial for it is a virtual textbook for revolutionaries. Incindeary as it was, surprisingly its impact was relatively limited, probably because many Americans had not yet begun to protest the Vietnam War. Interestingly, four years later, Costas-Gravas's film, "Z," starring Yves Montand, had a broader impact in part because it was in color and employed major international movie stars, and in part because Americans had begun to protest the Vietnam War and question government policies supporting dictatorial regimes in other countries. European movies in the 1960s were quite ahead of their American counterparts in confronting governmental corruption and revolutionary efforts. Surprisingly, one American film, "The Ugly American," directed by George Englund and starring Marlon Brando as a new American ambassador, had addressed such issues quite early. Released in 1963, it unequivocably attacked American policies in Southeast Asian and represented revolutionary and insurgent figures sympathetically. Based a best-selling book by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer, the film, nevertheless had a lukewarm reception and its political message was distracted a bit perhaps by Brando's interestingly arrogant and affected performance. The film won numerous international awards and Pontevorco was nominated for an Oscar as best director. As Ali La Pointe, the leader of a small cadre of Algerian insurgents, Brahim Haggiag is unforgetable and wonderful.
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