The Battle of Algiers (in Italian, La Battaglia di Algeri) is a 1965 black-and-white film directed by Gillo Pontecorvo . It received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival in 1966.

The film depicts the war of independence in the former French colony of Algeria. The movie is told from the perspectives of both the French soldiers and the Algerians.

Filmed in a style related to that of Italian neorealism and French cinema verite, the film is a dramatic reenactment of the events of Fall 1956 to Summer 1957 in Algiers during the Algerian war of independence, from the organization of revolutionary cells in the Casbah, through the initial bombing and terror campaigns by both revolutionaries and colonial vigilantes, the introduction of French airborne troops in January and the subsequent general strike, to the subsequent breaking of the strike and largely successful counter-insurgency campaign. The film ends with a montage depicting the eventual victory of the insurgents in 1960.

Although the film is based on actual events, it makes use of composite characters and changes the names of certain historical figures. For instance Jacques Massu, the military commander of the counterinsurgency campaign, is called "Colonel Mathieu" in the film.

Athough reviewers commended the film for its relatively even-handed portrayal of combatants on both sides, Pontecorvo, a member of the Italian Communist Party, openly voiced sympathy for the Algerian struggle, and the film was banned in France for several years. In 1971, Massu wrote a book challenging its portrayal of events. In any case, the film was heralded by reviewers as a highly realistic portrayal of the causes and consequences of terrorism and counter-insurgency war.

Since the film's original release and subsequent screenings during the Vietnam conflict, it faded into obscurity. However, since the events of September 11, 2001 and the United States invasion of Iraq, interest in the film was renewed after the US Directorate for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict screened the film at the Pentagon for a select audience and discussion in 2003. The film enjoyed a subsequent widespread public release. In 2004, a high-resolution restored print was released on DVD as part of the Criterion Collection.

Tagline: The Revolt that Stirred the World!

External links

• Distributor website