As this film unfolds, we have a sense that things are happening before our very eyes. The movie is so documentary-like as to seem like a stationary camera has been set up in the midst of turmoil. The French imperialists are the reason all this is happening. Obviously, years of "rule" make the day to day existence hard to change. Do all the Algerians want an overthrow of French rule? Probably not. Maybe not even a majority. As the rebels blow up restaurants and airport waiting rooms, the police are torturing the rebels. It becomes a cesspool of the lowest form of human degradation. And yet, what else can be the answer when a single entity has such a foothold and ultimate military power. As is usually the case, attrition does the job. With our current situation in the Mideast and Afghanistan, will we find ourselves reproducing what happened to the Russians? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers because the fight is against oppression. The kicker is that there is so much human and economic expense involved in these situations that often it takes centuries. We need to ask ourselves what is gained and one cannot put a price on the human soul. This is a masterpiece of movie-making should be seen by any who think revolutions are clean and the enemy is easy to define.
Review of The Battle of Algiers
