Posted: April 2nd, 2022

The Battle of Algiers (1966): Movie Review

[Author] [Course Code] [Instructor] [Date] The Battle of Algiers (1966): Movie Review On the 1st of November 1954, FLN guerillas attacked civilian and military installations in several parts of Algeria. The FLN hierarchy called on the Muslims in Algeria to restore the dignity and independence of the Algerian state. It was a bad opportunity to negotiate for independence.

Just a few months ago, the French government had liquidated its claims in Indochina. On the 12th of November, the French National Assembly voted for the partial militarization of Algeria.

The FLN were comprised of nationalist groups which asserted for the independence of Algeria. The FLN was a ‘sick’ organization, as one European observer noted. It was ruthless, subjective, and idealistic. It coerced students, farmers, and the masses to join in the independence movement. It also garnered support from both Communists and right-wing nationalists, without due consideration of repercussions. The movie begins with a short narrative of captured guerillas.
The civil war between the Muslim Algerians and the Europeans had become a regional conflict. The French government ordered the deployment of French paratroopers to destroy the National Liberation Front. The paratroopers successfully hunted down members of the FLN. Indeed, many of its leaders were either assassinated or illegally detained. The film portrays France as the victor. However, the film ends with a short sequel portraying massive civil unrest and demonstrations against French rule in Algeria.
The ruthlessness of the French Army had fueled the anger of the Algerian people. Although France won the Battle of Algiers, it had clearly lost the war. The movie is filmed in black and white. Its visual sense approaches that of a documentary, or rather the movie ‘The Desert Fox’ (1950). The apparent purpose is to create an atmosphere of despair and anxiety – to provoke the viewer to take sides and assert for interpretive autonomy. Music and sound are important elements of imagery.
The director uses classical motifs to highlight important events in the film and to heighten its emotional appeal. This is also done to evoke image parallelism – the elegance of music as representation of mass murder and torture. Indigenous Algerian music is added to emphasize the ‘danger of nationalistic terrorism’ or rather to symbolize the quest for independence. The FLN insurgents used guerilla warfare to wear the French down. But unlike in Vietnam, the French were able to contain FLN attacks.
The reason is obvious. Guerilla warfare was not suited in Algerian geography. FLN guerrilla warfare was directed to top French military and political officials. The idea was to destroy the French hierarchy and replace it with a more palpable political organization. French counterinsurgency program was divided into two phases: liquidate the FLN in rural areas, and contain FLN threat in urban areas. Both strategies failed because the FLN were massively supported by the civilian population.

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