Stunning, gripping, shocking and as relevant as it was in the 60′s, it is even relevant today! Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1966 masterpiece is given the best treatment on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection and is absolutely a must-own Blu-ray release for cinema fans! Highly recommended!
Image courtesy of © 1966 Casbah Films, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: The Battle of Algiers – The Criterion Collection #249
MOVIE RELEASE: 1966
DURATION: 121 Minutes
DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, 1:85:1 Aspect RatioMonaural in French and Arabic with Optional English Subtitles
COMPANY: Janus Films/The Criterion Collection
RELEASE DATE: August 9, 2011
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
Based on the true story by Saadi Yacef
Written by Gillo Pontecorvo, Franco Solinas
Executive Produced by Fred Baker
Produced by Antonio Musu, Yacef Saadi
Cinematography by Marcello Gatti
Edited by Mario Morra, Mario Serandrei
Production Design by Sergio Canevari
Set Decoration by Sergio Canevari
Costume Design by Giovanni Axerio
Starring:
Brahim Hadjadj (Haggiag) as Ali La Pointe
Jean Martin as Col. Mathieu
Saadi Yacef as El-hadi Jaffar
Samia Kerbash – Fatiha
Ugo Paletti – Captain
Fusia El Kader a Hassiba
Mohamed Ben Kassen as Petit Omar
One of the most influential political films in history, Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (La bataille d’Alger) vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot in the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. The Criterion Collection is proud to present Gillo Pontecorvo’s tour de force—a film with astonishing relevance today.
It was 1966 when the film “The Battle of Algiers†(La battaglia di Algeri) was released to the masses. A war film about the war in Algiers covering what took place between November 1954 through December 1960, during the Algerian War of Independence and director Gillo Pontecorvo covered both sides between the Muslim Algerians fighting for Independence and the French who were fighting against terrorism. The film is regarded as an important classic and is Pontecorvo’s masterpiece. The film won the Venice Film Festival Grand Prize, nominated for three Academy Awards for “Best Screenplayâ€, “Best Director†and “Best Foreign Language Filmâ€.
The film gained notoriety as it had the reputation for inspiring political violence and tactics from the film were copied by the Black Panthers and Provisional Irish Republican Army. The film was banned in France for five years and the original American and British releases cut any scenes involving the French torture of Muslim Algerians.
But the film was also looked at as useful for training as the film was shown as part of counter-insurgency classes in the 60′s. Shown in Israel by the Left-Wing to show that Israel’s occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was futile. And in 2003, the film was screened at the Pentagon with a flier for the screening being circulated as “How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervor. Sound familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically. To understand why, come to a rare showing of this film.â€
For years, people only had access to pirated copies of the film and censored versions until restoration was done in 1999 and was obtained by Rialto Pictures for distribution. The Criterion Collection released “The Battle of Algiers†with a special 3-disc DVD set (released back in 2004) that is to say the least, was fantastic and possibly one of the most complete, in-depth Criterion releases I have yet seen to date.
And now in 2011, this fan-favorite Criterion release is now available on Blu-ray!
It’s important to note that in this film, there were no news or documentary footage used in the making of the film. The mass crowds and everything you seen for the film was shot by Pontecorvo and crew.
The film covers a time when Algiers was part of French Colonial rule (which lasted from 1830 to 1962) and a place where hundreds of thousands of European immigrants (who have been given the name of “pieds-noirsâ€) moved settled in the country of Algeria in North Africa which is home to Muslims. Back then, everyone but the Muslims were given rights similar to France and thus fueled many who wanted political autonomy and independence from France. Because the Muslims were not given a voice, it led to a new wave of violence in the city of Algiers which came in full force in 1954.
The film begins with French soldiers under Colonel Matthieu (played by Jean Martin) who have tortured a Muslim to the point of breaking. They dress him in French soldier fatigues in order to get him to talk about where the insurgents belonging to the FLN (National Liberation Front) are hiding and then when the soldiers have stormed a building where three of the FLN are hiding behind a wall. We see the face of Ali La Point (played by Brahim Hadjadj).
The movie then shifts to 1954 where the FLN are trying to recruit people to fight against the French and fight for their independence. For Ali, he tries to make money (hustling) where people are gambling on the street but immediately, the police start coming after him. While running away, a group of young French youth seeing Ali running away and one guy tripping him, this leads to Ali punching him in the face. Then the French youth start beating on him and Ali is apprehended by the police. Ali receives two years in prison for vandalism and insulting a police officer on duty.
It is when Ali is incarcerated in which he sees how fellow Muslims are treated. In one scene, one man is executed via beheading. Upon his release from prison, he receives a note that he is to to kill a policeman. It is a test by the FLN to see if Ali, would do such a thing in which he nearly does and immediately meets El-hadi Jaffar (played by Saadi Yacef) who recruits him to the FLN, which is a budding organization who wants to grow their numbers and eradicate their society from whores, drunks and junkies but first they must win them over or eradicate them.
We then see a large group of young children who have been recruited by the FLN, going after a drunk and beating him. Then we see Ali going to a drug dealer, a former friend of his and giving him one last chance to join the FLN or die.  The man attacks Ali, prompting Ali to shoot him down. By 1956, we see the members of the FLN consisting of young adults and teenagers murdering Algerian police officers and stealing their weapons. The French civilians have grown weary towards the Muslims and each time there is an attack, they immediately lay blame to any Muslim nearby.
With the number of deaths of police officers, we then see a French police chief who is told to have a curfew in the city, make sure the police stations are well-guarded, closing off streets but he doesn’t agree and thus he and a few French civilians take matters into their own hands by placing a bomb in the middle of a Muslim neighborhood in which many innocent families, children are killed. This incident is what leads to Muslims starting get together and many joining the FLN to fight for their independence.
What transpires afterward is more violence as women working for the FLN now disguised as normal civilians have now gone to public civilian hangouts such as clubs and cafe’s and placing bombs and thus in the process of retaliation, killing innocent French civilians. In 1957, the French sends a large group of French paratroopers from the 10th Airborne Division led by Col. Matthieu to take on the rebel activity in Algiers by rounding up anyone who can deemed as terrorists and interrogating and torturing them for information.
Matthieu’s goal is to capture or kill those who are leading the group of FLN insurgents which include Ali La Pointe and El-hadi Jaffar. Squashing the FLN and winning the battle of Algiers.
And as we know from history from this battle, the French won the battle of Algiers but because of what these soldiers did to Muslims, it gave the Muslims more strength in numbers to fight back and in essence, leading the French to lose the war and giving the Algerians their independence.
The significance of director Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers†is that it was released in theaters three years after the Algerian war where tensions were still strong, Pontecorvo’s ability to recreate situations that transpired during 1954-1962 and most importantly, to have one of the largest mass crowds used in a film. It’s relevance today is because in this film we see children becoming soldiers, innocent Muslims who had nothing to do with destruction being targeted by civilians, women dressed as normal citizens planting bombs in civilian areas such as cafe’s and dance clubs but also the French soldiers who rounded up people they believe were insurgents and tortured them. Pontecorvo wanted to show the perspective from both sides of the war. The side of the Muslim Algerians who fought for their independence and had enough of their people being killed or held by French authorities and on the French side, the civilians rooting for the military trying to stop the violence brought by the Muslim terrorists.
To say the least, the film is quite epic and what was accomplished by Pontecorvo is amazing and what the Criterion Collection was able to do several years ago on DVD is made even better by seeing how awesome this film looks on Blu-ray.
VIDEO:
“The Battle of Algiers†is presented in 1080p High Definition, black and white with an aspect ratio of 1:85:1. Compared to the original DVD release, black levels are much deeper, much better detail and contrast compared to the DVD release (considering how awesome the original DVD release was), picture quality has much better contrast. Granted, it’s not super-pristine, considering this is a 1966 film. Although there are scenes that are high in grain and some visible white speckles that show up from time-to-time, the picture quality for this 45-year-old film is great!
According to the Criterion Collection, the film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio and was supervised by director of photography, Marcello Gatti. The new HD transfer was created on C-Reality from a 35mm restored fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for the audio, the audio is presented in LPCM 1.0 monaural. Dialogue is clear and understandable. Personally, I chose to set my receiver playing stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape but on monaural, dialogue is clear.  According to the Criterion Collection, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical print track and Pro Tools HD was used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle was attenuated using AudioCube’s integrated workstation.
The film is center channel driven but I chose to have my receiver set the audio for stereo on all channels, which I found to be fantastic for those with a 5.1 or 7.2 or higher setup. Audio is presented in French and Arabic.
The film is presented with English subtitles, white on black and is easy to read.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“The Battle of Algiers – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #249” on Blu-ray comes with the following special features:
Disc 1:
- Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth – (37:30) A 1992 documentary presented by the late literary critic Edward Said about Gillo Pontecorvo’s life and film career, what he accomplished with “The Battle of the Algiersâ€. From his earlier years heading a resistance in Northern Italy to his approach on filmmaking. Also, interesting tidbits on his work on other films especially the difficulty of working with Marlon Brando for the film “Burn†and more.
- Marxist Poetry: The Making of the Battle of Algiers – (51:19) Pontecorvo biographer Irene Bignardi with the help of Pontecorvo, producer and actor Saadi Yacef, cinematographer Marcello Gatti, composer Ennio Morricone and actor Jean Martin, Editor Mario Morricone and film critic Tullio Kezich recall the development, production and release of “The Battle of Algiersâ€. Discussion how Pontecorvo was a perfectionist and would do 50 takes of one line and discussion of scenes that the director and crew went to make it look believable onscreen and more.
- Five Directors – (17:16) A featurette featuring directors Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Oliver Stone and Steven Soderbergh discussing the film’s influence, style and importance. Also, the discussion if the film was a balanced perspective by Pontecorvo and if a film like “The Battle of Algiers†can be made today.
- Production Gallery– A collection of production stills of the cast and crew at work in Algiers and the Casbah. Also, included are posters and lobby cards promoting the international release of “The Battle of Algiersâ€.
- Theatrical Trailers – Featuring the original 1966 theatrical trailer (4:00) and the 2004 Rialto Pictures re-release trailer (2:23).
DISC 2
- Remembering History – (1:08:47) A 2004 documentary that reconstructs the Algerian experience of the battle for independence. Featuring interviews with historians and revolutionaries including military leader Saadi Yacef.
- Etats d’armes – (28:24) A 2002 documentary from part 3 of Patrick Rotman’s “L’Ennemi Intime†featuring senior French military officers recalling the use of torture and execution to combat the rebellion.
- The Battle of Algiers: A Case Study – (24:32) In this 2004 documentary features Richard A. Clarke, author and former national counter-terrorism coordinator discussing the film’s relevance with Michael A. Sheehan, former State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism, in a conversation moderated by Christopher E. Isham, chief of investigative projects for ABC News.
- Gillo Pontecorvo’s Return to Algiers – (58:05) In this 1992 episode of Italian TV program “Mixerâ€, the show covers Pontecorvo’s return to Algiers, three decades after its independence but also the turbulence in the country which includes the assassination of Algerian President Mohamed Boudiaf, the frustration of the Algerian people and the meeting of Pontecorvo between Boudiaf three days before his assassination.
EXTRAS:
“The Battle of Algiers – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #249” comes with a 58-page booklet, which includes Peter Matthews essay “The Battle of Algiers: Bombs and Boomerangsâ€, an excerpt from Saadi Yacef’s book “Souvenirs de la bataille d’Algerâ€. Also, included is the following scene from the original screenplay by Gillo Pontecorvo and Franco Solinas and the close relationship with Saadi Yacef’s experience, an interview with Franco Solinas by PierNico Solinas which includes the original scenario of “The Battle of Algiersâ€. The booklet also includes selected biographies from participants in the French-Algerian War by Arun Kapil.
The Blu-ray release similar to the original DVD release comes with a slipcase.
Several years ago, I wrote in my original review of “The Battle of Algiers”:
Prior to buying this set, one of the reasons that I held out was because I thought it was simply a DVD set that focused on violence and really, I didn’t know if this was a film that I could get into.
And Prior to watching “The Battle of Algiersâ€, I had no knowledge of the French-Algerian war nor “The Battle of Algiers†but just reading from critics and cinemaphiles writing about how it’s a must-see film but for years, I skipped over it because I simply was not in the mood to engage in a film about revolutions or terrorism because I see this on the daily news everyday.
But I decided that enough was enough, no more waiting and it was time to give the “The Battle of Algiers†a try and make the purchase. It took me about a week to go through this 3-DVD box set of “The Battle of the Algiers†and I have to say that this is one of the most complete, must-buy sets for those who are fans of Criterion Collection films. I found it to be absolutely gripping and its filmmaking and the various shots and the mass crowds that Pontecorvo was able to get on film is amazing. I have never seen any film like it in my life and to think that what was featured was without a use of a green or blue screen and any CG work is incredible.
And here we are in 2011 with the Blu-ray release. I said at the time that I would not give the DVD release a perfect 5-star rating because I felt it deserved a Blu-ray release and when that time came, then the release of “The Battle of Algiers” would have achieved perfection.
Well, here we are with the Blu-ray release and now we have the definitive release of “The Battle of Algiers”.   There is no doubt in my mind that this is a must-buy, must-own release for the cineaste but for anyone new to Criterion Collection, this is a specific example of where the Criterion Collection goes all out in including as many supplements as possible for a wonderful film. Fantastic!
As for “The Battle of Algiers”,Pontecorvo’s film is those type of films that makes you think… can you blame either side? No one is innocent in this film. Both sides have committed atrocities towards each other. But what is important is what The Criterion Collection has done for the viewer and that is include many supplements that are a half hour to more than an hour long and to absorb information coming from those who filmed the movie, those who were involved and incarcerated during the war, the French soldiers who were involved int he war and then to hear from other filmmakers of the importance of the film.
This is a solid release…fantastic film, lengthy special features that are wonderful and now we have one of the most anticipated Criterion Collection titles on Blu-ray!
For those who own the previous and wonderful DVD release, it is worthy of an upgrade for picture quality and to have on Blu-ray. But content is the same as the DVD release and nothing new added to this 2011 release. But personally, I have been waiting for a Blu-ray release of this title. It’s one of those films that is truly a definitive Criterion Collection release in showcasing a very well-done film, important film but also to have many important special features included.
There is nothing bad I can say about this release at all. “The Battle of Algiers” is a must-buy, must-own release for cinema fans!
Highly recommended!
