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The Battle For Algiers (Criterion Collection #249) 3 disc Director Approved s.e.
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List Price: N/A
algeria.mktgs.co.uk Price: £23.05
Availability: N/A
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780780028876
ISBN: 0780028872
Region Code: 0
Theatrical Release Date: 1967-09-20
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: One of the best political films ever
Comment: One of the best political films ever, about the 1954-1957 uprising of Algiers against French colonial rule. As the film shows, the uprising was brutally crushed, but the seeds of independence had already been sown, and in 1960 a new uprising, covering all Algeria, would rise up, and the country would become independent two years later. The French colonists, who numbered more than a million and who had lived in Algeria for more than a century, would be expelled after wards, marking a complete defeat for France. Made in 1965, with financing by the Algerian independent government, it is nevertheless surprisingly fair in some aspects. It shows the brutal terror tactics employed by the FLN (the main Algerian liberation group) like bombing bars and discos used by the Europeans. It also shows the French colonel in charge of suppressing the revolt (played by the only professional actor in the cast) in a quite positive light: in a film without true heroes, he is probably the most sympathetic character, competent and self-effacing, even if he doesn't flinch in using torture to crush the revolt (torture being in his mind the only method to destroy the FLN's cell structure). And, perhaps inadvertently, by showing the terror tactics used by the FLN, it suggests the oppressive, antidemocratic nature of the future independent government of Algeria. Overall, one of the must-see films in every cinephile list (and in any person interested in the politics of the region or in anti terror tactics).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good value set with lots of info
Comment: This is a 3 DVD set + a book in quite a funky cover. I have been trying to get this DVD for many months for my Algerian boyfriend and it really is a rare version. The first DVD is a copy of the original film from 1966 which won the Venice Grande Prix, filmed entirely in black and white and acted out mainly by amateurs it tells the interesting and often tragic story of the war in the Casbah in Algiers between the FLA (Front Liberation Algeri) and the French occupying army. The methods used by the FLA inspired such outfits a the IRA, not a good reference perhaps but these were very different times indeed. The Colons had occupied this area for 150 years exploiting the land and its people. The indigenous Algerians were not given opportunity for education or to have good jobs in their own country. When they started their uprising many villages were raised to the ground by the French eventually killing over 1 million people.
Some of the scenes although not explicit are nevertheless very shocking, for example the torture and eventual beheading in the prison by that old French favourite - the guillotine. The FLA took revenge in ways that were no doubt barbaric. Three women dressed as French ladies took bombs into cafes and an airport lounge thereby killing dozens of innocent people. The producer never glosses over these acts and shows both sides of the argument. The FlA were successful of course and the film is a classic.
The 2nd DVD is mainly interviews with the Director and other directors. Interesting but not gripping.
The 3rd DVD is the most interesting as the original director returns to Algiers to make a documentary about the present situation and the terrorism that is now occuring. This part was quite shocking as the fundamentalists there are bitter and aggressive towards westerners. I dont know what the answer here is as it appears that only Sharia law will satisfy these zealots. Worrying times indeed
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extras worth having
Comment: This special,multi-disc edition has to be the best ever of its type.The film is beautifully remastered and sparlkes.A lot of time and money has obviously gone in to it"s restoration.Scene after scene strikes at the heart.One obvious stand oout is the sequance in which 3 women plant bombs and the shocking aftermath.Our politicians should have watched this film before taking us in to Iraq.None of its lessons have been learnt.The 2 discs of extras are fabulous.Every documentary,filmette etc is relevant,important and adds to our understanding of both the film and the conflict it is based in.The film is a masterpiece.The same title should also be given to this special edition.Well done Criterion.If only all other multi-disc sets were like this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Completely and utterly compelling
Comment: This film is one of those where you almost stop breathing throughout - the tension is so palatable. Plus I think I slightly fell in love with La Pointe. You have been warned.
Customer Rating:
Summary: as brutally realistic as it gets
Comment: Cited by many people, including the Pentagon as the most realistic war movie ever made, it was with no little expectation that I came to this film. To briefly sum up, it is the late 1950's, and various colonial empires across the globe are in steady decline, including that of France. In Algeria, Muslim nationalist are calling for a state of their own, free from the interference and suppression of the colonial French forces. Unfortunately, French right wingers are at the same time backing the many French settlers who have a vested interest in staying in the country. And so the scene is set for a bloody civil war.
The film initially deals with the conversion of young street hoodlum Ali La Pointe (Brahim Haggiag) to the cause of the FLN, the Algerian Liberation Front. However, from there the film broadens its scope as the FLN take the fight to the French, and the French authorities respond with equal violence. From here on in the film steadfastly refuses to back away from its subject matter, depicting the violence inflicted by both sides with equal disdain, from the effects on the local people of the FLN bombings to the draconian crackdowns instigated by the French in response to this. With the arrival of the French Foreign Legion, led by the charismatic Colonel Mathieu, played with steely hardness by Jean Martin, the battle becomes a cat and mouse game between the leaders of the FLN, and the colonel who believes that only by understanding the enemy can you defeat him (a good lesson, and one that a few people in power today could do to learn).
The film uses a shaky hand held style and coupled with its grainy black and white palate gives it an almost documentary realism (if you caught the film half way through, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in fact watching a documentary). Also, borrowing techniques from the French New Wave and Italian Neo Realism (the use of non-professional actors, using real locations) enhances the realistic feel of the film. Even the dialogue, the way people talk and react to the things going on around them feels neither staged nor awkward. With a few outstanding set pieces, including a nail bitingly tense sequence in which a group of female FLN activist plant bombs around the city, this is one of the most well crafted and well delivered history lessons I have ever seen that forces the viewer to make some very uncomfortable judgments on the subject of colonialism and terrorism. Directed with amazing skill by Italian writer-director Gillo Pontecorvo, it was banned in France for many years for fear that it could spark national unrest, it is a film that remains relevant today as it was when it was first made.
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