The Battle of Algiers (1966)

A window on Algeria’s wider liberation war, recreating a violent phase of guerrilla struggle and suppression in powerful free-documentary style.

One of the cinema’s great political masterpieces, as important as Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin 40 years earlier, The Battle of Algiers charts the history of Algeria’s national liberation movement from its inception in 1954 to the country’s independence in 1962.

The film is no dry, detached documentary, however much the grainy black-and-white cinematography makes it look like a newsreel. Individual set-pieces are as gripping as any ever filmed, with Gillo Pontecorvo’s determination to give both sides a fair hearing leading to constant moral ambiguity when both sides commit tit-for-tat atrocities. Although there’s no doubt where the film itself stands (it was independent Algeria’s first production), the most richly drawn character is the French Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), aware that he’s on history’s losing side but still required to go through the motions.

Initially banned in France, Pontecorvo’s film has been used as a morale-booster by both the Black Panther movement and the 2010 Algerian World Cup team.

“Unquestionably the greatest political film ever made, and by such a wide margin that it’s hard to think of an obvious runner-up. Riveting as a suspense thriller and rigorously clear-eyed in its presentation of atrocities committed by both sides. It’s uncannily relevant to this day in its forensically detailed explanation not merely of the reasons why Western occupation of the Middle East is always doomed to failure but also exactly how terrorist cells operate, both then and now.” Michael Brooke

1966 Italy, Algeria
Directed by
Gillo Pontecorvo
Produced by
Antonio Musu, Yacef Sâadi
Written by
Franco Solinas
Featuring
Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Yacef Sâadi
Running time
135 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for The Battle of Algiers

Critics

Janet Baris
Turkey
Michael Brooke
UK
Colin Burnett
USA
Georgie Carr
UK
Robert Cashill
USA
Didi Cheeka
Nigeria
Sarah Cooper
UK
Gary Crowdus
USA
Manishita Dass
UK/India
Nick Davis
USA
Helen DeWitt
UK
Claire Diao
France/Burkina Faso
Rachel Dwyer
UK
Angie Errigo
USA/UK
Hazem Fahmy
Egypt
Marc Francis
USA
Caden Mark Gardner
USA
Julian Graffy
UK
Roy Grundmann
USA
Malte Hagener
Germany
James Harrison
UK
Sean Jacobs
USA
Brian Jacobson
USA
Esin Küçüktepepınar
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Alisa Lebow
UK
Zhang Ling
China
Kjetil Lismoen
Norway
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Michael Martin
USA
Mike Mashon
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Petra Meterc
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UK
Cornelius Moore
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Ruun Nuur
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Andy Rotman
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Kate Stables
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Can Sungu
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Matthew Taylor
UK
Susan Vahabzadeh
Germany
Belén Vidal
UK
Guy Westwell
UK
John Wyver
UK

Directors

Karim Aïnouz
Brazil
Imruh Bakari
Saint Kitts and Nevis/UK
Elegance Bratton
Robert Connolly
Australia
Saul Dibb
UK
Molly Dineen
UK
Amanda Egbe
UK
Abel Ferrara
USA
Armando Iannucci
Uk
Annemarie Jacir
Palestine
Kirsten Johnson
USA
Neil Jordan
Ireland
Anurag Kashyap
India
Bora Kim
Pia Marais
South Africa/Germany
Steve McQueen
UK
Richie Mehta
UK/India/Canada
May Miles Thomas
UK
George Miller
Pa. Ranjith
India
Walter Salles
Brazil
Minh-ha Trinh
USA/Vietnam
Nicolas Winding Refn
Denmark

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