La battaglia di Algeri (1966)
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
Actors: Brahim Hadjadj, Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi
Runtime: 121 min
The Algerian revolution was an anti-colonial conflict between France and the Algerian liberation movements from 1954 to 1962, when Algeria gained its independence. The movie covers a period of intense urban-guerrilla activity in the capital Algiers from 1954 to 1957, known as “The Battle of Algiers”. After a series of bombings and numerous assassinations, France imposes martial law and sends a parachute division led by the general Jacques Massu who takes control of all armed forces and uses brutal torture on a massive scale in order to suppress the rebellion. This is one of the best anti-colonial movies and a very realistic one, especially the presentation of urban-guerrilla warfare. It’s interesting that Yacef Saadi, one of the leaders of the FLN, plays himself. Based on actual events.
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