Friday, 12 April 2013

Lessons from the past


The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo this film stars Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef and Tommaso Neri. We follow Algerian revolutionaries and the French colonial forces that oppose them between 1954 and 1957.

This film is one of the first to show case what we would now call “asymmetrical warfare” and now more than ever relevant to a large number of conflicts around the world. The plot does a great job of being balanced, showing both the indiscriminate nature of terrorism and the excess of counter insurgent tactics. Using a documentary style works really well and it is very easy to see how this film has been influential on both the public and military groups.

5/5

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