The film which depicts the Algerian struggle for independence against French colonial power, was awarded the Lion d'Or at the 1966 Venice Film Festival. Yet, despite this acclaim, the inherently controversial film was banned in France until 1971 due to its graphic portrayal of torture and repression during the Algerian war. The politically engaged director had however sought to make The Battle of Algiers within a 'dictatorship of truth,' neither supporting the Algerians nor reducing his film to propaganda
useful for understanding the rationale behind those involved with French torture and cruelty in an Algiers prison in The Question, persecution and oppression in a West Bank village in Budrus, and the discrimination against Muslim women in France in Politics of the Veil. Henri Alleg, a French journalist living in Algiers, wrote The Question while being held captive in an Algiers prison. The methods and ramifications of torture in Europe in the late 1950’s were extremely horrific. They included, but
what extent did Algerian women’s identity during the Algerian War for Independence (1954-1962) change during the decolonization of Algeria from France? Without women, it may have been impossible for Algeria to escape the tyrannies of France. France at the time was facing one of its darkest timelines after suffering a humiliating defeat to the Germany during WW2 and was in no mood to give up their main trade partner. The extent of which women’s identity changed during the Algerian War for Independence
Nationale (FLN) and French military torture and war crimes; in 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, examines the effects of communism in satellite states and dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Decree 770, a piece of sweeping anti-abortion legislation. After the United States occupation of Iraq, in 2003, the Pentagon screened The Battle of Algiers. The flyer advertising the screening stated, “How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas….The French have a plan
have been increasingly targeted during conflicts, and in particular women and children; while 100 years ago, war affected ten percent of the civilian population, it now impacts on 90 percent, of which women and children constitute the majority (Heynes, 2003) (16. Helen Scanlon Reading). The French soldiers used violence against the Algerian population as a way to quiet down any thoughts of revolting against the French colony. Sexual violence has been integral to war strategies in many African contexts
It is 1957 and the Algerian war is at its prime as the FLN fight against an elite troop of ruthless French paratroopers. The Battle of Algiers is a portion of the Algerian war which was fought in order for Algeria to gain independence from France. The film starts off with the torturing of an old man to gain information on where the last of the freedom fighters, Ali Pointe is hiding. A large segment of the film is shot in flashbacks focusing on the past of Ali Pointe. Pointe was a ruffian with theft
of Algiers” film focuses first on the sufferings of the Algerians segregated in the Kasbah, their poverty and their frustration. It then shows their warfare tactic of bomb attacks on the heart of the city in all its horror, the blood, the randomness of their victims. Finally, the arrival of special French troopers under the operational control of Lieutenant-Colonel Mathieu (inspired by general Massu) provoked an escalation of violence, torture and hate that culminated in the battle of the Kasbah, where
Women played a major role in the Battle for Algiers, during the war for independence. During that time of cultural crisis, limitations and prejudices were disregarded in the unity created by their great need. While not all women supported independence, most did, joining the National Liberation Front (NLF). Using their femininity as a shield and a mask, women were able to infiltrate enemy lines and make major inroads for their liberty (White, 2013). By some women’s role in this decisive effort has
The use of torture has become a prominent matter of dispute as we enter an age of the global war on terror. The debate on whether it has become morally permissible to torture terrorists is argued by many as the legitimacy of such actions are brought into question in a world where global terror is outstanding. With the use of the ticking time bomb scenario, some make a desirable case that in special circumstances, there is a right to torture individuals implicated is acts of mass violence. Yet many
For a Diwan of the Water Carrier: Cinematic Deconstructing Orientalist Myths of Algerian Women “I am—am I—I am the Excluded one. . .” A swarming of words from the abysses, surging up once more in the horizontal body moving forward, and the ambulance cuts its path: twisting streets that curve and bend between balconies on which the eyes of chiseled children grow wider... Watercolor ships, the sea as an eternal barrier, right now the heights of the city are mauves stretched out in silence:
Pontecorvo’s film The Battle of Algiers takes a street level, personal approach to portray the titular struggle which occurred during the Algerian War of Independence in the country’s capital. As such, and because of the film’s great effort to convey verisimilitude, The Battle of Algiers is useful to historians as a study of the impacts which this violence had on the Algerian population and on the movement for independence. Though attempting to be realistic and convey both sides of the battle, the film
believed that the process of Western acculturation excluded her from most if not all aspects of the traditional women’s world. This resulted in her mastery of the French language and access to public space. This view of exclusion led Djebar to her Algerian Quartet, which is a writing project to reestablish links with the maternal world, which she felt distanced from, but in fact never lost. They are all polyphonic texts that combine personal and collective memory. In these texts Djebar adds her own
always striving to make connections between his insights into the effects of racism and the concrete political steps that poor people needed to take to bring about change. He explained that the people of Algeria needed to use “violence” during The Algerian War to fight for their independence against the French. For Fanon, the rise of corruption, ethnic division, racism, and economic dependence
The Psychological Impacts of War Narratives The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen and the film The Battle of Algiers directed by Gillo Pontecorvo both emphasize the brutal realities of war, leading to physical and psychological damage to victims, societies, and even audience members. Though they are set in different wars, both narratives manipulate viewers to empathize with the characters, providing sympathy for the victims and anger towards oppressors. In The Sympathizer, the narrator’s inner conflict
and through racial segregation, the minority white population came into power. This paper will focus on these two events in African history and how the international community comprehended the reality of the two situations. In the case of the Algerian War of Independence, the different strategies that both the FLN and France used will be analyzed by the impact they had on the United Nations and the international community. Secondly, the use of song and culture in South Africa by the native population
Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers has divided critical opinion. The film which depicts the Algerian struggle for independence, was awarded the Lion d'Or at the 1966 Venice Film Festival and nominated a year later for an Oscar as Best Foreign Film. Despite this acclaim, the inherently controversial film was banned in France until 1971 due to its graphic portrayal of torture and repression during the war. Heavily influenced by the distinctive film style Neorealism, the politically engaged director
masses as they burn tires on the streets and fight back. In the last scene, a French cop asks “what do you want?” and a native shouts “We want our Freedom”. After two years of fighting, Algeria gained its independence in 1962. The aftermath of this war for independence is the same as any other third world country which is forced to rebuilt itself from the ground. On the good side, the violence seems to have
the surprise of the whole world, French President Charles De Gaulle opted for a political solution and announced independence for the Algerians in 1962. To what extent did the activities of FLN influence De Gaulle and what other factors can be identified which led to his surprising decision to grant independence to Algeria? Introduction 1. The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was a period of guerrilla strikes, maquis fighting, terrorism against civilians on both sides, and riots between
“Thus, what motivates men to slay the enemy is anger,” Sun Tzu says in The Art of War. The conflict between Algerian Islamic fundamentalists and the Algerian military backed government is rooted in anger. The conflict, which began as skirmishes between government forces and Islamic fundamentalists, has taken on the proportions of a civil war as fundamentalists carried out kidnappings, assassinations and other forms of civil disturbance. The government has tried pacifying the Muslims by including
portrayed the oppression and dehumanization of Africans by French whites during and after World War II. Days of Glory, released in 2006, focuses on a group of North African Muslims that join the French Army to help free France from Nazi control. However, the French government does not recognize