By Emir Parrotta (February 9, 2004)

The 1966 film about the Algerian rebellion has made a come-back; some might say, an encore. Anyhow, all would agree that the film illustrates a magnificent example of the relationship between the occupiers and the occupied.

In the movie, a young man named Ali becomes involved in the National Liberation Front,

which is the main player in the Revolution. The Front assassinates and ambushes the occupying French police. They even blow up a couple of restaurants in the European quarter in Algiers. The French avenge with heavy bombings in the residential neighborhood.

Sound familiar? Yes, this movie tends to ring bells when it comes to the brutal cycle of violence during occupation. When watching this movie, the viewer may be reminded of Palestine or Iraq, especially during the parts of the French attacks on the civilian neighborhood, the cruel checkpoints, and the retaliations by the native Algerians in crowded public places.

The writer-director, Gillo Pontecorvo, beautifully portrays the indefatigable courage of the Algerians in the face of a high and mighty superpower. The movie also draws sympathy to the French, including a baby, who were killed in an attack. Pontecorvo’s film was banned in France for a while, and in the United States and England, upon its initial release. The scenes in which the French soldiers torture Algerians with electricity and drugs were edited out in its original showing.

For all who seek clarity and truth, "The Battle of Algiers" should touch the spot. It makes itself appear as if it is a documentary, with fuzzy, black-and-white video, but not one second of newsreel was used. The movie has won several Academy Awards, and is now playing at the Landmark E Street Cinema in Northwest D.C., with revised subtitles.

After "The Battle" ends, and the Algerians gain their independence, the movie-goer gains a sence of historical comparison and also the right to say, "Oh yeah. ‘The Battle of Algiers’ was great. I saw it. How could anyone not have seen it?"