The Battle of Algiers Essay Questions

Why does Pontecorvo depict Ali witnessing an execution while he is in prison?

Prior to joining the FLN, Ali La Pointe is arrested for running a street gambling table. Of all the time Ali served in prison, Pontecorvo only shows one scene: Ali witnessing the execution of a fellow Arabic-speaking Algerian. As guards march the man to his death, the prisoner shouts "Allahu akbar" and "Long live Algeria," eliciting echoes of solidarity from other prisoners sympathetic to Algerian independence. The fact he says these phrases suggests the man is an FLN member who the French are executing as a warning to other prisoners. However, the cold-hearted guillotine execution becomes a symbol of the French colonial government's brutality and so serves only to radicalize Ali, who joins the FLN upon his release.

Why is Lieutenant-Colonel Philippe Mathieu concerned with how journalists report on the Algerian War?

Lieutenant-Colonel Philippe Mathieu tells reporters that his success depends on them "writing well" because he understands the importance of having the media on his side. Mathieu's initial playful relationship with reporters contrasts sharply with his later antipathy toward them once reporting and public opinion have turned against his violent campaign. No longer engaging in subterfuge, Mathieu states bluntly that if people wish for Algeria to remain a French colony, they must accept his any-means-necessary approach to quashing the conflict, even if it includes torture. The influence of media also arises as a key theme when Ben M'Hidi explains to Ali his decision to organize a general strike. Wishing for the world's attention to turn to their desire for independence, the FLN makes a show of solidarity by having workers strike en masse because he knows it will make headlines. Ultimately, the media's coverage of the conflict shifts public support away from the French and toward Algerians who want an independent country.

What is ironic about the French authorities' use of torture?

Torture is a crucial weapon in Mathieu's arsenal as he tries to discover and eliminate the heads of the FLN. Although Mathieu knows the 1949 Geneva Convention declared the practice a war crime, torture becomes his preferred means of interrogating Algerian citizens about who else they might know in the FLN. When the press scrutinizes his tactics, Mathieu defends the use of torture by claiming that he needs to extract information quickly, before the FLN can reorganize itself and make the information useless. Torture proves effective as Mathieu is able to hunt down the heads of the FLN. In an instance of situational irony, however, the torture of Algerian citizens contributes to a loss of public support for the French colonial occupation of Algeria: Seeing that the French can only maintain control of the colony using illegal and immoral force, the public become sympathetic to Algeria's struggle for independence.

What role does solidarity play in The Battle of Algiers?

As one of the film's major themes, solidarity plays a significant role in The Battle of Algiers. Defined as unity of feeling or action among people with a common interest, solidarity is explored in the film through the FLN working toward building a sense of common purpose among their group and Algerian citizens. Pontecorvo depicts the FLN's focus on solidarity by showing how Djafar won't let Ali assassinate a police officer until they have first established the Casbah as a safe place from which to conduct operations. While eliminating opponents within the Casbah, the FLN imposes a ban on vices to root out secular people who might not support their revolutionary goals. The FLN eventually manages to build enough solidarity for their cause that they can orchestrate a general strike of Algerian workers. In this wide-scale show of support, the people of Algerian show they are united in the common cause of independence for their country.

What role does verisimilitude play in the film?

Verisimilitude plays a significant role in The Battle of Algiers as one of the film's major themes. Defined as the appearance of being real or true, verisimilitude is expressed in the film through its resemblance to documentaries. Rather than portray the events of the film in a highly dramatized format, Pontecorvo and his cinematographer purposely shot the film to look as realistic as possible by shooting in black and white and by using long-range telephoto lenses that made much of the footage appear to be news coverage of the Algerian War. Pontecorvo also cast non-actors in major roles, including Yacef Saadi, an FLN freedom fighter and veteran of the Algerian War. Ultimately, these neorealist aesthetic choices underscore the fact that the film is based on real events that occurred during the Algerian struggle for independence.