アルジェの戦い [DVD]
仕様 | 価格 | 新品 | 中古品 |
DVD
"もう一度試してください。" | 2022年キャンペーン応募券封入 |
—
| ¥6,107 | — |
DVD
"もう一度試してください。" | 通常版 | ¥2,020 | — | ¥1,444 |
DVD
"もう一度試してください。" | 2021年キャンペーン応募券封入 |
—
| — | ¥1,650 |
フォーマット | ドルビー, レターボックス化, ブラック&ホワイト |
コントリビュータ | ブラヒム・ハジャグ, ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォ |
言語 | イタリア語 |
稼働時間 | 2 時間 2 分 |
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商品の説明
レビュー
66年度ベネチア国際映画祭グランプリに輝いた戦争ドラマ。フランスから独立しようと立ち上がった、アルジェリア市民の戦いをドキュメンタリー・タッチで描く。
-- 内容(「DVD NAVIGATOR」データベースより)
監督: ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォ/ジュリアーノ・モンタルド
脚本: フランコ・ソリナス
脚本・音楽: G.ポンテコルヴォ
撮影: マルチェッロ・ガッティ
音楽: エンニオ・モリコーネ
出演: ブラヒム・ハッジャグ/ヤセフ・サーディ/ジャン・マルタン/ファウジア・エル・カデル/ミシェル・ケルバシュ/トマソ・ネリ
-- 内容(「CDジャーナル」データベースより)
登録情報
- アスペクト比 : 2.35:1
- メーカーにより製造中止になりました : いいえ
- 言語 : イタリア語
- 梱包サイズ : 14.2 x 12.4 x 1 cm; 117.94 g
- EAN : 4933672222455
- 監督 : ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォ
- メディア形式 : ドルビー, レターボックス化, ブラック&ホワイト
- 時間 : 2 時間 2 分
- 発売日 : 2000/8/25
- 出演 : ブラヒム・ハジャグ
- 字幕: : 日本語
- 言語 : フランス語 (Mono)
- 販売元 : アイ・ヴィ・シー
- ASIN : B00005HKHH
- ディスク枚数 : 1
- Amazon 売れ筋ランキング: - 123,075位DVD (DVDの売れ筋ランキングを見る)
- カスタマーレビュー:
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トップレビュー
上位レビュー、対象国: 日本
レビューのフィルタリング中に問題が発生しました。後でもう一度試してください。
2022年8月30日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
独立から4年しかたっていないアルジェリアが、イタリアの映画人と組んで作った名作。粗暴極まりないテロの連続に、観客は独立戦争についてゆけなくなるかもしれない。それでも、フランス軍人やアルジェリアのフランス人植民者が現地人を「サル・ラトン」(ネズミども)と呼んで侮辱しているのを聞けば、独立戦争の原因が人種差別にあったことがわかる。ただし独立を決定づけたのは、最後の大規模デモではなく、ドゴール大統領が独立を認め、独立を阻止したいフランス人植民者がドゴールを暗殺しようとして、フランス本国が大混乱に陥ったからだ。そして今も、フランス人の愚か極まりないアラブ人差別はまだ続いている。
2021年11月29日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
英仏の植民支配は,搾取,収奪のみならず,文化をも破壊し,最強のプロパガンダと支配の正当性を歴史の中で作り出していく.この映画は,彼らの悪魔としての側面を映像により,アルジェリアの悲劇を見事に描いた.ベニス映画祭に提出された同作品はフランス人関係者が途中退出し,抗議を示した.これはフランスの植民支配の恥部を,レジスタンスの立場から告発した.映画カサブランカがフランスのレジスタンスを美しく描いたのと対照的にフランスのレジスタンスの本性を描いたともいえる.またオードリーヘップバーンがレジスタンスであったとの履歴があるが,彼女の父親はナチスの幹部であり,この事実を隠し,レジスタンスの履歴を示し,出身が上流貴族ヘップバーンであることも虚偽であり,ヘップバーンは偽名である.イスラムが欧米の植民支配を告発した最初の映画である.
2019年8月12日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
本作が公開された1966年に私は生まれた。
日本人にとっては1945年の第二次世界大戦終戦からが平和主義と民主主義の新たな時代と捉えられているが、世界的には欧米帝国主義からの独立戦争への蜂起の時代だ。
日本人にとっては苦い敗戦の記憶も、非白人世界の植民地にとっては欧米列強からの一方的統治への反発心に勇気を与え、民族自決運動を加速させたのだ。
本作はイタリアとアルジェリアの合作で、フランス統治下のアルジェリアで起こった1954年から62年迄の独立戦争を克明に再現したドキュメンタリー映画で、アルジェリア民族開放戦線(ALN)による警察官襲撃事件や無差別爆弾テロ等の陰惨な光景が写し出される。このアルジェリア戦争は、フランスではアルジェリア事変とされる、ベトナムと並ぶ同国の強引な植民地政策の暗部だ。
その人類史から目を背けなかった傑作に対して、世界はベネチア映画祭金獅子賞やアカデミー外国語賞、監督賞で報いている。
コロンと言われる100万人に及ぶ欧米系住民の現地人に対する悪辣な侮蔑シーンは、欧米列強による搾取型の帝国主義の暗部をグロテスクに映し出す。特に女性の爆弾テロや子供達が拳銃でフランス人警察官を暗殺するシーンは、最初は野蛮にしか見えないが、徐々に独立運動に総力を投じた“支配された国民の意志”として理解出来るようになる。
NATOからフランス駐留軍として増派された第10軍部隊による厳格な平定作戦や政治犯への苛烈な断罪処刑と、対するALN主導の爆弾テロやデモ、サボタージュ「バリケードの一週間」を経て、1962年独立に到るシーンで映画は終る。
仏国内の世論変化や大統領ド・ゴールによる植民地政策の転換、アルジェリア国内のフランス駐留軍の造反、仏統治に協力した市民へのALNによる粛清等の周辺動静は含まれない。植民地での光景だけを綴った作品は単純だが、現地の人々の目に焼き付いている現実とは、この光景が全てであり、そこに仏本国での議論や世界の独立機運等は関係ない。
イタリア人でジャーナリストと反政府レジスタンスの経験もある監督ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォの主張とは、欧米のどんな政治思想や法的根拠等にも民族自決と自由は縛られない。武器が無ければ奪うし、女子供も一緒に闘う。ゲリラ戦やテロリズムを戦争規範や騎士道と比べて卑劣と蔑むのは欧米の身勝手で、人間による人間の支配を正当化するあらゆる欺瞞に、人は全力で抵抗する必然の歴史を遺したかったのだろう。
たとえ暗黒でも歴史を正確にドキュメンタリー映像で遺す価値は本当に大きい。最近は海外でも安直で扇動的な捏造映画が多いが、本物は半世紀経っても輝きを失わない不朽の名作だけだ。
本作は字幕で観るべきで、Blu-rayが廉価で手に入る様になった事は実に有り難い。
日本人にとっては1945年の第二次世界大戦終戦からが平和主義と民主主義の新たな時代と捉えられているが、世界的には欧米帝国主義からの独立戦争への蜂起の時代だ。
日本人にとっては苦い敗戦の記憶も、非白人世界の植民地にとっては欧米列強からの一方的統治への反発心に勇気を与え、民族自決運動を加速させたのだ。
本作はイタリアとアルジェリアの合作で、フランス統治下のアルジェリアで起こった1954年から62年迄の独立戦争を克明に再現したドキュメンタリー映画で、アルジェリア民族開放戦線(ALN)による警察官襲撃事件や無差別爆弾テロ等の陰惨な光景が写し出される。このアルジェリア戦争は、フランスではアルジェリア事変とされる、ベトナムと並ぶ同国の強引な植民地政策の暗部だ。
その人類史から目を背けなかった傑作に対して、世界はベネチア映画祭金獅子賞やアカデミー外国語賞、監督賞で報いている。
コロンと言われる100万人に及ぶ欧米系住民の現地人に対する悪辣な侮蔑シーンは、欧米列強による搾取型の帝国主義の暗部をグロテスクに映し出す。特に女性の爆弾テロや子供達が拳銃でフランス人警察官を暗殺するシーンは、最初は野蛮にしか見えないが、徐々に独立運動に総力を投じた“支配された国民の意志”として理解出来るようになる。
NATOからフランス駐留軍として増派された第10軍部隊による厳格な平定作戦や政治犯への苛烈な断罪処刑と、対するALN主導の爆弾テロやデモ、サボタージュ「バリケードの一週間」を経て、1962年独立に到るシーンで映画は終る。
仏国内の世論変化や大統領ド・ゴールによる植民地政策の転換、アルジェリア国内のフランス駐留軍の造反、仏統治に協力した市民へのALNによる粛清等の周辺動静は含まれない。植民地での光景だけを綴った作品は単純だが、現地の人々の目に焼き付いている現実とは、この光景が全てであり、そこに仏本国での議論や世界の独立機運等は関係ない。
イタリア人でジャーナリストと反政府レジスタンスの経験もある監督ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォの主張とは、欧米のどんな政治思想や法的根拠等にも民族自決と自由は縛られない。武器が無ければ奪うし、女子供も一緒に闘う。ゲリラ戦やテロリズムを戦争規範や騎士道と比べて卑劣と蔑むのは欧米の身勝手で、人間による人間の支配を正当化するあらゆる欺瞞に、人は全力で抵抗する必然の歴史を遺したかったのだろう。
たとえ暗黒でも歴史を正確にドキュメンタリー映像で遺す価値は本当に大きい。最近は海外でも安直で扇動的な捏造映画が多いが、本物は半世紀経っても輝きを失わない不朽の名作だけだ。
本作は字幕で観るべきで、Blu-rayが廉価で手に入る様になった事は実に有り難い。
2022年10月6日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
第二次世界大戦後もフランスの植民地だったアフリカのアルジェリアで独立の気運が高まり、フランス政府は運動を抑えようとして軍隊を現地に投入した。
現地の独立運動組織はテロ行為で警察官を多数殺害していく。
さらには女性をも動員して一般市民を巻き添えにするテロ行為を多発。
ゼネストが起こり、国連からも注視されるが国連は積極的な介入を避けてしまう。
フランス軍は町に隠れる開放組織のメンバーを一人一人と追い詰めて逮捕していく。
その際に捕まえたメンバーから情報を得るのに残虐な拷問を多用したことが国際法に違反したとされる。
制作は1966年で、運動自体は1950年~1960年の話なので事件後直ぐに作成されたということになり、現地の人が多数エキストラとして参加しているとのことだ。
「自由」を得る為には大きな代償を支払い、血を流さなければならなかった。
映画自体は「白黒」なので流れ出る血は赤くはない。
それと独立を果たしたのは「テロ行為」があったからではない。
テロが巨大な政権を打倒して独立を果たしたのではなく、最終的な独立は多数の現地人がうねりとなって立ち上がったことに起因する。
この現実の前には「テロ行為」は無意味だと知れるだろう。
ともあれ、フランス政府の対応はフランス史上の汚点と言える。
現地の独立運動組織はテロ行為で警察官を多数殺害していく。
さらには女性をも動員して一般市民を巻き添えにするテロ行為を多発。
ゼネストが起こり、国連からも注視されるが国連は積極的な介入を避けてしまう。
フランス軍は町に隠れる開放組織のメンバーを一人一人と追い詰めて逮捕していく。
その際に捕まえたメンバーから情報を得るのに残虐な拷問を多用したことが国際法に違反したとされる。
制作は1966年で、運動自体は1950年~1960年の話なので事件後直ぐに作成されたということになり、現地の人が多数エキストラとして参加しているとのことだ。
「自由」を得る為には大きな代償を支払い、血を流さなければならなかった。
映画自体は「白黒」なので流れ出る血は赤くはない。
それと独立を果たしたのは「テロ行為」があったからではない。
テロが巨大な政権を打倒して独立を果たしたのではなく、最終的な独立は多数の現地人がうねりとなって立ち上がったことに起因する。
この現実の前には「テロ行為」は無意味だと知れるだろう。
ともあれ、フランス政府の対応はフランス史上の汚点と言える。
2016年8月6日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
再見の機会に恵まれず、ずっと発売を待っていました。
アルジェリア独立戦争をドキュメンタリータッチで描き
きった傑作です。
舌を噛みそうな監督の名前(ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォ)
も、出演俳優の名前も、メジャー作品に見慣れた者から
すれば、全く知らない・・・という感じですが、映画に
は時として「神がかった」ような輝きを放つ作品がある
ということを思い知らされます。
ニュース映像は一切使わず、全てを「映画」として作っ
た本作は、また出演者のほとんどがプロの役者ではない
という事実。
映画は「作品」ですから、作り手が「ある意志」をもっ
て作ったはず・・・そう思うと、この映画は一層の凄味
をもって観る者に迫ってきます。
作品そのものと同時に「映画文化」として傑作です!
アルジェリア独立戦争をドキュメンタリータッチで描き
きった傑作です。
舌を噛みそうな監督の名前(ジッロ・ポンテコルヴォ)
も、出演俳優の名前も、メジャー作品に見慣れた者から
すれば、全く知らない・・・という感じですが、映画に
は時として「神がかった」ような輝きを放つ作品がある
ということを思い知らされます。
ニュース映像は一切使わず、全てを「映画」として作っ
た本作は、また出演者のほとんどがプロの役者ではない
という事実。
映画は「作品」ですから、作り手が「ある意志」をもっ
て作ったはず・・・そう思うと、この映画は一層の凄味
をもって観る者に迫ってきます。
作品そのものと同時に「映画文化」として傑作です!
2018年8月12日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
初めての映画館公開時に匹敵するクオリティを獲得したと思われる。
2017年8月30日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
ブルーレイの”最終版”には価格面でちょっと手が出せなかったのですが、このDVDでもIVCから出ていた旧作からの買い替えとしては十二分!画質が全くといって違います。IVC版はビデオの孫テープくらいの画質で、これもしかしてこの映画は撮影監督が近眼で全編ピントが合ってないのかと思うくらいのボケっぷりでしたが、こちらは50年前の映画だとは信じられないほどのクッキリ高画質。勿論ピントは合っておりました。旧版はイタリア語でしたのでこれにもすごく違和感がありましたが、やはりフランス・アラビア語でのオリジナルですとあの群衆のヨーデルみたいな雄叫びが何とも自然と染み入ってきてたまりません。本編もオリジナルノーカットの121分になりました。最終版が流通している間は、廉価版でブルーレイが出せないとかいろんな事情はあるでしょう、私はこのDVDで大満足できました。
”スプレンドール”という映画愛にあふれた映画館を舞台にしたイタリア映画があるのですが、ここの映写機に”アルジェの戦い”のラストシーンが映るシーンがあって、その鮮明な画像を見てあるところにはこういう綺麗なプリントがあるのだろうなと羨ましく思ったものですが、今やここに綺麗な映像で自宅でこの傑作を見ることができるのですから何と幸せなことでしょう。
廉価価格というのも嬉しいですが、このシリーズは背表紙がダサいのだけが難点。
”スプレンドール”という映画愛にあふれた映画館を舞台にしたイタリア映画があるのですが、ここの映写機に”アルジェの戦い”のラストシーンが映るシーンがあって、その鮮明な画像を見てあるところにはこういう綺麗なプリントがあるのだろうなと羨ましく思ったものですが、今やここに綺麗な映像で自宅でこの傑作を見ることができるのですから何と幸せなことでしょう。
廉価価格というのも嬉しいですが、このシリーズは背表紙がダサいのだけが難点。
2016年2月23日に日本でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
中古ということでしたが、大変良い状態でした。
画像も乱れがなく、充分楽しめました。
画像も乱れがなく、充分楽しめました。
他の国からのトップレビュー
James Chambers
5つ星のうち5.0
Fantastic Movie
2023年2月19日にカナダでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
I sometimes buy movies considered excellent by Sight and Sound "experts" hoping they are good, and many are, shall I say, questionable. Low budget and / or surreal and / or incoherent and / or grossly overlong that makes one wonder how anyone would select them as their ten best or favourites. This movie is not one of those ... black and white and using almost all non-actors, the movie is gripping from start to finish. Based on a book about the Algerian resistance to French colonialism, the movie details in a pretty even-handed way the unsuccessful Battle of Algiers (1956-1957), photographed like a documentary where neither the French nor the Algerian resistance leaders are depicted entirely as villains or heroes, although it's pretty obvious where the sympathies of the director lie. The violent methods used by both sides are based on actual events and bombings and tries to show the effects of the events on everyone involved. I wouldn't put it in my personal top 10, but this is one of the top 100 in the 2022 Sight and Sound Poll that deserves to be there. The Criterion Collection print is excellent, and there are two discs holding a wealth of extras and documentaries.
ADALBERTO DE LA FUENTE CHÁVEZ
5つ星のうち5.0
Buena película
2020年2月2日にメキシコでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Muy buena película
Gregory J. Casteel
5つ星のうち5.0
If you want to understand terrorism, watch this film
2012年4月1日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
I'm sure that I had heard of this film long before I ever saw it. I had definitely seen clips from it (most memorably in the brilliant BBC documentary series "The Trap" by Adam Curtis). But it wasn't until I read the book "Thinking Like a Terrorist" by former FBI special agent Mike German that I finally decided to watch it. German argues that this is the one movie you absolutely must see if you want to understand terrorism. It illustrates how terrorists operate, what their strategy is, what their objectives are, and why they do what they do. It also shows why efforts to fight terrorism often prove counterproductive, and end up playing right into the terrorists' hands. German notes that terrorist groups all around the world routinely watch this movie as part of their indoctrination and training. It is also a favorite among military, intelligence, and counterterrorism professionals, who watch it in order to better understand what they're up against. In fact, a special screening of this film was held at the Pentagon in late 2003 in order to help defense officials better prepare for dealing with the growing insurgency in Iraq. Apparently, this is the film to watch if you want to learn about terrorism. And, since I'm a political scientist with a special interest in political violence, I had to see it for myself.
My verdict: It's an amazing film. It's everything German claimed it would be, and more. Much more. Not only is it the definitive cinematic case study of terrorism, it is also one of the finest pieces of filmmaking I've ever seen. It sheds light on an important historical event, and does so in a way that is both honest and evenhanded. It's the sort of movie that raises difficult ethical questions, and refuses to give easy answers. It resists the urge to paint anyone as either hero or villain. It allows us to feel sympathy for both sides in the conflict without ever excusing either side's brutality. Besides that, it's simply a really well-made film. Director Gillo Pontecorvo did an excellent job. Shot on location in Algiers just a few years after the events portrayed in the movie, it has an authentic look and feel to it that you just couldn't replicate on a Hollywood set. The scenes shot in the claustrophobic streets of the Casbah -- the old city of Algiers, where the Muslims lived, segregated from the Europeans in the more modern parts of the city -- are particularly spectacular. Many of the people you see on screen are not professional actors, but are Algerian locals recruited by the director to appear in the film. In a few cases, the actual people who were involved in the Algerian War portray themselves in the movie. The story is engaging from start to finish; and the acting and direction are superb.
"The Battle of Algiers" ("La Bataille d'Alger") is, as the title suggests, the cinematic retelling of the story of a key phase of the Algerian War (1954-1962). This movie is not a documentary. Rather, it's a scripted drama based on a slightly fictionalized version of the actual events. The movie gives a somewhat simplified account of what happened, and uses composite characters in some places. But it still manages to capture the essence of the story of how Algeria won its independence from France.
Algeria had been ruled by France since 1830, and had been considered an integral part of the French state since 1848. Since that time, it had acquired a large population of settlers from Europe, and their descendents -- known locally as "pieds-noirs" -- who lived mainly in the coastal cities such as Algiers, and who enjoyed all of the rights and privileges of French citizens. Unfortunately, the indigenous Muslims of Algeria did not enjoy these same rights and privileges, and were forced to endure treatment similar to that of blacks in the American South under Jim Crow. This led to a great deal of resentment, and to growing demands by Algerian Muslims for equal rights. When those demands were ignored by the French, a number of native Algerians decided that it was time to reclaim their homeland and seek independence from France. In the mid-1950s, these disaffected Algerian Muslims formed the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) -- i.e. the National Liberation Front -- and launched a campaign designed to get the French out of Algeria once and for all. The FLN was very well-organized, and followed a very well-thought-out strategy for achieving their objectives. They made effective use of propaganda both to attract support to their cause and to justify their actions to the world. They also made very effective use of violence -- from the assassination of police officers on the streets of Algiers, to coordinated terrorist bombings throughout the European sections of the city, targeting civilian pieds-noirs. It wasn't a mindless campaign of random violence. Rather, it was strategically targeted violence, carefully orchestrated to provoke a very specific reaction. And it worked. The FLN got the exact reaction it was hoping for: a violent and oppressive crackdown by the French authorities that only served to further alienate the Muslim population, making it easier for the FLN to recruit more and more Algerians to its cause. Eventually, pretty much the entire indigenous Algerian population was in open revolt; and it became too costly for the French to continue trying to maintain order. The French people were also losing confidence in their government's ability to deal with the Algerian situation. In the end, France had little choice but to cut their losses and grant full independence to Algeria in 1962. The terrorists had won.
Shortly after independence, the newly formed Algerian government commissioned Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo to make a movie about the war so the entire world, and future generations, would know what happened. They didn't want a propaganda film that would whitewash history, falsely portraying the war as a morally-unambiguous clash between noble heroes who could do no wrong and dastardly villains who deserved no sympathy. Instead, they wanted an honest portrait of what had happened -- one that was fair to both sides, and yet pulled no punches when it came to showing the atrocities that both sides committed during the conflict. And that's exactly what Pontecorvo put on film. When this movie was released in 1966 -- just four years after the end of the Algerian War -- it shocked the world. It was extremely controversial, especially in France, where it was banned for several years because its portrayal of the Algerian Muslims and the FLN was considered too sympathetic. But the film won widespread critical acclaim; and it is still regarded by film critics today as one of the best movies ever made. I'm inclined to agree.
If you want to learn about terrorism, if you want to learn about the Algerian War, or if you just want to watch a great movie, I highly recommend "The Battle of Algiers".
So, here are the relevant technical details: The film is black & white, and has a running time of two hours. The dialogue is in French and Arabic, with English subtitles. This particular DVD set has tons of bonus materials, including a documentary about the life and career of director Gillo Pontecorvo, a documentary about the making of the film, a series of interviews with five famous filmmakers about why this is such a great movie, a documentary about the Algerian revolution, interviews with French military officers who fought in Algeria about the torture and execution of captured FLN terrorists, a discussion between two former top U.S. counterterrorism officials about what this film has to teach us about terrorism and how to fight it, and a documentary about Gillo Pontecorvo's return to Algiers in the early 1990s to see how the Algerian people have fared since winning their independence. All of these bonus materials are worth watching; but, from my own perspective, the discussion about terrorism and counterterrorism -- featuring Richard A. Clarke, formerly of the National Security Council, and Michael A. Sheehan, formerly of the State Department -- is especially valuable. Because of these bonus materials, I would recommend this particular DVD set over any other version of the film you may find.
My verdict: It's an amazing film. It's everything German claimed it would be, and more. Much more. Not only is it the definitive cinematic case study of terrorism, it is also one of the finest pieces of filmmaking I've ever seen. It sheds light on an important historical event, and does so in a way that is both honest and evenhanded. It's the sort of movie that raises difficult ethical questions, and refuses to give easy answers. It resists the urge to paint anyone as either hero or villain. It allows us to feel sympathy for both sides in the conflict without ever excusing either side's brutality. Besides that, it's simply a really well-made film. Director Gillo Pontecorvo did an excellent job. Shot on location in Algiers just a few years after the events portrayed in the movie, it has an authentic look and feel to it that you just couldn't replicate on a Hollywood set. The scenes shot in the claustrophobic streets of the Casbah -- the old city of Algiers, where the Muslims lived, segregated from the Europeans in the more modern parts of the city -- are particularly spectacular. Many of the people you see on screen are not professional actors, but are Algerian locals recruited by the director to appear in the film. In a few cases, the actual people who were involved in the Algerian War portray themselves in the movie. The story is engaging from start to finish; and the acting and direction are superb.
"The Battle of Algiers" ("La Bataille d'Alger") is, as the title suggests, the cinematic retelling of the story of a key phase of the Algerian War (1954-1962). This movie is not a documentary. Rather, it's a scripted drama based on a slightly fictionalized version of the actual events. The movie gives a somewhat simplified account of what happened, and uses composite characters in some places. But it still manages to capture the essence of the story of how Algeria won its independence from France.
Algeria had been ruled by France since 1830, and had been considered an integral part of the French state since 1848. Since that time, it had acquired a large population of settlers from Europe, and their descendents -- known locally as "pieds-noirs" -- who lived mainly in the coastal cities such as Algiers, and who enjoyed all of the rights and privileges of French citizens. Unfortunately, the indigenous Muslims of Algeria did not enjoy these same rights and privileges, and were forced to endure treatment similar to that of blacks in the American South under Jim Crow. This led to a great deal of resentment, and to growing demands by Algerian Muslims for equal rights. When those demands were ignored by the French, a number of native Algerians decided that it was time to reclaim their homeland and seek independence from France. In the mid-1950s, these disaffected Algerian Muslims formed the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) -- i.e. the National Liberation Front -- and launched a campaign designed to get the French out of Algeria once and for all. The FLN was very well-organized, and followed a very well-thought-out strategy for achieving their objectives. They made effective use of propaganda both to attract support to their cause and to justify their actions to the world. They also made very effective use of violence -- from the assassination of police officers on the streets of Algiers, to coordinated terrorist bombings throughout the European sections of the city, targeting civilian pieds-noirs. It wasn't a mindless campaign of random violence. Rather, it was strategically targeted violence, carefully orchestrated to provoke a very specific reaction. And it worked. The FLN got the exact reaction it was hoping for: a violent and oppressive crackdown by the French authorities that only served to further alienate the Muslim population, making it easier for the FLN to recruit more and more Algerians to its cause. Eventually, pretty much the entire indigenous Algerian population was in open revolt; and it became too costly for the French to continue trying to maintain order. The French people were also losing confidence in their government's ability to deal with the Algerian situation. In the end, France had little choice but to cut their losses and grant full independence to Algeria in 1962. The terrorists had won.
Shortly after independence, the newly formed Algerian government commissioned Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo to make a movie about the war so the entire world, and future generations, would know what happened. They didn't want a propaganda film that would whitewash history, falsely portraying the war as a morally-unambiguous clash between noble heroes who could do no wrong and dastardly villains who deserved no sympathy. Instead, they wanted an honest portrait of what had happened -- one that was fair to both sides, and yet pulled no punches when it came to showing the atrocities that both sides committed during the conflict. And that's exactly what Pontecorvo put on film. When this movie was released in 1966 -- just four years after the end of the Algerian War -- it shocked the world. It was extremely controversial, especially in France, where it was banned for several years because its portrayal of the Algerian Muslims and the FLN was considered too sympathetic. But the film won widespread critical acclaim; and it is still regarded by film critics today as one of the best movies ever made. I'm inclined to agree.
If you want to learn about terrorism, if you want to learn about the Algerian War, or if you just want to watch a great movie, I highly recommend "The Battle of Algiers".
So, here are the relevant technical details: The film is black & white, and has a running time of two hours. The dialogue is in French and Arabic, with English subtitles. This particular DVD set has tons of bonus materials, including a documentary about the life and career of director Gillo Pontecorvo, a documentary about the making of the film, a series of interviews with five famous filmmakers about why this is such a great movie, a documentary about the Algerian revolution, interviews with French military officers who fought in Algeria about the torture and execution of captured FLN terrorists, a discussion between two former top U.S. counterterrorism officials about what this film has to teach us about terrorism and how to fight it, and a documentary about Gillo Pontecorvo's return to Algiers in the early 1990s to see how the Algerian people have fared since winning their independence. All of these bonus materials are worth watching; but, from my own perspective, the discussion about terrorism and counterterrorism -- featuring Richard A. Clarke, formerly of the National Security Council, and Michael A. Sheehan, formerly of the State Department -- is especially valuable. Because of these bonus materials, I would recommend this particular DVD set over any other version of the film you may find.
omnigadrum
5つ星のうち5.0
A masterpiece - one of the finest films I've ever seen
2005年2月1日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
This is a film with a rare and timeless pedigree - based on events in Algiers in the mid-1950's, winner of several awards in 1966 when it was released, banned for several years in France, and still relevant to this day, it is a film whose black and white photography gives it immediacy and depth rather than vintage.
The 1950's, and European empires are in decay. The French have lost Indochina ... the USA filling the vacuum in Viet Nam, seemingly oblivious to the defeat the elite of the French army suffered at Dien Bien Phu. In Algeria, there is pressure for the creation of a muslim fundamentalist state and independence from the colonial ruler. The French Right, meanwhile, is backing the many French settlers who have a vested interest in staying. The scene is primed for a civil war of the bloodiest character.
"The Battle of Algiers" opens with a scene of torture ... or shall we say, interrogation. A skeletal Arab has been coerced into giving information. He is dressed in French uniform (black man, white uniform, echoing Fanon) ... ensuring the French don't actually have to kill him themselves ... and paraded around while French troops raid Arab tenement blocks. Within, some of the leaders of the resistance are hiding. And so we drift into flashback mode - how did the protagonists come to be where they are? What is the back story?
You're already fascinated. This is a piece of historical analysis. This is a documentary turned into fiction, and a piece of fiction turned into documentary. The director, Pontecorvo, uses non-professional actors, hand held cameras and diffused lighting to enhance this impression of watching live newsreel footage from the heart of the war zone. The film is about Algiers, but it can symbolise any conflict between a colonial power and the colonised.
The struggle boils down to a battle between the terrorism of the rebels and the terror tactics of the French paratroops. We watch bombs being planted in crowded cafés; it is chillingly real. We watch the cat and mouse games of activists being pursued through the narrow streets of the Kasbah. We watch the impact this has on the bystanders - they are polarised to join one side or the other. One of the leaders of the insurrection comments that terrorism is only a first step - they have to mobilise the people to take action, to strike, to attack the economic base of the colonialists. Already, the resistance is not confined to a few fanatics - men, women and children are actively involved, and their ranks are swelling.
It is superbly paced, beautifully scripted, and astonishingly choreographed - the complexity of the crowd scenes, the rooftop coverage of a living city, the ordinariness of the faces, all combine to create a sense of realism. You feel as if you are there, as if the action is taking place today.
And you wonder why so many invaders have failed to understand what motivates people when they perceive their country as being invaded and their culture as being abused. The French paratroops extol the virtues of the French Resistance fighting the German occupation ... but cannot understand that the Arabs might see themselves as a legitimate resistance movement, not simply 'terrorists'. The paras, themselves, seem to have already forgotten what happened to them at Dien Bien Phu.
"The Battle of Algiers" presents a lesson in history. It also presents a lesson in film-making, for this is cinematography of the very highest quality. A film with no stars, without a glamorous subject, and seemingly dated in its subject matter, yet this is a film which will surprise you by its ability to grip and hold your attention. Beyond a doubt, one of the finest films I have ever seen.
The 1950's, and European empires are in decay. The French have lost Indochina ... the USA filling the vacuum in Viet Nam, seemingly oblivious to the defeat the elite of the French army suffered at Dien Bien Phu. In Algeria, there is pressure for the creation of a muslim fundamentalist state and independence from the colonial ruler. The French Right, meanwhile, is backing the many French settlers who have a vested interest in staying. The scene is primed for a civil war of the bloodiest character.
"The Battle of Algiers" opens with a scene of torture ... or shall we say, interrogation. A skeletal Arab has been coerced into giving information. He is dressed in French uniform (black man, white uniform, echoing Fanon) ... ensuring the French don't actually have to kill him themselves ... and paraded around while French troops raid Arab tenement blocks. Within, some of the leaders of the resistance are hiding. And so we drift into flashback mode - how did the protagonists come to be where they are? What is the back story?
You're already fascinated. This is a piece of historical analysis. This is a documentary turned into fiction, and a piece of fiction turned into documentary. The director, Pontecorvo, uses non-professional actors, hand held cameras and diffused lighting to enhance this impression of watching live newsreel footage from the heart of the war zone. The film is about Algiers, but it can symbolise any conflict between a colonial power and the colonised.
The struggle boils down to a battle between the terrorism of the rebels and the terror tactics of the French paratroops. We watch bombs being planted in crowded cafés; it is chillingly real. We watch the cat and mouse games of activists being pursued through the narrow streets of the Kasbah. We watch the impact this has on the bystanders - they are polarised to join one side or the other. One of the leaders of the insurrection comments that terrorism is only a first step - they have to mobilise the people to take action, to strike, to attack the economic base of the colonialists. Already, the resistance is not confined to a few fanatics - men, women and children are actively involved, and their ranks are swelling.
It is superbly paced, beautifully scripted, and astonishingly choreographed - the complexity of the crowd scenes, the rooftop coverage of a living city, the ordinariness of the faces, all combine to create a sense of realism. You feel as if you are there, as if the action is taking place today.
And you wonder why so many invaders have failed to understand what motivates people when they perceive their country as being invaded and their culture as being abused. The French paratroops extol the virtues of the French Resistance fighting the German occupation ... but cannot understand that the Arabs might see themselves as a legitimate resistance movement, not simply 'terrorists'. The paras, themselves, seem to have already forgotten what happened to them at Dien Bien Phu.
"The Battle of Algiers" presents a lesson in history. It also presents a lesson in film-making, for this is cinematography of the very highest quality. A film with no stars, without a glamorous subject, and seemingly dated in its subject matter, yet this is a film which will surprise you by its ability to grip and hold your attention. Beyond a doubt, one of the finest films I have ever seen.
Daniel Silver
5つ星のうち5.0
Another classic from Criterion
2012年11月9日にカナダでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
The Battle of Algiers is a classic film about urban guerilla warfare / terrorism and counter terrorism in the context of the Algerian revolution. Much has already been written about the film and it's qualities: the director's use of regular local people as well as actors (one of the FLN leaders / bomb makers is played by Yacef Saadi, who actually was the one responsible for the bombing campaign in Algiers); the on location filming only three years after the end of the war; the documentary feel of the footage. It should be said as well - and this was crucial for me to be able to stomach the film - that director Gillo Pontecorvo along with screen writer Franco Solinas - manage by and large, despite their communist, pro revolutionary feelings, to resist any temptation to wallow in overt propoganda and the taking of sides. This film is used to this day in history courses on France & Algeria; as well as by the military in counter-insurgency warfare training.
Criterion as usual has put out a great product. The film image and sound quality has been cleaned & restored to their usual high standards. The DVD comes with a booklet containing information about the film, it's subject matter and the director; and second to the actual film is a second DVD containing some very interesting interviews with some of the historical figures referenced in the film. There's also an interesting Italian t.v. documentary about Pontecorvo's return to Algiers in the early 90's - when the islamist F.I.S. crisis was exploding.
Criterion as usual has put out a great product. The film image and sound quality has been cleaned & restored to their usual high standards. The DVD comes with a booklet containing information about the film, it's subject matter and the director; and second to the actual film is a second DVD containing some very interesting interviews with some of the historical figures referenced in the film. There's also an interesting Italian t.v. documentary about Pontecorvo's return to Algiers in the early 90's - when the islamist F.I.S. crisis was exploding.