This war film has been named the “best ever made”, and it is available on two streaming platforms. The Battle of Algiers is an Italian-Algerian war film co-written and directed by Gillo Pontecorvo. The 1966 film is based on action undertaken by rebels during the Algerian War (1954–1962) against the French government in North Africa. The most prominent action was the Battle of Algiers, the capital of Algeria. The film was shot on location in black and white with documentary-style editing to add to its sense of historical authenticity. The participants were mostly non-professional actors who had lived through the real battle.
The film’s synopsis reads: “Paratrooper commander Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin), a former French Resistance fighter during World War II, is sent to 1950s Algeria to reinforce efforts to squelch the uprisings of the Algerian War. There he faces Ali la Pointe (Brahim Haggiag), a former petty criminal who, as the leader of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale, directs terror strategies against the colonial French government occupation. As each side resorts to ever-increasing brutality, no violent act is too unthinkable.”
The film was met with critical acclaim and nominated for three Academy Awards. Rotten Tomatoes critics have awarded the film a near-perfect score of 99%. Their consensus states: “A documentary-like depiction of a nation’s real-life efforts to expel a colonizing force, The Battle of Algiers puts viewers on the front lines with gripping realism.”
A top critic said: “It uses realism as an effect, documentary as a style. You feel that you’re really there, and you can’t help but be moved.”
One audience reviewer said: “One of my letterboxd top four also the greatest movie ever made masterpiece.”
Another viewer said in their review: “Director Gillo Pontecorvo raised the bar forever on movie making with the Battle of Algiers. An almost completely amateur cast, pulled from the streets of Algiers, many who had lived themselves through the uprising against their French colonizers, the movie has an inescapably compelling authenticity. “
The Battle of Algiers is available to stream now on Amazon Prime as well as the BFI streaming platform.