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Lew Crippen · 11-05-2006, 07:10 PM

Should France be in Algeria? If you answer ‘yes’, then you must accept all the consequences.

The consequences that Lt. Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin) refers is torture in Gillo Pontecorvo’s powerful masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers. An almost perfect depiction of the futility of having a perfect tactical response to terrorism, but where also that response with no real underlying political strategy leads to defeat even while winning the battle.

The escalation of violence by both the Algerians and French is perfectly done (an aside on George’s comment on the café bombing: as the event is historical and since we know the outcome in advance, there really can’t be any suspense—it would be an artistic error to even attempt such a spin—I was captured by the close-ups of the patrons and the dancing to Hasta mañana (until tomorrow—which will never come).

Supposedly this film was screened at the Pentagon—it seems that they missed the point.

11-05-2006, 07:10 PM	#3001 of 3734
Lew Crippen Member Location: Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexíco Join Date: May 2002 Local Time: 04:28 AM Local Date: 11-19-2008 Posts: 11,430	Re: Sight and Sound (2002) Greatest Films Club Should France be in Algeria? If you answer ‘yes’, then you must accept all the consequences. The consequences that Lt. Colonel Mathieu (Jean Martin) refers is torture in Gillo Pontecorvo’s powerful masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers. An almost perfect depiction of the futility of having a perfect tactical response to terrorism, but where also that response with no real underlying political strategy leads to defeat even while winning the battle. The escalation of violence by both the Algerians and French is perfectly done (an aside on George’s comment on the café bombing: as the event is historical and since we know the outcome in advance, there really can’t be any suspense—it would be an artistic error to even attempt such a spin—I was captured by the close-ups of the patrons and the dancing to Hasta mañana (until tomorrow—which will never come). Supposedly this film was screened at the Pentagon—it seems that they missed the point. ¡Time is not my master!