Battle for Algiers

On April 8, 2004, Drew and I went to see "The Battle of Algiers". The movie, made in 1965, is a powerful and gritty account of the nearly decade long fight of the native Islamic Algerian population to throw off colonial oppression and 130-years of French rule in the 1950s and 60s. Algeria finally won their independence in 1962. From economic disparity to the implementation of "interrogation" by French soliders, the movie tells an even-handed story about revolution, terrorism and the rule of law.

The depiction of terrorism and terrorists in "The Battle of Algiers" is neither sickenly idealistic nor easily condemnable. At every turn during the film you realize that you are dealing with real people, with real lives who are fighting for real and important goals. The Islamic revolutionaries themselves are easily recognizable - their rhetoric about freedom and self-determination could be coming from the likes of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The French characters (especially the soldiers brought in to supress the revolution) are harder to come to grips with. While they use horrific torture to get information about the revolutionaries - these are men who resisted the Nazis, went to concentration camps, and are now fighting for their own country and ideals.

I think that it is important for Americans to understand why we were attacked and what Al Quaeda, and now the Iraqi insurgents, are fighting for. Unless we can find a way to sympathize with their situation and come to some cooperative understanding, perhaps we will learn the hard way that terroism cannot be stopped until the war of ideas has been adequately understood.

I have included a link to Starz, as well as some other links (both conservative and liberal) about the movie so that you can judge for yourself.

http://www.starzfilmcenter.com/moreinfo-soon.php?1602Battle


http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0907-07.htm

http://www.amconmag.com/2_2_04/article1.html