The Battle of Algiers24:51

This article is more than 17 years old.
photoGillo Pontecorvo's 1965 film, "The Battle of Algiers," was a celluloid textbook for 1960s revolutionaries as it recreated the 1950s Algerian independence struggle against French colonials. The film was banned in France, instigated riots and theater bombings in Europe, and was required watching for America's Black Panthers.

Now, a new print of the film has been re-released, and it is being screened at the Pentagon for insights into armed insurrection. As the United States struggles to define its role as both liberator and occupier of 21st century Iraq, 20th century images of the imperialist and the oppressed still loom large.

Click the "Listen" link to hear about this film's impact nearly forty years after its original release.


J. Hoberman, senior film critic for "The Village Voice," and author of "Revolution Now (and Then!)," an article about "The Battle of Algiers" in the January issue of "The American Prospect";Jack Beatty, On Point News Analyst and a Senior Editor of "The Atlantic Monthly."

This program aired on January 16, 2004.