The Battle of Algiers (1966)

 Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers"

By 1966, the Nouvelle Vague movement had surpassed the Neo-Realist movement in artistic relevance. Of course, the political and social pertinence that Neo-Realism typically carries was a bit more subversive through Nouvelle Vague, not absent. Still, with certain topics, a certain starkness is required. With his 1966 film "The Battle of Algiers," Gillo Pontecorvo reminded the cinematic landscape how vital the neo-realist continues to be.

The film centers on a group of Algerian revolutionaries, the FLN, and their attempts to push out the French occupation between 1954 and 1957. Using guerrilla tactics, the FLN was met with equally guerrilla and illegal methods to combat them. Despite the casualties and the capture/execution of its revolutionary leaders, Algeria succeeded in gaining its independence from France.

With the same spirit of Italian Neo-Realism, Pontecorvo filmed on location, along with using black-and-white documentary-style editing to create a sense of historical realness. He also used non-professional actors, also associated with the movement. The style of the film felt so real (and like a newsreel) that American releases carried a notice that "not one foot" of newsreel was used.

Because the film is sympathetic towards the Algerians gaining their independence, it was formally banned by the French government for a year. Even the French critics who saw the screening at the Venice Film Festival were unanimously hostile. They even abandoned the festival all together when the film won the Golden Lion.

Despite the antagonistic reception by the French audiences, "The Battle of Algiers" was a force to be reckoned with in cinema. It's unflinching depiction of French imperialism and their illegal tactics and torture of Algerians illustrated a continued modern oppression of smaller societies by the imperial and colonial Western autocracies. 

These topics and considerations are still relevant today, as many countries across the world are attempting to battle the respective oppressive regime that's occupying them. "The Battle of Algiers" reminds the viewers that any oppressed society will ultimately result in violent and guerilla defenses that inevitably will result in continued chaos and mayhem. As long as these countries continue to be occupied and repressed, there will always inevitably be resistance. 

This is precisely why "The Battle of Algiers" is so timeless. It's use of neo-realism, of course, grants itself a certain authenticity to its accounts. This is undoubtedly important due to the very real circumstances that it depicts. These circumstances are not solely isolated to the French occupation of Algeria, but to countless instances since these events. The film is a timeless piece of art that gets into the nitty-gritty truths about revolution and its endless consequences and ramifications.