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The Battle of Algiers

Original title: La battaglia di Algeri · Turkish title: Cezayir Savaşı

“The Revolt that Stirred the World!”

1966 · 2 h 1 min
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
DramaWar

Cast

Brahim Haggiag Jean Martin Saadi Yacef

Credits

Written by: Franco Solinas

Plot

In 1950s Algiers, the National Liberation Front starts a campaign against French colonial rule with a series of bombings and assassinations. The French send in paratroopers under Colonel Mathieu, who uses torture and intelligence to dismantle the movement, but the film ends with the uprising of the Algerian people. Gillo Pontecorvo's 1966 film, shot like a newsreel with non-professionals, has been studied by military and political thinkers, and won the Golden Lion.

Sinekatalog’s take

Pontecorvo restages the Algerian struggle against French rule in a style that looks like newsreel. Tense, even-handed and influential, it has been studied by filmmakers and military thinkers alike.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 8.1 / 10 (77,267 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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