Who Is Unbiased In The Battle Of Algiers

The Battle of Algiers depicts the events that encompass the Algerian Revolution for independence of 1962. The film offers a lucid portrayal of the political and military struggle between the French and the Algerian Arabs. Although some scenes seem to be more biased than others, The Battle of Algiers is intended to encourage the audience to grapple with the morality of the revolt from both perspectives. By developing certain characters and strategically utilizing rhetorical devices, Gillo Pontecorvo successfully persuades the audience to weigh the relative morality of both the French and Algerian causes with an unbiased lens. During The Battle of Algiers, the deliberate emphasis of characters highlights Pontecorvo’s intention to present an objective depiction of the revolt. Throughout the film, both sides of the revolution commit gruesome crimes. Still, the genre to which this movie belongs inherently favors the underdog (in this case, the Algerian FLN forces) over the oppressor (here, the French forces). Yet, Pontecorvo portrays Colonel Mathieu, the head of the French forces, as a just and empathetic character, a depiction that clearly contrasts with the genre’s bias toward the underdog. For example, towards the end of the movie, Colonel Mathieu magnanimously offers Al Pointe the option to surrender, a choice not often provided to
Offering no easy answers, the film forces the audience to grapple with weighty moral questions. By placing in tense counterpoint a genre which tends to favor one side with positive portrayals of characters on both sides, and by deliberately manipulating the film’s imagery in order evoke sympathy for both the French and Arab Algerians, Pontecorvo provides a powerful and objective perspective on the Algerian