The Battle of Algiers

The most interesting element of this movie, The Battle of Algiers (1966), is the documentary-style way in which it is shot. Gillo Pontecorvo, the director, shoots the movie from both sides of the war- the native Algerian and the French- showing the reasons why each side feels they are right and showing the autrocities of both sides.
This documentary-style of filming creates a realistic feel to the movie. There are no romantic relationships that are side-stories, or personal emotional stories or dilemnas depicted- we are on the outside and watching the events take place. The movie does not side with either point of view- it is up to the viewer to decide which side they are on. The movie tells the straight facts of the war and revolt.
The entire movie, I kept thinking of the Jewish concentration camps during WWII. The French confine the Algerians to the Casbah and they seal them in. They monitor everyone and make strict rules for the Algerians to follow. This, to me, is very reminiscent of the Jewish genocide in eastern Europe during Hitler's reign. The Algerians, however, started the attacks because they were revolting and they continued to fight.