One of the most influential cinema verité films in history, Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" (1966) starkly portrays the Algerian nationalist battle for independence (1954- 1962). The Italian-Algerian film begins in 1957 with a terrified FLN recruit surrendering to torture by French paratroopers and revealing La Pointe's hideout. Flashback to 1954, it depicts the growing tension between the French and the National Liberation Front – which was establishing control over the Casbah through restrictive bans to boycott the French bureaucracy. Children shoot policemen in cold blood, women hide weapons under their headscarves, the French resort to the most brutal torture: this documentary film has become the point of reference for this new war: "Café War". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As the French army in the city attempts to destroy the FLN led by Saadi (playing himself, whose memoirs were a crucial reference), the guerrilla targets soldiers and civilians on both sides – pieds- noirs and Algerians: even if Colonel Mathieu, commander of the paratroopers, embodiment of the French paradox of oppressed-oppressor, dismantles the vanguard, two years later "for no particular reason" the revolt begins again: in 1962 Algerians gain freedom. In continuous alternation, innocent civilians die tortured by both sides "in the name of true virtue": the bombs do not choose their victims, but Morricone's painful score, as the survivors crawl through a destroyed terrorist house, shows sympathy for the rebels. Leadership is represented in an objective perspective: Mathieu logically analyzes the enemy while reassuring citizens in a triumphalist parade. La Pointe demonstrates loyalty to the FLN by shooting a policeman: a stooge would not have shot. In this analytically chilling approach, war tactics become lucid and dehumanized: women and children bypass French checkpoints with shopping bags carrying bombs into crowded cafes. “Will France stay in Algeria?” asks a French colonel: not only were the pieds-noirs powerful voters since the geographical proximity effectively made Algeria a French mainland. France's fragile post-war position (Indochina, Suez failures) and growing nationalist sentiment made France willing to “accept all necessary consequences”. In all scenes, torturing enemies has no emotional connection or humanizing consideration: burning the bodies of suspects with a blowtorch or increasing the voltage on their electrodes becomes a mere military strategy. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay“Terrorism is useful as a beginning, then the people must act” says La Pointe. This is fundamental because the FLN starts an 8-day general strike mobilizing the population to impact the international community and the "distant" United Nations: the end must justify the means, and the vanguard becomes a war of the Algerians against everyone in the first place line. At the same time, strong military tactics cannot bring lasting stability without stable political strategies: the use of torture diminished popular support for the French who lost a major diplomatic battle with the Algerians. Following the Leninist approach, this urban revolution involves all strata of the population while class differences fuel potential social danger – “resistance fighters always have their cards in order”. Public opinion and media coverage become crucial ("you just have to write, e.g.”