The Battle of Algiers [Criterion Collection] [3 Discs]

Provocative, politically-charged and filled with unforgettable scenes of violence and destruction, Pontecorvo's Battle of Algiers is a powerful pro-Marxist film that chronicles the Algerian struggle for independence against the French colonialists. Filmed at the location of actual battles using poor-quality black-and-white photography, using cinema verite camera techniques, and featuring a largely nonprofessional cast, there is chilling realism to the intense and graphically presented battle scenes that may prove disturbing to some viewers. The story starts out in 1957 as French soldiers demand that the sole survivor of the revolutionary FLN (Algerian Liberation Front) surrender. The story then jumps back three years and chronicles the events leading up to the conflict.