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La battaglia di Algeri (1966) More at IMDbPro »

2009 | 2006

3 articles from 2009

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Portrait of the artist: Mira Nair, film director

9 November 2009 2:30 PM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

'Why are there so few women directors? Oh my God,

I want to shake everyone and ask them that question'

What got you started?

My impatience with waiting for life to happen. For seven years, I made films in the cinéma vérité tradition – photographing what was happening without manipulating it. Then I realised I wanted to make things happen for myself, through feature films.

What was your big breakthrough?

The world premiere of Salaam Bombay! in Cannes [in 1988]. It got a 40-minute ovation. I wanted to flee, but they locked the doors.

What one song would work as the soundtrack to your life?

Allah Hoo by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It teaches you to surrender to something larger than yourself.

Why are there so few women film directors?

Oh my God, isn't it just terrible! I want to shake everyone and ask them that question. Making films is about having absolute »

- Laura Barnett

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ReThinking The Battle of Algiers: A Movie the Pentagon, the Black Panthers and the Ira Can Agree On

11 September 2009 8:36 AM, PDT | Huffington Post | See recent Huffington Post news »

What do the Pentagon, the Black Panthers, and the Irish Republican Army have in common? All three studied Gillo Pontecorvo's classic 1966 film The Battle of Algiers to learn how to fight -- or wage -- an insurgency. Watch my ReThink Review below: There was a spike in interest in The Battle of Algiers in 2003, when the Pentagon's Directorate for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict arranged a special screening of the film for military and civilian experts. The invitation read: "How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas. Children shoot soldiers at point-blank range. Women plant bombs in cafes. Soon the entire Arab population builds to a mad fervor. Sound familiar? The French have a plan. It succeeds tactically, but fails strategically. To understand why, come to a rare showing of this film." According to a Defense... »

- Jonathan Kim

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The Battle Of Algiers – Reviewing The Oldies

3 September 2009 10:16 AM, PDT | FilmShaft.com | See recent FilmShaft.com news »

In 1966 an Italian filmmaker made a film that stunned audiences worldwide. His name was Gillo Pontecorvo and the film in question was The Battle Of Algiers.

The film is about the Algerian revolution and the story unfolds through the eyes of the Algerians who are seeking independence and the French who having retreated from Vietnam in defeat now have a point to prove.

Already the fact that it is a completely unbiased view of the situation makes this film stand out from average war films. It’s even more incredible that it was actually the Algerian government themselves who commissioned the film.

Instead of portraying themselves as the victims they wanted to show the battle exactly as it was. They both make mistakes and they both kill thousands of innocent people unnecessarily. They are shown to be human and the film is littered with examples of human weakness and error. »

- Alex Wagner

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2009 | 2006

3 articles from 2009

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