Buy Physical Copy At:
Licensor Information
Casbah Films
Directed by: Gillo Pontecorvo
Featuring: Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef, Samia Kerbash, Fusia El Kader, Ugo Paletti, Mohamed Ben Kassen
One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today.
Streaming Options
3614.
+1549
Stream
Rent
Buy
Free with Ads
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
Blu-ray
Discs:
BD-50 (2 Discs)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
A (Blu-ray)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85:1
Audio Options:
French PCM Mono 1.0
Resolution:
1080p/24
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Documentary, Interview, Documentary Excerpt, Gallery, Theatrical Trailer, Booklet
- Gillo Pontecorvo: The Dictatorship of Truth, a documentary narrated by literary critic Edward Said
- Marxist Poetry: The Making of “The Battle of Algiers,” a documentary featuring interviews with Gillo Pontecorvo, Marcello Gatti, composer Ennio Morricone, and others
- Interviews with Spike Lee, Mira Nair, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, and Oliver Stone on the film’s influence, style, and importance
- Remembering History, a documentary reconstructing the Algerian experience of the battle for independence
- “États d’armes,” a documentary excerpt featuring senior French military officers recalling the use of torture and execution to combat the Algerian rebellion
- "The Battle of Algiers”: A Case Study, a video piece featuring U.S. counterterrorism experts
- Gillo Pontecorvo’s Return to Algiers, a documentary in which the filmmaker revisits the country after three decades of independence
- Production gallery
- Theatrical and rerelease trailers
- A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Peter Matthews, excerpts from Algeria’s National Liberation Front leader Saadi Yacef’s original account of his arrest, excerpts from the film’s screenplay, a reprinted interview with cowriter Franco Solinas, and biographical sketches of key figures in the French-Algerian War
Forum Member Statistics
Sign-in with your forum account to rate this release
Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Kim Hendrickson
Artwork: Neil Kellerhouse
Producer: Abbey Lustgarten
Release Notes on Restoration
The Battle of Algiers
The Battle of Algiers is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. Supervised by director of photography Marcello Gatti, this high-definition digital transfer was created on a C-Reality from a restored 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated system.
The 1999 film restoration of The Battle of Algiers was undertaken at Cinecitta as part of the Adopt a Film: 100 Films Worth Saving project, promoted by the Council of Ministry and funded by contributions from the cities of Salerno and Montemurlo, Italy. The work was supervised by Carlo Cotta and approved by director Gillo Pontecorvo and director of photography Gatti.
The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated system.
The 1999 film restoration of The Battle of Algiers was undertaken at Cinecitta as part of the Adopt a Film: 100 Films Worth Saving project, promoted by the Council of Ministry and funded by contributions from the cities of Salerno and Montemurlo, Italy. The work was supervised by Carlo Cotta and approved by director Gillo Pontecorvo and director of photography Gatti.