October 09, 2004
The Battle of Algiers This is an excellent DVD of Gillo Pontecorvo's legendary 'revolution template' masterpiece, filmed in Algeria only ten years after the events it depicts. It's a landmark in political filmmaking. Criterion responds with a three disc set with new documentaries that relate the remarkable conditions under which the film was shot, and address in depth and detail the true history behind the movie, often related by the principals who fought. This is the film that the Pentagon screened to stimulate 'creative thinking' about anti-terrorism methods, although the best defense seems to be avoiding being unwanted occupiers of other people's lands. A whopping disc set with a steep but merited sticker price.   10/09/04 Posted by DVD Savant at October 09, 2004 06:58 PM