Battle of Algiers

February 11, 2007


which I saw at the Kala Ghoda Festival yesterday. Derek Malcolm calls the film “a model of how, without prejudice or compromise, a film-maker can illuminate history and tell us how we repeat the same mistakes.” A brief exchange from the film, courtesy IMDB:

Col. Mathieu: What were they saying in Paris yesterday?
Journalist: Nothing. Sartre’s written another article.
Col. Mathieu: Will you kindly explain to me why the Sartres are always born on the other side?
Journalist: So you like Sartre, Colonel?
Col. Mathieu: Not really, but I like him even less as an adversary.
Read about the film here and here and here.