Review of The Film Battle of Algiers

In the film Battle of Algiers, it showed the active tensions of the colonialism in post war with the French. This film was based on the accounts of Saadi Yacef, one of the leaders in Algeria specifically the leader of Front de libération nationale (FLN) at the time of this interaction between France and Algeria. In the war for independence, there is a lot that happened but it will be narrated down to talk about escalation dynamics and the intergroup conflict. Hopefully, by the end I have touch on the vigorous tension created all for independence.

The reason for the conflict in the film is the industrious oppression show the French exhibited toward the native Arab Algerians through colonialism and occupation. While this prejudice isn't constantly made unequivocal to the watcher, its existence is clear in various ways such as the physical living space that the natives were living in compared to the ones the French we living in. The Algerians lived in an underprivileged and compressed area north of the city called Casbah. While the French lived in a modern city near the sea with buildings and nice things.

We are introduced to escalation dynamics, which is when if a group doesn’t achieve its objective through gentle means, it will escalate the situation which pushes the other side to react by either try to de-escalated the situation is a passive manner or equally escalating the situation aggressively as well. The Algerians were looking to take off the colonialism going on to establish a self-governing rule nation. The Algerians first reacted out to negotiate peacefully but the French had a grip on the power and had no place to let it, so the Algerians and to flip the script and turn to violent tactics.

This is something that we do as humans even in our day to day lives. We ask for something in a calm manner for whatever reason we might have; we don’t get it we turn aggressive. I remember when I was in student government, I received a compliant from a student regarding a situation that had happened. I called the president to set a meeting with him to try to figure out how this can be resolved because this person was a repeated offender of this sort. He ignored my call, text and personal emails. The president and the person who committed the in factions where friends so he always let it go. I then wrote an email to him CC the staff and faculties of the school putting all the detail of the situation out in the email to be addressed. I know this a different circumstance but I hope it paints the picture.