The Battle of Algiers (1966) \& Pepe Le Moko (1937) (double feature)

Friday and Saturday, July 6-7, 2012:
Special weekend screenings July 6-7 commemorating
the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence (1962-2012)
The Battle Of Algiers
1966, Italy/Algeria, 121 minutes, 35mm, Rialto Pictures
Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
Written by Gillo Pontecorvo, Franco Solinas
Music by Ennio Morricone, Gillo Pontecorvo
Starring Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef
In French, Italian, English and Arabic
with English subtitles
Fri: 7:30 pm; Sat: 2:40 \& 7:30 pm
PLUS, on the same… Show more double feature:
PEPE Le Moko
1937, France, 94 minutes, 35mm, Rialto Pictures
Directed by Julien Duvivier
Written by Jacques Constant (adaptation),
Henri Jeanson (dialogue), Julien Duvivier (screenplay), Henri La Barthe (screenplay)
Starring Jean Gabin, Gabriel Gabrio, Saturnin Fabre, Fernand Charpin, Lucas Gridoux
In French and Arabic with English subtitles
Fri: 9:50 pm; Sat: 5:00 \& 9:50 pm
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Information on The Battle Of ALGIERS:
The Battle of Algiers (1965), Gillo Pontecorvo's mesmerizing re-creation of Algeria's struggle for independence, will show at The New Beverly Cinema on July 6 and 7. July 5th marks the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence.
"It's difficult to start a revolutioneven more difficult to sustain oneand still more difficult to win one" a FLN organizer tells Ali-la-Pointe, former street hood and newest recruit to the cause of ridding Algeria of French occupation. Filmed by Pontecorvo and camera man Marcello Gatti in the grainy black-and-white look of newsreel footage, and produced by actual FLN organizer Saadi Yacef, the film is a how-to-guide for insurrection: from the initial cleansing of the Casbah of pimps and other corrupt players; to stealing weapons and random shootings of officials; to escalating the violence with each repressive reaction from the local authorities, culminating in a tour-de-force sequence of women recruited to carry out deadly bombings of civilian targets. From there it requires the counter-insurgency of French paratroopers, led by Colonel Matthieu (Jean Martin) to attempt to quell the uprising, using any and all methods to get the job done. "Should France remain in Algeria?" the Colonel asks a gaggle of reporters. "if your answer is yes, then you must accept all the consequences."
Banned in France upon it's initial release, then embraced by radical groups in the Us as a training tool, and 25 years later, screened as a cautionary tale to brass at the Pentagon in 2003, The Battle of Algiers remains as timely as ever, as the world witnessed the "Arab Spring" of the past year.
Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Film, Best Screenplay and Best Director and winner of the Golden Lion (Grand Prize) at the Venice Film Festival.
Reviews:
"LEGENDARY! RIVETING!
When a re-release combines great artistic power with lasting political interest, celluloid junkies are not the only ones who ought to be excited.
A Great MOVIE!"
Stuart Klawans, The New York Times
"Breathtaking! Stunningly Provocative! Electrifyingly TIMELY!
Its anatomy of terror remains unsurpassed!"
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
"A Masterpiece! Moves Like A THRILLER!
Its Astonishing Immediacy anticipates the artfully raw you-are-there v

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