Emotional points in Battle of Algiers

One of the most interesting things I thought about the film Battle of Algiers was partially based on something Spike Lee said during the commentary. The most emotional moment for me was the scene where the three women go to separate parts of the city and place bombs in completely ordinary settings where people would never expect to get attacked. You can see the way the women are thinking about the people who will die, and yet are still totally committed to the cause, one woman even bringing her son to town with her so that she might get by the police easier. Potentially putting him in harms way so that she can complete her task. I think this was a very moving part of the film, but also something that Spike Lee picked up on was the music from this scene after the bomb went off, how it was the same music as when the bomb went off on the other side. It shows that all people are the same and death is bad for anyone, it doesn’t matter what side you are on. Death is the great equalizer. In a film dealing so much with death and losses from war, this particular scene really has an emotional toll because of the music and also because of the women, women are not usually part of war, of course they can be and are, but are not usually associated with it as much, especially women like this who just appear to be housewives. It is truly revolutionary for Pontecorvo to treat the subject in this way, especiallay due to his close involvement and its proximity to the time period. He showed both sides of the war and truly tried to keep it unbiased and equal in the losses of each. The main point of the film is that war is bad for everyone, and I think he accomplishes this well.