GOLDEN LION VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 1966
INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS AWARD 1966
AWARD FROM THE CITY OF VENICE 1966
Couldn't you have talked sooner?
It would've gone easier for you.
He finally came clean.
Give him some coffee.
Don't worry.
Drink this. You'll feel better.
Don't take it so hard, fella.
At ease.
Is it true? - Looks like it. 3 rue des Abderames.
Get him dressed.
Buck up.
It's all over now. Just one last little effort.
Can you stand?
Let go of him.
Here, put this on.
It'll suit you fine.
We're going to the Casbah now. They won't recognize you in that.
Show us Ali La Pointe's hideout.
Then you'll be free.
Give him a cap and dress him.
You're inducted!
Cut the clowning, Lagloy!
Let's go.
Knock it off! Wanna go through another round?
Quit fooling around. Pull yourself together.
THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS
Maybe they don't know we're here.
Ali La Pointe, the house is surrounded. It's useless.
Give yourselves up. Let the boy and the woman out first.
Then the other man with you. After that, you come out.
Leave your weapons behind.
No tricks. You're done for.
We have you covered. You don't have a chance. Got that?
You hear me, Ali?
Listen good! You're the last one. It's all over.
The organization's finished.
Everyone's dead or in prison.
If you come out now, you'll get a fair trial.
Make up your mind!
THE EUROPEAN QUARTER
THE CASBAH
National Liberation Front (FLN), Communique No. 1:
People of Algeria, our combat is directed against colonialism.
Our aim: Independence and restoration of the Algerian state,
in accordance with Islamic principles and the respect of basic liberties,
regardless of race or religion.
To avoid bloodshed, we propose that the French authorities
negotiate with us our right to self-determination.
Algerians, it is your duty to save your country and restore its liberty.
Its victory will be yours.
Forward, brothers! Unite! The FLN calls you to arms.
Ladies and gents, place your bets.
This loses, this loses...
Ace wins.
500 francs.
Your turn, madam.
Ace wins, this one loses.
He's always there!
- What's his big hurry? - Stop him.
Bash the bastard's head in!
Omar, Ali.
Alias Ali La Pointe. Born January 15, 1930, in Miliana.
Illiterate.
Occupation: Laborer, bricklayer, boxer. Currently unemployed.
Military status: Draft dodger.
1942, Algiers Juvenile Court,
one year in reformatory for vandalism.
1944, Oran Juvenile Court,
two years for disorderly conduct.
1949, Court of Algiers, eight-month prison term
for insulting a police officer on duty.
Allah is great!
Long live Algeria!
Shut up! There he is.
Keep quiet.
FIVE MONTHS LATER
Beat it!
"Men have two faces. One smiles, the other cries."
They sent you?
Yes, they sent me.
Here.
Wait!
Come back here.
Know how to read? - Sure.
Read it to me.
"There's a Moorish cafe on rue Randon, in the Casbah.
Merabi, the owner, is a police informer.
Every afternoon at 5:00, a French policeman stops by.
He stays a few minutes, long enough to drink a coffee and get information.
Then he leaves. You are to kill the policeman."
- Not Merabi? - No, the policeman.
Okay.
"You can't go wrong.
Right next to the cafe you'll see a girl with a basket.
You'll both follow the policeman.
At the right moment, she'll hand you a revolver.
You just have to pull the trigger."
Let go of me!
Watch me, brothers!
So, you're afraid now!
Look how the organization deals with traitors.
- You bitch! You set me up. - Careful, the police!
- Now explain! - If they don't catch us first.
Who sent you? Take me to him.
- He's waiting. - Where?
You'll see, if we don't get caught.
You go first. I'll be right behind you.
What if you were a traitor? We had to be sure.
- The gun was empty. - Say you'd been a police spy,
the FLN contacts you in prison, you pretend to be for the cause,
and the French let you escape.
Then they shoot me?
Blanks.
You escape, go to the address the FLN gives you in prison,
and infiltrate us.
And who are you?
Jaffar. El-hadi Jaffar.
To join us you had to do a job.
If I'd told you to kill the bar owner, an Algerian,
the cops would've let you kill him even though he's a stoolie.
It wouldn't have proved your loyalty.
If I told you to kill the cop,
the French would never have allowed it.
If you had been one of them, you wouldn't have done it.
But I didn't kill him.
No, but you tried. That's the important thing.
You didn't trust me!
Come on, don't get excited.
I said to shoot him in the back.
No way!
You still don't understand.
Explain it better.
Okay, I'll explain.
First, we need to get organized
and secure our hideouts.
Then we can take action.
The organization's getting stronger,
but there are still too many drunks, whores, junkies,
people who talk too much, people ready to sell us out.
We must win them over or eliminate them.
We need to clean house first, organize the country.
Only then can we take on our real enemy. You understand, Ali?
APRIL 1956
National Liberation Front,
Communique No. 24:
People of Algeria, the Colonial Administration
is responsible not only for impoverishing our people
but also for corrupting and degrading our brothers and sisters,
who have lost their sense of dignity.
The FLN is leading a campaign to eradicate this scourge
and requests the population's help and cooperation.
This is the first step towards independence.
As of today, the FLN assumes responsibility
for the physical and moral well-being of the Algerian people
and has therefore decided
to ban the sale and use of all drugs and alcoholic beverages
and to ban prostitution and procuring.
Offenders will be punished. Repeat offenders will be sentenced to death.
Wino! Wino!
Don't you know drugs are forbidden?
- Why? - Don't do it again.
Have you seen Hassan El-Blidi?
You seen Hassan El-Blidi? Tell him I'm looking for him.
Seen Hassan?
If you see Hassan El-Blidi, tell him I'm looking for him.
Ali, where've you been?
- Is Hassan here? - He left very early. Need something?
If you see him, tell him I'm looking for him.
Ali! How're you doing?
Stay there. Don't move.
- Take it easy. - I told you not to move.
What are you afraid of?
I fear only God.
What's all this about?
There's nothing between us.
We're friends. Have you forgotten?
We were friends.
What's happened to you?
You're sentenced to death.
Now I understand.
You've sentenced me to death.
What are they paying you?
Only one thing can save you.
You've been warned twice. This is your last warning.
What do you mean?
Work for the FLN.
Get lost!
Don't try it! Take a good look. Things will change in the Casbah.
Take a good look. We'll clean this place up.
Now beat it!
And watch yourselves.
JUNE 10, 1956
Stay outside and keep watch.
Everything all right? - Fine.
Be seated.
We'll skip the formalities. You know why.
The day will come when we will have our weddings in the open.
Remember, we are at war against colonialism.
A strong army has occupied our country for 130 years.
This is why the FLN has to make decisions
concerning the civil life of the Algerian people.
With this marriage we fulfill our duty,
a duty of resistance.
And now, Mahmud and Fatiha,
come forward.
Sign here.
May God grant you good fortune. Sign here.
On behalf of the FLN, my sincerest congratulations.
Make yourselves comfortable.
JUNE 20, 1956 - 10:32 A.M.
Come here!
What is it? Calm down.
Come in here.
Hey, Antoine...
Take them in to see the captain.
Yes, sir, but they didn't get a search warrant.
Rue d'Isly?
They followed them some distance but then lost them.
Of course, sir, but that's in your precinct.
It's not their job.
Rue Marengo? We do have some suspects.
The DA first demands an official request.
Yes, sir.
But I don't have enough men.
I understand.
But if you could...
The prefect can't.
But couldn't you?
Okay.
They can slaughter all of us!
Right.
3:00 p. M: Attempted attack against a patrol.
Location: Rue Luciani. Weapon: 7.65mm revolver.
4:00 p. M: Attack on territorial guard,
intersection of rue Consulaire and Avenue General Laquiere.
For Paris, the solution is to put Algiers under tight police control,
guard police stations, close off streets.
I don't agree.
So, Corbiere, where were we?
"Intersection of rue Consulaire and Avenue General Laquiere."
The governor general decrees:
Article 1: Purchase of medication for the treatment of gunshot wounds
must be authorized by the prefecture.
Article 2: Health care institutions
must keep the police informed
of all wounded patients admitted for treatment.
From the prefecture of Algiers:
In recent days, dozens of attacks have taken place in the city.
The perpetrators are known to come from the Muslim quarters.
Each time, they quickly find refuge in these areas.
Consequently, to restore order,
the prefect has decided to seal off the Arab quarters.
Checkpoints will be set up at all access points.
Civilians must show ID and may be subject to searches.
In line!
- Going back to the barracks? - No, I've got two more days.
Don't touch me!
Keep your hands off me!
Never touch their women.
JULY 20, 1956 - 11:20 A.M.
What are you up to?
I'm meeting friends at the beach.
- You still there? - This is my route.
Come here.
Beat it.
You go that way! You, this way!
Same old story! It's the government's fault.
What do they care?
Murder all the bastards! Then we'll have some peace!
There he is!
I'm sure it's him!
- Where? - Down there.
Get him!
Murderer! Murderer!
He looks like a dirty fellagha!
Where are you headed?
- Filthy Arab! - Don't let him get away!
He's getting away! Stop him!
I saw him!
Stop him!
He's getting away!
Culprit: Laknan Abdullah.
Laborer, married, three children. Address: 8 rue de Thebes.
How many today? - Seven attacks, three dead.
One copy for the prefect, the press, the archives and for you.
Thanks. Night, Corbiere.
Good night, sir.
Say, Corbiere...
where's rue de Thebes?
In the upper Casbah, I think.
Good night, Mommy.
Good night, children.
Fatma, why aren't they in bed?
They're just on their way.
We must get going.
What's your hurry? You and your card games!
Can't you play here?
- One more for the road? - Sure, one more.
Sorry, we're already late.
Good night everyone. Hurry up.
Good-bye, Lucien. Don't keep Henri up too late.
Get in back.
- Is it far? - We're almost there.
- Can we go through? - Too late.
Curfew's already started.
Let us through. He's with me.
Very well, sir. Go on through.
- No. 8, right? - Yes. Make it snappy.
Murderers! Murderers!
Ali! Stop!
Jaffar says you must stop.
Listen to me, Ali. Don't go down there.
The army will slaughter us.
Listen to me. - Get out of here!
Halt!
Stay calm! The FLN will avenge you!
Stand guard on the roof. You, come in.
- Is this all right? - Fine.
Fine.
No good? Listen.
I'll take my son. It'll work.
Okay, but use the rue du Divan checkpoint. It's easier there.
Then meet up with the others.
Air France, rue Mauritania.
The cafe, rue Michelet.
The milk bar, rue d'Isly.
The bomb timers are short.
They'll be set outside the Casbah.
Taleb is waiting for you at the fish market.
But then you must hurry. You only have 30 minutes to place them.
Good luck.
God be with you.
Halt!
- Your papers. - I forgot them.
- Over there. Move it! - They're at home.
Let me go get them!
- Get back. - I'm in a hurry.
I said wait!
Get back or no one goes through.
- Let me through. - Wait there.
- It's not fair. - I said wait.
Excuse me. Excuse me, sir.
May I go through, sir? - Go ahead.
Excuse me.
It's all right.
Hands up.
Go on, madam.
Go on.
I'll only be an hour. He's a good boy.
Thank you.
Going to the beach, miss?
- How'd you know? - Oh, I just guessed.
Care for some company?
Not today. I'm meeting friends.
What a shame!
Maybe another time?
Who knows?
Good luck.
A Coke, please.
Would you like to sit down?
One hundred francs.
Leaving, miss?
What a pity.
Attention, please.
Flight 432 to Paris will be delayed for 20 minutes.
Care for another martini?
What's going on?
A propane tank must've exploded.
The paratroopers are here!
JANUARY 10, 1957
Jean Charrot, Inspector General
on special assignment,
presided over a special meeting convened
to organize the fight against rebel activity.
Major decisions were made concerning the maintenance of law and order
and the protection of persons and private property.
General Carelle of the 10th Airborne Division
will be in charge of maintaining order in Algiers.
He will command all civil and military forces
and exercise special powers by official decree.
Mathieu, Philippe. Born August 5, 1907, in Bordeaux.
Rank: Lieutenant colonel.
Campaigns: Italy and Normandy.
Member of an anti-Nazi resistance movement.
Expeditions: Madagascar and Suez. Wars: Indochina and Algeria.
So we now average 4.2 attacks a day.
We must distinguish between attacks on individuals and bombings.
As usual, the problem involves:
First, the adversary, and second, the means to destroy him.
There are 400,000 Arabs in Algiers.
Are they all our enemies? We know they're not.
But a small minority holds sway by means of terror and violence.
We must deal with this minority in order to isolate and destroy it.
It's a dangerous enemy that works in the open and underground,
using tried-and-true revolutionary methods as well as original tactics.
It's a faceless enemy, unrecognizable,
blending in with hundreds of others.
It is everywhere. In cafes, in the alleys of the Casbah,
or in the very streets of the European quarter.
This footage was taken by the police
with cameras hidden around Casbah checkpoints.
The police thought it might come in handy, and indeed it does,
to show the futility of certain methods,
or at least their drawbacks.
I deliberately chose footage taken shortly before
a number of recent terrorist attacks.
Among all these Arab men and women
are the perpetrators.
But who are they?
How can we recognize them?
ID checks are ludicrous. If anyone's papers are in order,
it's the terrorist's.
Note the cameraman's hunch. He's sure there's something in that box.
And his film provides us with the details.
There might have been a false bottom with a bomb inside.
We'll never know.
That's enough, Martin.
We have to start from scratch.
The only information we have concerns the organization's structure.
Let's start from there.
It's a pyramid organization
made up of a series of sections. These sections, in turn,
are made up of triangles.
At the apex is the Executive Bureau.
The military head of the Executive Bureau
finds a competent person and names him section head: No. 1.
No. 1 finds two others: Nos. 2 and 3.
This makes up the first triangle.
Now Nos. 2 and 3 each select two men:
Nos. 4,
5, 6 and 7.
The reason for these geometrics is that each organization member
knows only three other members:
The one who chose him
and the two he himself chose.
Contact is made only in writing.
That's why we don't know our adversaries.
Because, in point of fact, they don't know each other.
To know them is to eliminate them.
Consequently, the purely military aspect of the problem is secondary.
More important is the policing aspect.
I know you dislike that word.
But it's the only one that describes the work at hand.
We must investigate to reconstruct
the pyramid and identify the Executive Bureau.
The basis of our job is intelligence.
The method: Interrogation.
Conducted in such a way as to ensure we always get an answer.
In our situation, humane considerations can only lead to despair
and confusion.
I'm sure all units will understand and act accordingly.
Unfortunately, success doesn't depend only on us.
The city must be at our disposal.
We must comb it thoroughly
and question all inhabitants.
But that's where we run into the maze of laws still in force,
as if Algiers were a holiday resort and not a battlefield.
We've requested a free hand, but it's hard to obtain.
So we need an occasion that will justify our intervention
and make it possible.
We ourselves must create this occasion.
Unless our adversary provides us with one, as it seems to be doing now.
To all militants:
After two years of bitter struggle in the cities and in the mountains,
the Algerian people have won a great victory.
On Monday, January 28,
the United Nations will open debate on the Algerian question.
Our entire organization will mobilize to explain this event's importance.
Beginning Monday, the FLN is calling a week-long general strike.
During this period, all armed action will be suspended.
Le Monde! Week-long strike!
The money, please.
We did it!
People of Algeria,
colonial powers, failing to block UN debate on the Algerian question,
will attempt to demonstrate that the FLN represents only a minority.
World opinion is with us.
Let us show our unity.
Support the strike proclaimed by the FLN.
During this entire week, stay away from European quarters.
Do not leave the Casbah. Avoid gathering in closed places,
as this will facilitate raids.
Give shelter to the poor and homeless.
Stock up on food and water for a week.
- They seem calm. - But you can feel something's up.
Like rabbits in a cage. Just as I hoped.
Think they'll obey the order to strike?
I think so.
- Is it going the way you wanted? - I hope so.
What are you calling the operation?
Well, General...
DRINK CHAMPAGNE
- "Operation Champagne." - Why not?
Operation Champagne it is.
The homeless, the unemployed, the beggars.
We've arranged for them to stay with families during the strike.
That way they'll be safe from police raids.
But I don't think they should have been brought here.
It's a mistake. - Why?
You're here. We'd better move you somewhere else.
- Don't you trust them? - I do, but you never know.
All right. You're in charge.
If I were in charge, you wouldn't be in Algiers now.
- Duty first? - Caution is best.
Ali, take Ben M'Hidi to the Maison des Arbres.
Isn't he staying here?
No. Go with him. I'll wait for you to come back.
What do you think?
How's this for a hideout? Looks like a wall.
Take a look inside.
Not now. It's late.
Si Ben M'Hidi, I'll be in touch tomorrow.
Ali, go first.
Cut through the mosque.
The coast is clear.
We can't do anything for a week.
What do you think of the strike?
I think it'll succeed.
I think so, too. It's been well organized.
What will the French do?
Obviously, they'll try everything to break it.
They'll do more than that,
because we've given them an opportunity.
You know what I mean?
Now they'll no longer be groping in the dark.
Every striker
will be a recognizable enemy.
A certified criminal. The French will take the offensive.
Understand what I mean? - Yes.
Jaffar says you weren't in favor of the strike.
- No, I wasn't. - Why not?
Because we were ordered not to use arms.
Acts of violence don't win wars.
Neither wars nor revolutions.
Terrorism is useful as a start.
But then, the people themselves must act.
That's the rationale behind this strike.
To mobilize all Algerians,
to assess our strength.
To prove it to the UN?
Yes, to prove it to the UN.
It may not do any good,
but at least the UN will be able to gauge our strength.
You know, Ali,
it's hard enough to start a revolution,
even harder to sustain it,
and hardest of all to win it.
But it's only afterwards, once we've won,
that the real difficulties begin.
In short, there's still much to do.
You're not tired, Ali?
No.
Wake up!
Everybody out!
You bastards! We'll teach you to strike!
Attention all vehicles!
Load the requisitioned workers! Truck No. 1 to El Biar.
No. 2, the gasworks.
No. 3, the docks.
Attention!
Dispatch all suspects to headquarters.
That one.
You, come here. Stop.
On strike, are you? - I'm sick.
You're too scared to admit it. Admit you're with the FLN.
You're one of them.
Take me for an idiot? Think I can't tell?
The FLN wants you to strike and you won't talk? You dirty Arab!
Suit yourself. Gerard, take him away.
- Come with me. - Are you deaf?
Everyone back to work!
Get a move on!
Day four: The general strike continues.
All activity has come to a halt. No serious incident has been reported.
All is quiet in the Muslim quarter.
I'll call you back.
Mathieu's here.
- Some questions... - I'm meeting with the prefect.
- What's going on? - I'm just assessing the situation.
Go and see for yourselves. You're free to move around.
- The strike seems successful. - It missed its main target.
Insurrection?
That isn't the aim. - You believe the FLN?
It's plausible this time. A strike might convince the UN.
The UN is far away. How can it gauge a strike's magnitude?
Bombs would be more practical. That would be my choice.
What would armed insurrection mean now?
What it always means: An inevitable phase in revolutionary warfare.
After terrorism comes armed insurrection.
Just as guerrilla warfare leads to warfare proper.
Dien Bien Phu?
Exactly. But in Indochina they won.
- And here? - That depends on you.
On us? You intend to sign us up?
God forbid! Just do your reporting and do it well.
It's not warriors we need. - Then what?
Political will, which is sometimes there and sometimes isn't.
Sometimes it's not enough. What did Paris say yesterday?
Nothing. Another article by Sartre.
Why are the Sartres always born on the other side?
Then you like Sartre?
No, but I like him even less as a foe.
1, 2, 3, 4... Come with me.
Move it.
- What's that? - The dance hall.
Let's get it over with. Repeat what you said and you can go.
Name? - Smain.
- First name? - Ahmed.
- Section? - Second section.
- Be more precise. - Second section.
Casbah, Algiers West.
- Which group? - Third group.
- What was your role? - Head of the sixth cell.
That'll do.
DAY SIX OF THE STRIKE
People of the Casbah,
the FLN wants to stop you from working.
The FLN is forcing you to close your shops.
The FLN wants to starve you and condemn you to poverty.
The FLN wants to stop you from working.
People of the Casbah,
France is your motherland.
Mohammed! Mohammed! Have you seen him?
The FLN wants to starve you and condemn you to poverty.
People of the Casbah, resist the FLN's orders.
Thank God you're home.
God bless you, my children.
Have you seen my brother Said?
Algerians! Brothers! Take heart!
The FLN tells you not to be afraid!
Don't worry, we're winning.
The FLN is on your side.
Long live Algeria!
FEBRUARY 5, 1957
FINAL DAY OF THE STRIKE
Open the shop.
Go on!
Faster!
The UN General Assembly,
all motions having failed to obtain a majority,
has passed a resolution ruling out any direct intervention in Algeria.
The UN, however, hopes that in a spirit of cooperation,
a peaceful, democratic and fair solution will be found
in keeping with the principles of the UN charter.
Good. Well done.
Now we can go turn in.
The end of the strike changes nothing. Instructions remain the same.
Give your boys the usual orders.
We must occupy the Casbah 24 hours a day.
We must continue our work here, without respite.
Any of you ever suffer from tapeworm?
It's a worm that can grow infinitely.
You can destroy its thousands of segments
but as long as the head remains, it rebuilds and proliferates.
The FLN is similarly organized.
The head is the Executive Bureau. Several persons.
As long as they're not eliminated, we're back to zero.
Here are four of them.
I found these in the police records.
I had the snapshots blown up.
Si Murad.
Ramel.
Jaffar.
Ali La Pointe.
Print up a thousand copies and distribute them to our men.
Who else lives here?
I told you. My daughter upstairs, and my husband, who's at work.
Okay, Pierre. Let's go.
They're gone.
There were ten this time.
- Paratroopers? - Yes.
Did a traitor bring them here?
They came alone.
They asked questions. They didn't hurt anyone.
Jibela Malika has been arrested.
Sheik Abdullah has been arrested...
People of the Casbah, the FLN has lost the battle.
Stand up to its dying authority.
Work with us to build a new Algeria.
Mujid Ben Ali has been arrested.
- What's wrong? - They arrested him.
Take courage.
We'll split up. We must change our hideouts.
We must reestablish our contacts.
We must replace those arrested and killed
and reorganize our groups.
We have to make our presence felt.
That'll come later.
No. Right now. Leave it to me.
No. None of us will do anything.
We have to resist as much as we can,
without giving the enemy a chance to catch us. Agreed?
We have to do something.
That's why we must reestablish our contacts first.
- How do we move? - I'll take care of that.
I'll be out in three months.
Hey, look!
Quick, hide us! We're being followed.
Where? On the terrace?
Come in, brothers. God protect you.
Hide in the well. God be with you.
They're gone. Wait until I call. Then you can come up.
Thank you.
The first section's dead. There's no one left.
We lost contact with the second.
The third is reorganizing.
All that's left is the fourth. It's enough to start over with.
FEBRUARY 25, 1957
Bastard! You'll pay for the others!
Keep calm! Get back!
MARCH 4, 1957
No more photographs.
Mr. Ben M'Hidi,
isn't it cowardly to use your women's baskets
to carry bombs, which have taken so many innocent lives?
Isn't it even more cowardly to attack defenseless villages
with napalm bombs that kill many thousands of times more?
Obviously, planes would make things easier for us.
Give us your bombers, sir,
and you can have our baskets.
The FLN has more of a chance of defeating the French army
than the French have of changing the course of history.
According to a declaration by Colonel Mathieu,
you were arrested by chance. Practically by mistake.
The paratroopers
were looking for someone less important than you.
Can you tell us why you were in that apartment
on rue Debussy?
All I can say is I wish I'd never set foot there.
That'll be all. It's late and we have work to do.
So the show's over?
Yes, it's over.
Before it has the opposite effect.
People of the Casbah, the rebellion is dying out.
Ali Mohammed, head of FLN Section 2, was killed this morning.
People of Algiers,
turn in the agitators.
Disassociate yourselves from the rebel organization.
The army is protecting you. Trust in it.
Colonel Mathieu,
the spokesman for the Resident Minister, Mr. Gorlin,
states that Larbi Ben M'Hidi
hanged himself in his cell
using strips of his shirt that he made into a rope
and tied to the bars of his window.
Given his stated intention to escape at the first opportunity,
it was thought necessary
to keep the prisoner bound
hand and foot at all times. In your opinion, Colonel,
in such a condition, can a man
tear his shirt up, make a rope out of it,
and hang himself from a window?
Ask the spokesman about that.
I didn't make such a statement.
For my part, I had the chance to appreciate the moral fiber,
courage and commitment of Ben M'Hidi to his own ideals.
And so, notwithstanding the great danger he represented,
I pay tribute to his memory.
There's been a lot of talk, not only of the paratroopers' success,
but also of the methods they're said to use.
Can you comment on this?
Their success is the result of these methods.
One depends on the other.
Excuse me, Colonel.
It seems to be that, perhaps out of an excess of caution,
my colleagues keep asking you indirect questions
to which you can only reply in a roundabout way.
It would be better to call...
a spade a spade. So let's talk about torture.
I understand. And you? Have you no question?
They've all been asked. I'd just like more precise answers.
Let's try to be precise. The word "torture" isn't used in our orders.
We use interrogation as the only valid police method
against clandestine activity.
The FLN asks all its members,
in case of capture, to remain silent for 24 hours.
Then they may talk.
This gives the FLN time to render any information useless.
And us? What form of questioning must we adopt?
Civil law procedures,
which take months for a mere misdemeanor?
Legality can be inconvenient.
Is it legal to set off bombs in public places?
Remember Ben M'Hidi's answer when you asked him the question.
No, gentlemen, believe me. It's a vicious circle.
We could talk for hours to no avail, because that isn't the problem.
The problem is this:
The FLN wants to throw us out of Algeria, and we want to stay.
Even with slight shades of opinion,
you all agree that we must stay.
When the FLN rebellion began, there were no shades at all.
Every paper, the communist press included, wanted it crushed.
We're here for that reason alone.
We're neither madmen nor sadists.
Those who call us fascists
forget the role many of us played in the Resistance.
Those who call us Nazis
don't know that some of us survived Dachau and Buchenwald.
We are soldiers. Our duty is to win.
Therefore, to be precise,
it's my turn to ask a question.
Should France stay in Algeria?
If your answer is still yes,
then you must accept all the consequences.
A doctor! He's been stabbed!
I'm out of ammo!
Look there!
Run them down!
AUGUST 26, 1957
Make way for the colonel.
There's no point playing the hero. Hand me the megaphone.
Ramel. Si Murad.
Listen:
I wouldn't want to be in your shoes when you're captured.
You know we'll get you.
Surrender and you won't be harmed. You'll get a fair trial.
Do you hear? - Who's speaking?
Mathieu. Colonel Mathieu.
We don't trust you.
Come closer.
Let us see you.
Why don't you trust me?
Stand up so that we can see you.
Keep your hands still and in sight.
But we want the promise of a fair trial in writing.
Give us a written promise. Then we'll surrender.
How do I get it to you?
We'll lower our guns in a basket.
Fair enough. I'm make this statement in writing.
Finished?
Yes, finished.
- Ready, Mathieu? - Yes, but let's see you first.
28, 27, 26,
25, 24, 23...
We can see them now. Go ahead.
Here.
You know that when I give my word, I keep it.
The bastard! He got away!
Faster, dirty Arab!
Take this, you dog!
Burn all the papers.
SEPTEMBER 24, 1957
Don't leave a trace.
Which of you is Zakia?
You?
Go tell Jaffar to surrender
or we'll blow up the house and everyone in it.
Try to convince him if you want to keep your house.
Got that?
Wait. You'll get yourself killed.
Jaffar!
Zakia's coming up. I wouldn't shoot if I were you.
Go on now.
Jaffar.
Listen to me.
They say if you don't come down,
they'll blow up the house.
You can tell them to blow up whatever they want.
Go tell them!
He says he won't surrender, that you can blow it all up.
All right. Join the others.
Prepare the explosives.
Get as close as possible, but don't take risks.
Use a long fuse, then cut it.
Give them cover while they work.
You, keep your eyes open. Anything can happen, as we know.
It's really pointless to die like this.
Mathieu! If you give me your word not to hurt anyone in this house,
we'll come down.
I'd have hated to blow you all up.
Why?
Your picture and your file
have been on my desk for months.
I have the feeling I know you a bit.
You don't strike me as the kind for empty gestures.
You seem satisfied to have me alive.
Yes, I am.
I thought you'd regret it. I gave you an unexpected advantage.
No, only the satisfaction of having had the right hunch.
Technically speaking,
we can't talk about advantages. The game's over.
Monster! Hypocrite! You're wrong. Ali La Pointe is still in the Casbah.
What's she saying?
She says Ali La Pointe is still free.
- Come in. - I'm coming.
You're tired. Go rest.
Omar, go to bed.
We have a job tomorrow.
Myself, Mahmud, Hassiba...
and you.
There's no one else left. Sadek will drive.
You get out, plant the bomb, and come back fast.
Be sure they don't follow you. Then we'll get out.
Hassiba first, then Mahmud. I'll see to the rest.
Wake up.
Sleep well? Get ready to go.
- Is it time? - Almost.
Hassiba! - I'm ready.
I heard a truck.
So did I. But if it was Sadek, he'd be here by now.
- How's your wife? - She's fine.
Inside!
Outside!
On your feet!
Well?
All ready. I had the house evacuated.
- Has he answered? - Absolute silence.
I thought as much.
Ali La Pointe!
At least let the others out, or you'll all be blown up.
The boy will just go to the reformatory for a while.
Why let him die?
He's still here? Take him away.
Ali... Ali La Pointe!
You have another 30 seconds. What are you hoping for?
Anyway, you've lost.
Think hard. Thirty seconds.
Thirty seconds from now.
Whoever wants to can go.
- What'll you do? - I don't trust them.
You four stay here. Come down when I give the signal.
- Everything ready? - All ready, sir.
Stand back.
You two cover him and be careful. You never know.
The tapeworm's headless now.
Satisfied, Mathieu? - Yes, sir.
- The FLN is decapitated in Algiers. - We'll hear no more of it.
At least for the time being. - Forever, let's hope.
They're basically decent people. We got on fine for 130 years.
Why shouldn't it continue? - But Algiers isn't all of Algeria.
No, Algiers isn't all Algeria.
True, but for now let's settle for Algiers.
Things are much easier in the mountains.
Good-bye, sir.
Good-bye, Mathieu. I'll see you this afternoon.
Yes, sir.
DECEMBER 11, 1960
For some unknown reason, due to some obscure motive,
after two years of relative quiet,
with the war contained mostly
in the mountains, disturbances broke out again without warning,
and nobody knows why or how.
I phoned Tunis.
I spoke to an exiled FLN chief, but he knows nothing either.
Long live Algeria!
This morning, for the first time, out came flags with crescent and star.
Thousands of flags,
probably made overnight.
"Flags" is hardly the word. More like torn sheets, shirts, rags -
but flags nevertheless.
We're marching for freedom!
The situation is more tense today.
Despite pressure
from the most rigid colonialists, the government had given orders
not to open fire except as a last resort.
Attempts were made this afternoon to descend into the European quarter.
There were several casualties, but things seem to have calmed down.
The Muslim quarters still echo
with those unintelligible and frightening rhythmic cries.
The surprising unity of these demonstrations
has made a deep impression on French public opinion.
According to Paris, a significant segment of the political class
is in favor of seeking a new relationship with Algeria.
DECEMBER 21, 1960
LAST DAY OF DEMONSTRATIONS
Listen to me!
Return to your homes!
What do you want?
Independence!
Our pride!
We want our freedom!
Two more years of struggle still lay ahead.
Then, on July 2, 1962, with its independence,
the Algerian nation was born.
Based on a True Story by SAADI YACEF