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Michael Paris
Citizen
Username: Publius
Post Number: 39
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, August 17, 2006 - 7:40 am: | 
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Tonight:
Food For Thought Film Series
The Battle of Algiers
Gillo Pontecorvo's 1967 classic film about the struggle between Algerian nationalist and the French
Place: The Goat Cafe, 21 South Oragne Ave., South Orange
Time: Doors Open at 7:00, film begins at 7:30
ADMISSION IS FREE
Sponsored by the South Orange-Maplewood Committee to Stop the War
www.SOMAstopthewar.org
and
Military Families Speak Out (Essex County Chapter)
www.mfso.org
Coming Soon:
September 21st: The Fog of War
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ae35unit
Citizen
Username: Ae35unit
Post Number: 191
Registered: 2-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 18, 2006 - 3:57 pm: |
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Good movie. Very modern feel to a black and white 40+ year old film. Not a war movie.
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Chris Prenovost
Citizen
Username: Chris_prenovost
Post Number: 1039
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 18, 2006 - 4:22 pm: |
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After that, can we all see a movie about how Algeria, once independent, became one of the most corrupt, brutal military dictatorships on the planet?
How the nation's oil wealth was wasted?
How the Algerian people are poorer now than they were under the French?
About how they have less political freedom than they did when they were part of France?
How about the six million Algerians who now live in France, because they could not live in their own country?
To all 'end the war' types:
Be careful what you wish for.
And beware the law of unintended consequences. |
Michael Paris
Citizen
Username: Publius
Post Number: 40
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, August 18, 2006 - 9:38 pm: |
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Chris Prenovost,
All of these comments are intereesting. In a discussion that we had after the film, someone who attended raised similiar questions, and lots of others had interesting things to say in response. We didn't present the film in order to "wish for" anything in particular, except the opportunity to view a brilliant film with others in our community in order to spark a conversation about politics and history that would go wherever people wanted to take it.
In my view, the film does a wonderful job of capturing the moral and political complexities involved in this particular struggle against colonialism. In the film, one of leaders of the resistance does remark that the hardest part comes after the revolution. But I take it you did not mean to say that the French should have stayed on in Algeria at all costs? The film also provides a vehicle to think about other questions relevant for us today, such as Vietnam and its lessons, or insurgency, counter-insurgency, torture, etc. in the U.S.'s present immoral and mindless occupation of Iraq. The film did spark a wide ranging and intense discussion. Hope you'll join us next time.
The next film will be The Fog of War, in September.
Best regards,
Michael Paris |
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