La Bataille d'Alger, l'empreinte

Jan 1, 2018

0h 52m

★ 10.0

Overview

Cheikh Djemaï looks back on the genesis of Gillo Pontecorvo’s feature film, The Battle of Algiers (1965). Through archive images, extracts from the film and interviews with personalities, the filmmaker retraces the journey of a major work - from the events of the Algiers Casbah (1956-1957) to the presentation of the Lion of 'Or causing the anger of the French delegation in Venice - which left its mark as much in the history of cinema as in that of Algeria.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Djinn Productions

France Télévisions

CNC

PROCIREP

Angoa-Agicoa

Label Vidéo

La Bataille d'Alger, l'empreinte Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self (archive footage)

Gillo Pontecorvo

Self

Ali Marok

Ali La Pointe (archive footage)

Brahim Hadjadj

Self (archive footage)

Yacef Saâdi

Petit Omar (archive footage)

Mohamed Ben Kassen

Self (archive footage)

Fouzia El Kader

Self (archive footage)

Noureddine Brahimi

Self

Claudio Racca

Self

Fatiha Djoudi

Between 1954-1962, one hundred to three hundred young French people refused to participate in the Algerian war. These rebels, soldiers or conscripts were non-violent or anti-colonialists. Some took refuge in Switzerland where Swiss citizens came to their aid, while in France they were condemned as traitors to the country. In 1962, a few months after Independence, Villi Hermann went to a region devastated by war near the Algerian-Moroccan border, to help rebuild a school. In 2016 he returned to Algeria and reunited with his former students. He also met French refractories, now living in France or Switzerland.

6.3

The China Odyssey: Empire of the Sun

Dec 30, 1987

Documentary about the making of director Steven Spielberg's film Empire of the Sun

9.0

Algeria, Special Weapons Sections

Mar 12, 2025

This documentary by director Claire Billet and historian Christophe Lafaye details the massive and systematic use of chemical weapons during the Algerian War. Algerian fighters and civilians, sheltering in caves, were gassed by "special weapons sections" of the French army. The gas identified on military documents is CN2D, whose widespread use forced insurgents to flee "treated" sites, at the risk of dying there. The method is reminiscent of the "enfumades" used by the French expeditionary force during the conquest of Algeria in the 19th century. Between 8,000 and 10,000 such operations are believed to have taken place on Algerian soil between 1956 and 1962. This historical aspect is little known due to the difficulty of accessing archives, many of which are still classified, raising questions about memory, historical truth, and justice.

8.5

Thelma & Louise: Born to Live

Apr 5, 2025

The story was born from the pen of debutante Callie Khouri: Thelma, married to a macho man, and Louise, an independent waitress, go on a girls' getaway that turns into a runaway when the latter, during a stopover in a bar, shoots a man who was trying to rape her friend. But at the dawn of the 1990s, screens were dominated by testosterone-fueled opuses, and Hollywood studios were reluctant to entrust the steering wheel to a female duo. Seduced by the script, forwarded by his associate Mimi Polk, Ridley Scott agreed to produce the film and decided, against all odds, to direct it himself. Under the British director's watch, the two accidental outlaws, fabulously portrayed by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, flee across the vastness of the Far West on an emancipatory epic that sees them defy male oppression and reveal themselves to themselves.

No Image Available

6.1

Citizens of Cosmopolis

Sep 25, 2012

An in-depth documentary about the making of David Cronenberg's feature film, Cosmopolis (2012), an adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel of the same name.

7.5

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio: Handcarved Cinema

Dec 9, 2022

With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.

6.8

Jackass Forever

Feb 1, 2022

The Jackass crew, along with some newcomers, returns for one final round of hilarious, absurd, and dangerous stunts.

8.7

The Making of Fallout: New Vegas

Oct 19, 2010

This 8-part documentary includes behind the scenes interviews, concept art, and promotional trailers for the game.

4.0

Mia and Roman

Jul 9, 1968

Mia and Roman is a 1968 23-minute documentary film which was shot during the making of Rosemary's Baby.

6.0

Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie

Jun 13, 1991

U.S. network TV special surveying the history of Robin Hood in popular culture, emphasizing the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". Interviews with principal cast and crew from that film highlight the special. Pierce Brosnan hosts.

6.0

UV Protection: The Making of 'Ultraviolet'

Jun 27, 2006

A short documentary about the making of Ultraviolet. It delves into castings, directing, visual effects and such.

5.0

Dog Days: The Making of 'Cujo'

Sep 1, 2007

Documentary about the making of the 1983 thriller "Cujo"

6.4

Mariner of the Mountains

Sep 28, 2023

Filmmaker Karim Aïnouz decides to take a boat, cross the Mediterranean, and embark on his first journey to Algeria. Accompanied by the memory of his mother, Iracema, and his camera, Aïnouz gives a detailed account of the journey to his father’s homeland, interweaving present, past, and future.

7.0

The Making of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day'

Sep 10, 1991

Documentary of the making of the sequel to the popular Schwarzenegger film, The Terminator.

7.2

Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Apr 14, 2025

Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”, the award-winning live stage show that expands the Hawkins universe.

6.0

The Fantastic

Oct 15, 2021

In Maija Blåfield’s documentary, eight former North Koreans talk about what it was like to watch illegal films in a closed society. In addition to the 'waste videos', South Korean films were also smuggled into the country via China.

6.4

The Making of 'The Iron Giant'

Jan 1, 1999

Documentary of the making of the animated family film, The Iron Giant.

10.0

Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers

Aug 1, 2004

This 17-minute documentary is featured on the 3-Disc Criterion Collection DVD of The Battle of Algiers (1966), released in 2004. An in-depth look at the Battle of Algiers through the eyes of five established and accomplished filmmakers; Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, Julian Schnabel and Mira Nair. They discuss how the shots, cinematography, set design, sound and editing directly influenced their own work and how the film's sequences look incredibly realistic, despite the claim that everything in the film was staged .

No Image Available

0.0

Appunti di viaggio

Feb 1, 2018

No overview available.

8.5

Making Frankensense of Young Frankenstein

Jan 1, 1996

Via reminiscences from writer/actor Gene Wilder and others, this documentary recalls the making of the 1974 film Young Frankenstein.