The Battle Of Algiers
Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
(DVD release: Argent Films Ltd)

Revolutionary leader turned film producer/actor, Saadi Yacef was once a liberationist for the Front de Libération National (FLN) during the Franco-Algerian conflict from 1954-1962. To others, however, Saadi was little else than a terrorist. During the recent cinematic re-release of Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo’s seminal masterpiece The Battle Of Algiers – which re-creates a key phase from the Algerian fight against the French colonists and army’s repression - Saadi (born in 1928) had ample opportunity to set the record straight and explain a few things.
As far as he’s concerned, “People can say about me what they want and make their own judgements, but I don’t consider myself neither a hero nor a terrorist, but simply someone useful to my country.”
The film was shot in the Casbah, exactly where the events took place. And in a time where threat from global terrorism has become a fact of life, The Battle Of Algiers is perhaps more poignant and important than ever.
Asked if he would do anything different if he could turn back time, Saadi feels that considering they achieved their aim and the liberation of Algeria from the French, he wouldn’t change a thing. He adds: “If anything would have been more useful, it would have been modern technology. By that I mean doing something at the push of a button as opposed to planting a bomb – although I never would have sent suicide bombers, as this is something I’m strictly against.” Furthermore he thinks there isn’t any easy solution to nowadays terrorism either – at least not a peaceful one. Because Saadi believes it is impossible to diplomatically talk to people who’s only aim it is to hurt others, just as it’s a complete lie that these acts of terror are carried out in the name of Islam. All it does is give Islam a bad name.
So what are his thoughts on the re-release of the film? “Of course, I am very proud that the film has been re-released both in cinemas and on DVD, and I’m also proud in my participation as producer and actor. It’s an important film which should be watched by everyone. In France, the film was first shown in 1965 (three years after the independence), so the people who had to leave Algeria because of the conflict were obviously very unhappy about this film. However, the younger generation is no longer tense about this part of their history, and so its ok to show the film to them.”
Did Saadi feel more like an actor when he played in the film, or more like someone who steps onto a film set to re-enact a part of his life? “Before I got involved with the film and I was the leader of the NLF, I was playing a game with death, while of course, it was easier to play a part in the film. It was director Pontecorvo who insisted I play the part, as obviously, as a former guerilla war fighter I knew exactly how to act the part. I must admit that at first, I was only interested in producing the film, to make sure everything told was absolutely true. I chose to become a film producer because I wanted to transmit a message of what I’ve previously been involved in through cinematic language. I wanted to translate what I’ve written in my book ‘Souvenirs de la Bataille’ (during Saadi’s imprisonment) for the cinema screen. I also would like to point out that before choosing Pontecorvo (a former resistance fighter) as a director, I chose Italy as a country of directing, because it is a Mediterranean country and because cinematically, Italy was very advanced at the time.”
Nowadays, Saadi Yacef is a senator in Algiers. How does he feel about the current political, moral and economic situation of his country… was it worth fighting for? “I feel the current situation is not good – the people who run the country do a bad job with a ‘We couldn’t care less about anything’ attitude. If you bring up your children well, things will be well. If you bring them up badly, you bring up a monster!” Will the battle between Algiers and France ever really be over? “Who knows. We got our independence, that’s true. But recently elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced a clamp-down on asylum seekers especially from Morocco and Algiers, so his immigration politics might divide and spark new controversy. Still, I am positive that things will improve – both in Algiers as well as in France.”

Interview: Claudia Andrei
(special thanks to Isabel Hollis for French/English interpretation)