Cinema and the Algerian War of Independence: Culture, Politics, and Society (Palgrave Studies in Arab Cinema)

The book examines the war of images between France and Algeria. Discussing the role of the United States during the war, it covers topics such the presence of American reporters in Algeria, John F. Kennedy’s support for Algerian independence while a senator, the broadcasting of documentaries on the Algerian war on public television, and reporting in the press. Even half a century after Algerian independence, there remains a need for both film and literature on the war from both sides of the Mediterranean. This might seem surprising, particularly to media professionals, given the quantity of output on the subject, but both French and Algerian portrayals of the war remain flawed and shackled to their respective ideologies. The generation of FLN leaders recognized early on the importance of images, and established a clandestine film structure that would bring the Algerian cause to the world stage. The book offers an insightful and timely contribution not just to the field of North African studies but also to other disciplines, such as film and media studies, anthropology, history, journalism, and political science. Providing a rich source of research topics and viable ideas for film and documentary projects, it is a must-read for students, scholars and media professionals alike. Foreword: Algerian War of Resistance, a War of Images Praise for Cinema and the Algerian War of Independence Contents Acronyms List of Figures 1 Introduction 2 Popular Resistance at the Origin of the National Movement Going Back in History Bouamama, El-Mokrani, and the Great Revolts The Fiction-Documentary and the “Outlaws” Lifting the Veil on the Colonial Night The Battle of Cannes ... The Other May 8, 1945 Small Arrangements and Timid Recognition Prelude to the Unrest Awakening Memories 3 Freedom Filmmakers: Pioneers in the Information Battle From Guns to the Media The Battle of Communication Filmmaker-Pioneers Djamel Chanderli and the “Image and Sound” Service René Vautier Pierre Clément Yann Le Masson Cécile Decugis Stevan Labudovic, Zdravko Pecar, and Karl Gass Jacques Charby From the Image and Sound Cell to the Cinema Service The Camera and the Gun for Freedom 4 Dream and Hope in Images: Algeria, Mirror Image of Its Cinema Moussaoui and the Archives New Structures The Battle of Algiers Three War Film Classics Then Came Zinet ... Another View of the War War Films or Films About the War? An Inexorable Decay Fresh Start What Happens Next? 5 October in Paris: Panijel Et Al. Case Study: Who Remembers Jacques Panijel? 6 War on Screens in France and Elsewhere: From Cautiousness to the Awakening of Memories War Censorship Lost Soldiers Courrière and the Rest Conscientious Objectors Suitcase Carriers and the FLN Support Networks The New Wave and the Algerian War Reintegration and The Dove’s Lost Collar Comparative Viewpoints: The Improbable Equation Researching History and Archive Documentaries When Fiction Reveals Traumas Public, Censor, and Amnesia Fifty Years Later ... A Fiftieth Anniversary of Images Case Study: La Trahison by Philippe Faucon 7 Documentaries and Liberation War Cross-Perceptions People on the Move and Land Mines The First Steps The Archive Documentary Archive Documentary and Public Television Documentaries Question History A Generation of Franco–Algerian Documentary Makers The Battle of the Fiftieth Anniversary in Documentaries Case Study: Meddour’s How Much I Love You 8 Women in Cinematic Representations of the Liberation War Women Part of the Social Structure A New Approach Assia Djebar Reconciles Cinema with History Demisting Masculine Eyes The Prison of the Petite Roquette: The Saga of an Evasion History of a Lost Film A New Generation of Filmmakers and Researchers Case Study: Barberousse, My Sisters By Hassan Bouabdellah and Ali Mouzaoui 9 Childhood and the War, Trauma and Innocence I’m Eight Years Old During the War The Little Girl and the Butterfly: Memories of War Children Playing War Games Child Actors in the War Badie and L’Incendie The Children of November Childhood and the War in France Case Study: Cartouches Gauloises, by Mehdi Charef The Summer of 1962 Through the Eyes of a Child Double View of History Personal and Collective Destinies 10 Algeria-France: A Long War of Images The First Battle: Orientalists on Board Third Act: The Appearance of Filmmakers Fourth Act: 1954 Fifth Act: Cameras Back up the Guns Sixth Act: Images of War, Messages Diverted/Hijacked Seventh Act: Censor and Self-Censorship Eighth act: Abdelkader Chanderli, M’hamed Yazid, and Kennedy Ninth Act: Kennedy’s Algeria Speech Tenth Act: American Reporters in the Maquis Eleventh Act: The Internationalization of the Conflict in the Media Twelfth Act: 1962, the War of Guns Is Over; the War of Images Continues ... Final Act: Is the War Really Finished? 11 Epilogue Filmmakers and Historians: What a Story! Glossary Selected Bibliography Index "This is an important, humane book. It tells a kind of secret history and reveals visual treasures some of which, as Bedjaoui emphasizes, risk slowly subsiding into neglect and decay. Film historians everywhere should welcome this valuable volume, I hope as much as I do."--Guy Austin, Newcastle University, UK "With this brilliant work, Ahmed Bedjaoui shows and reminds us how Algeria's liberation movement used cinema and images as weapons in their struggle, and to create a memory of the War of Independence." --Olivier Hadouchi, Researcher, IRCAV - Paris 3, France The book examines the war of images between France and Algeria during the Algerian War. Discussing the role of the United States during the war, it covers topics such as the presence of American reporters in Algeria, John F. Kennedy's support for Algerian independence while a senator, the broadcasting of documentaries on the Algerian War on public television, and reporting in the press. Even half a century after Algerian independence, there remains a need for both film and literature on the war from both sides of the Mediterranean. This might seem surprising, particularly to media professionals, given the quantity of output on the subject, but both French and Algerian portrayals of the war remain flawed and shackled to their respective ideologies. The book offers an insightful and timely contribution not just to the field of North African studies but also to other disciplines, such as film and media studies, anthropology, history, journalism, and political science. Providing a rich source of research topics and viable ideas for film and documentary projects, it is a must-read for students, scholars, and media professionals alike. Ahmed Bedjaoui graduated from the Paris Institute of Cinematographic Studies and holds a Ph. D. in American studies. He is a Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Cinema at Algiers University 3. He is the artistic manager of Algiers International Film Festival "This is an important, humane book. It tells a kind of secret history and reveals visual treasures--some of which, as Bedjaoui emphasizes, risk slowly subsiding into neglect and decay. Film historians everywhere should welcome this valuable volume, I hope as much as I do." --Guy Austin, Newcastle University, UK "With this brilliant work, Ahmed Bedjaoui shows and reminds us how Algeria's liberation movement used cinema and images as weapons in their struggle, and to create a memory of the War of Independence." --Olivier Hadouchi, Researcher, IRCAV - Paris 3, France The book examines the war of images between France and Algeria during the Algerian War. Discussing the role of the United States during the war, it covers topics such as the presence of American reporters in Algeria, John F. Kennedys support for Algerian independence while a senator, the broadcasting of documentaries on the Algerian War on public television, and reporting in the press. Even half a century after Algerian independence, there remains a need for both film and literature on the war from both sides of the Mediterranean. This might seem surprising, particularly to media professionals, given the quantity of output on the subject, but both French and Algerian portrayals of the war remain flawed and shackled to their respective ideologies. The book offers an insightful and timely contribution not just to the field of North African studies but also to other disciplines, such as film and media studies, anthropology, history, journalism, and political science. Providing a rich source of research topics and viable ideas for film and documentary projects, it is a must-read for students, scholars, and media professionals alike. Ahmed Bedjaoui graduated from the Paris Institute of Cinematographic Studies and holds a Ph.D. in American studies. He is a Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Cinema at Algiers University 3. He is the artistic manager of Algiers International Film Festival "The book examines the war of images between France and Algeria during the Algerian War. Discussing the role of the United States during the war, it covers topics such as the presence of American reporters in Algeria, John F. Kennedy's support for Algerian independence while a senator, the broadcasting of documentaries on the Algerian War on public television, and reporting in the press. Even half a century after Algerian independence, there remains a need for both film and literature on the war from both sides of the Mediterranean. This might seem surprising, particularly to media professionals, given the quantity of output on the subject, but both French and Algerian portrayals of the war remain flawed and shackled to their respective ideologies. The book offers an insightful and timely contribution not just to the field of North African studies but also to other disciplines, such as film and media studies, anthropology, history, journalism, and political science. Providing a rich source of research topics and viable ideas for film and documentary projects, it is a must-read for students, scholars, and media professionals alike."--Publisher description