WOMEN AT WAR

Gillo Pontecorvo's documentary-style film The Battle of Algiers centres on the military techniques used by a powerful modern army against an urban guerrilla force that was led by small groups of civilians who were poorly armed and lacking in training but who had the benefit of popular support. Women played a major role in the resistance and without them it could not have lasted the eight months that it did. However, that role is not entirely apparent from Pontecorvo's film, whose main concerns are elsewhere; women are on screen for only about fifteen of the film's 121 minutes. It is clear that the director wished to pay them hommage, as the film begins and ends by showing us the faces of women involved in the struggle. Nevertheless, much remains to be said, and more research is needed, on this topic.