Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month

This film is certified

Contains some strong torture scenes and moderate violence

I confirm I am over 15

Title of error

See Help

Title of error

See Help

The Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece about the last years of French colonial rule in Algeria, seen from the perspective of both the revolutionaries and the French authorities.

Drama 1966 121 mins

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo

Kermode introduces Subscribe to watch

Overview

Gillo Pontecorvo’s masterpiece about the turbulent last years of French colonial rule in Algeria, seen from the perspective of both the guerrilla revolutionaries and the French authorities.

Pontecorvo’s use of newsreel-style cinematography and emphasis on unbearably tense set-pieces result in a highly gripping and urgent drama that’s defiantly even-handed to both sides of the conflict. One of the most significant political films, to rank alongside Battleship Potemkin, the film continues to inspire and has been used as a morale-booster by both the Black Panther movement and the 2010 Algerian World Cup team. Ranked joint 45th in the 2022 Sight and Sound Great Films of All Time poll

Director

Gillo Pontecorvo

Featuring

Brahim Haggiag , Jean Martin and Yacef Sâadi

Genres

Drama

Certificate

Contains some strong torture scenes and moderate violence

Country

Italy

Language

Arabic with English subtitles

Subscribe to watch

Dragon's Return Dragon's Return

Drama 1968 85 mins Director: Eduarda Grecnera

A reclusive potter nicknamed ‘Dragon’, exiled from his isolated homestead, returns years later, aiming to win back the trust of the villagers.

Subscribe to watch

Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys) Battleship Potemkin (Music by Pet Shop Boys)

Historical drama 1925 75 mins Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein

Marking the centenary of Sergei Eisenstein’s landmark film, with thrilling music by Pet Shop Boys.

Subscribe to watch

The Ice Storm The Ice Storm

Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee

An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.

Subscribe to watch

Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Les Amants du Pont-Neuf

Drama 1991 126 mins Director: Léos Carax

A homeless addict (Denis Lavant) and a young painter (Juliette Binoche) with failing eyesight forge a bond on the streets of Paris.

Subscribe to watch

Pharaoh Pharaoh

Historical drama 1965 146 mins Director: Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Dazzling epic, in which the young Pharaoh Ramses XIII clashes with Egypt's clergy over influence on the affairs of the state and its coffers.

Subscribe to watch

Je t'aime, je t'aime Je t'aime, je t'aime

Drama 1968 95 mins Director: Alain Resnais

A mysterious time-travel experiment becomes a warped voyage through memory, in this mesmerising sci-fi from acclaimed director Alain Resnais.

Subscribe to watch

I Am Love I Am Love

Drama 2009 114 mins Director: Luca Guadagnino

Tilda Swinton and Luca Guadagnino’s sumptuous, operatic vision of an aristocratic family disrupted by unstoppable forces of passion.

Subscribe to watch

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth

Period drama 2017 89 mins Director: William Oldroyd

Florence Pugh shines in this exceptional British debut of a young wife's need for freedom, whatever the cost.

Subscribe to watch

Beast Beast

Drama 2018 106 mins Director: Michael Pearce

The hunt for a Jersey serial killer sparks a dangerous awakening in a young woman in this astonishing psycho-sexual thriller.

Subscribe to watch

Bait Bait

Drama 2019 89 mins Director: Mark Jenkin

Simmering tensions between locals and newcomers in a modern-day Cornish fishing village reach boiling point in this hugely acclaimed British independent film.