Music in The Battle of Algiers

In the movie Battle of Algiers sound is manipulated in many different ways. While watching the movie, I noted that it almost immediately starts (during the opening credits) with a song which I will call the European Fight song. This song carries on throughout the beginning of the movie until the French first bomb the Algerians. After seeing the sad scene of the bomb’s aftermath, we see many Algerians take to the streets. It is at this point, following this cry for revenge, that we get a shift in music from the European fight song to a new song that sounds more native which I will call the Algerian fight song. I argue that this music shift occurs because it is at this point in the movie that the music is signaling that the Algerians have united and unity of the people is key to a successful revolution.

When the movie begins, Jaffar indicates that the Algerians are not yet united. Jaffar says, “We need to clean house first, organize the country. Only then can we take on the real enemy.” Jaffar wants to create a revolution and yet he understands that the FLN needs the support of the Algerians before it can even consider taking on the French. Once this clean up happens, we see the FLN taking control of the resistance through the peaceful means of a wedding: “The FLN has to make decisions concerning the civil life of the Algerian people. With this marriage we fulfill our duty, a duty of resistance.” The wedding symbolizes that the FLN is the new authority and is taking responsibility for Algerians. It is right after this wedding that the European fight song starts up as we watch members of the FLN launch their first large scale attack on the French. It is important that during all of these FLN attacks that the European fight song is playing. The European fight song was first heard in the opening credits during a European raid in the Casbah. Initially the song played while Europeans dominated the Algerians. During this second playing of the European fight song though, these attacks are all against the Europeans. Using the same song that initially showed French domination to depict acts of Algerian violence leads me to believe that using the European fight song with the Algerians shows that the French are still the dominant even though it is the Algerians on the offensive. The Algerians may be trying to show that they are serious about a revolution and trying to establish power but the power is still in the hands of the French. This is because we have seen nothing yet that shows that the Algerians have truly united.

We continue to get the European fight song as the border is set up between the European and Muslim quarters and then again as more FLN attacks take place. On the final attack we see, we get our first hint of the Algerian fight song: it softly plays as the boy pulls out the gun and shoots. But from there once again, the European fight song takes over. I think that this is placed here as a sort of foreshadowing. It gives us this hint that maybe all of these shootings are adding up to something significant that the Algerian people will unite under.

Then comes the bombing of the Casbah. This is the first truly violent retaliation we see from the French. It creates a horror scene in the Casbah and as a result the Algerians are extremely upset and want revenge. We see a huge mob of Algerians take to the street but the FLN holds them back as Jaffar says, “The FLN will avenge you!” Right after this scene we hear the first noticeable use of the Algerian fight song. It plays loud and strong as the three FLN women prepare themselves to take bombs into the European quarter. It is here that we understand that the Algerians are united. They have  demonstrated their anger and called for revenge. Now, the new authority, the FLN can provide what the people want: revenge and freedom from the authority that caused so much grief. The newly introduced Algerian fight song plays as Algerians, united against the French, fight back for their independence. It is unity that will lead to the successful revolution. The end of the movie emphasizes that it was uprisings by the united Algerians against their oppressor (the French) that eventually won them independence. Without unified action, independence would never have come for the Algerians. This is why the change of music from the European fight song, a symbol of repression for the Algerians, to the Algerian fight song, a symbol of unity, is relevant in The Battle of Algiers.

Questions: What other roles does music play in the battle of algiers? What about sound—what is the significance of the different sounds for Algerians versus French?