Gillo Pontecorvo’s ‘Battle of Algiers’ Re‑examined alongside Leone’s Western

Gillo Pontecorvo’s anti‑colonial film *The Battle of Algiers* opened the Venice Film Festival in August and won the Golden Lion. The review highlights how the Italian‑directed drama portrays the Algerian people’s struggle against French colonial rule, using drums, marching rhythms and a stark visual style.

The article contrasts Pontecorvo’s work with Sergio Leone’s 1966 spaghetti‑western *The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*, noting that both films share Italian origins and the music of Ennio Morricone. While Leone’s western mythologises the American frontier, Pontecorvo mythologises the Algerian independence movement, turning real‑world conflict into a political myth that resonated worldwide.