MY BATTLE FOR ALGIERS
Reading in the musty cold college library in Jodhpur,
at the beck and call of the Attendant,
who took his job very seriously,
not allowing us to shift our chairs towards the sun, I dreamt of Algeria.
“The rebel undoubtedly demands a certain degree of freedom for himself; but in no case, if he is consistent, does he demand the right to destroy the existence and the freedom of others. He humiliates no one. The freedom he claims, he claims for all; the freedom he refuses, he forbids everyone to enjoy. He is not only the slave against the master, but also man against the world of master and slave. Therefore, thanks to rebellion, there is something more in history than the relation between mastery and servitude. Unlimited power is not the only law. It is in the name of another value that the rebel affirms the impossibility of total freedom, while he claims for himself the relative freedom necessary to recognize this impossibility.”
Having just discovered Camus, I was mesmerized by the names of the cities, so alien, so far away, so promising.
Casablanca. Tunis. Ariana. Sahel. Oran. Marrakesh.
Maghreb. Say it again – M.A.G.H.R.E.B! Yes, the ‘GH’ is a phonetician’s delight, as most Arabic words are, discovering caches in the mouth whilst whetting the palate.
What beckons me there even now?
That I will willingly forgo all other alluring metropolises to Rock in the Kasbah?
Khalid, Cheb Mami, Rachid Taha?
Their music has enthralled the world no doubt, Chaabi or Rai.
A fight against oppression through notes sung to a western beat, just an Oud to oust them,
so much so that their Colonizer sings their tune, just as England eats our cooking.
The land itself with its white Moorish buildings, Outlined Blue, that oozes a casual elegance, like their inhabitants, influenced by their European neighbours in cut and clothing but retaining their original colour and hue.
Wonder what Antonioni would make of it? How would he film L’Avventura here?
Film he would, if he had seen its architectural marvels!
Undeniably,
the lure of the Arab man for the Hindu woman is hard to dismiss but it has to be more than that…
The music, the food, the architecture, the language, the landscape, the turbulent history, the literature surrounding it all and Ah! Finally – The movie.
Anyone who has watched Battle of Algiers by Gillo Pontecorvo once,
will undoubtedly watch it again, bien sur, again and again,
and will forever be mesmerized by this land of sun and song.
Of handsome men devising strategies, to fight a guerrilla war in the city precincts,
Of worthy opponents, Of female martyrs, much before the world had heard of LTTE.
On the Mediterranean, A Port, A French Colony.
Of Berbers, Jews, Turks, Italians, Greeks and of course the Arabs.
But the BATTLE FOR ALGIERS continues even after their freedom in 1962,
with an unfortunate civil war ripping apart a beauteous nation with needless bloodshed.
From these violent times have emerged film makers making strong statements through their films.
Despite the changing political scenario which has shifted power from the Socialist minded to the Islamic minded, thus scrapping public funding for the Arts,
Despite the odds of an uneasy country sitting atop an inferno,
Despite threats, murders, shootings and real life tragedies where friends are kidnapped and wives are raped.
Rachida [ 2002 ] by Yamina Bachir Chouikh , brought me back to Algeria .
The Director was traveling with her film to DC for the DCIFF and I was once more reminded of my strange passion for Maghreb.
“ …..I’ll love you more and more each day as time goes by…………………….”
The Stranger who fell in love with a land, in her imagination, but now she could see what the Casbah looked like, what the women wore, if they were as pretty as she thought them to be [ tres Jolie sans doute ],
did this country exist for real??
Rachida not only shot in the Casbah but she braved many odds to make this movie,
telling us the travails of a teacher, who is forced to participate in the escalating civil war between the FLN and the FIS, when she refuses, starts another story in Algiers…….
Then Bab-El-Oued City [ 1994 ] happened. Via Video.
Merzak Allouache made this ‘documentary’ like film in very constrained circumstances, just when the unrest was erupting in Algiers; he caught it all on camera.
At a time when his friend and journalist Tahar Djaout was murdered,
when his crew was abducted and he could not revisit locations for fear of being killed.
If one wants to see the Algeria of early 90s and how the Islamization seeped in,
there is no better film.
A simple incident turns into a bone of contention, leaving pied noirs homeless,
men taking up guns and women aching for that slice of freedom to fight, once more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNV3eWnIxcU
[ Bab-el-oued city, Algerian, 1994 ]
In the opening sequence of Bab-El –Oued City,
Said walks, normally, with four more goons against the backdrop of the city, against the buildings, along the narrow streets, rising like phoenix, to fabulous Chaabi, strings of Oud. It summed up without fancy camera angles or edits, without fist clenching and the gore that inevitably follows, his whole character for me, a refrain that repeats through the film and stays long after.
When we are left to wonder where Boualem might be.
[ did not find this music clip]
And then compare this with Chatrapati in Telugu, “Agni Salkani” is a wonderful chant composed by Keeravani but here it is all bicep and muscle, stylized walk, slow-mo, build-up, glamour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3o7jr4z5TE&feature=related
[ Chatrapati, Telugu, 2005 ]
Where is the delicacy, the sleight of hand, the feather light touch of a true artiste?
Or is it that too much exposure to loud mannerisms has left me thirsting for subtlety?
Maybe that’s why they watch our films and we watch theirs?
Read this before embarking on your journey of listening to this song,
with closed eyes mind.
You will be instantly transported to the land of my Dreams.
Oh departing Traveler, where are you heading?
Your journey is bound to failure
How many travelers before you
Have sought the path with similar results?
How many cities and deserts have I roamed?
How much time have I wasted?
Touring from one place to another?
Oh lost one, no matter how much you run away
Your destiny will end in exhaustion
Time has passed you by
And you have yet to notice it.
[ Translation of Ya Rayah ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j0L57HJkm4&feature=related
[ ya rayah / chaabi singer - dahamane el harrachi ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuPhCmmfKiE
[ ya rayah / khaled, rachid taha, faudel]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oSCF8Bl-ys&feature=related
[ abdul kader / khaled, rachid taha, faudel ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUbzX3izyw4
[ barra barra / rachid taha ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbFYsi9iSg&feature=related
[ rock el casbah / rachid taha ]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_J1imJr_gA&feature=related
[ zaama zaama / takfarinas ]
Other Algerian films of note:
NAHLA
Farouk Beloufa, 1979.
SALUT COUSIN
Merzak Allouche, 1997
100% ARABICA
Mahmoud Zemmouri, 1997
INCH’ALLAH DIMANCHE
Yamina Benguigui, 2001
EXILS
Tony Gatlif, 2004.
INDIGENES
Rachid Bouchareb, 2006
|
No related posts. |
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Kavita
I just watched Exiles last week. Very beautiful. But at times too pretentious. Esp the girl. The scene where she is showing her ass to the camera. But I loved that dance sequence she goes into right after she wakes up in the football ground.
Thanks for this list.
You are a big fan of Rachid Taha.
I love Cheb Mami. Here is one of my fav songs -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATwteisXoGI
check thix mix of Maami & ICE T
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fstAAv1A1Qo
Khamagani Kavita
This post is like a breath of fresh air!.In the past I’ve had love affairs with Delhi and Jaisalmer. Can’t wait to watch films mentioned by you and listen to the songs.
Cheers
MZ
Minus Zero:
KhamagaNI
Love affair with Jaisalmer!
Did you visit finally?
I lived there for two YEARS,prior to Jodhpur
Though on the day that my dad announced that he was posted there I had to look up the Atlas, we travelled all the way up from Coimbatore…
and when the Fort suddenly looms into view out of nowhere among the sand dunes……..with men in saafas, women in lehangas, peacocks and ….
rula diya na mujhay :(
Do you know of the nonprofit
jaisalmerinjeopardy?
have seen the last two.. where can one find the rest..
btw your posts are always refreshing..
The rest are on me Anurag,
will get them for you on this trip to India….
usually i get them in the libraries here.
will also check the web n let you know just fyi.
Mainak:
is there anything you don’t know, haven’t heard, haven’t seen ??
thanx will check out Cheb Maami’s songs….
I personally did not enjoy EXILS as much as I loved
Bab-el-Oued City or Rachida, but yes her dance was fabulous, i found the coincidences too jarring: the sister/brother they keep running into?
Bada film maker ban ne ke liye ye sab film dekhna zaroori hai kya?
@Mainak:
kuch bhi sunne ki rakhi hai kya!
hahaha..no offence.
Gajendra S:
bada vada ka nahin paata janaab, no one told me to,
loved them tho soocha ki aap sab ko bhi baata doon, kyon?
@Amit: mayri suno!
My Rachid is better than His Maami.
Kavita.. No offense… I really want to watch some Iranian and other films that can help me but don’t know where and how to find them.
Also… now I know how you could have so right takhallus for “daah..river” in Challa Challa re comment
Hmmm.. thats definitely better.. esp the second link. This Rachid Taha seems to have quite a following. Sochna padega..
gajendra
u can search for torrents of iranian films in google .. and then dwnld the film using a bittorrent/utorrent client .
Gajendra S
You can get a great collection of DVDs – pirated of course in Chennai [ dunno abt Mumbai ].
So if you can catch hold of someone in Chennai, pls get your loot.
My friends in India get to watch more films than I do here , so don’t feel left out.
There in Burma Bazaar the DVD fella knows more than I do about Iranian cinema !
any film by
Tahmineh Milani
Rakshan Bani-Etemad
Majid Majidi
Abbas Kiarastomi
Jafar Panahi
Bahman Ghobadi
Makhmalbaf, Meherjui etc etc
etc should get you started
Lived in Rajasthan for 5 years between Jaisalmer and Jodhpur.
Was Best Cadet NCC from the state for the Republic Day Parade, which I lead
So am very proud of my association with Mharo Rajasthan.
[had to learn LOADS of folk songs and folk dances]
k3 yaar.. have to raid your collection one day.. thoda borrow karne ko mangta hai.. yeh wknd i’m out.. lekin tzp agle hafte? (or as you’d say it, aglay haftay?)
Filmibhai and Kavita… Thanks for the info.
and Kavita… Padharo Mhare Des… You are welcome. Lemme know if u happen to visit Rajasthan.
Calling all PFCians in WASHINGTON DC area:
Please join Striker and Me for TZP-Ronin-Viewing
next week,interested parties pls reply to this post.
Striker: wot collection? Davis Library Zindabad!!!
And yes keeping track of all the film festivals in town……
@ the phoneticians delight ‘GH’
– i just love making the ‘ghhrrr’ sound which is oh-so-prominent in arabic sounds…
Another similar artiste (I think) is Tarkan. Sometime looong loooong back, I remember someone from Turkey giving me a url to this one-page site of a Turkish singer called Tarkan. There he humbly informed us that he is quite popular in Turkey but not so outside of it. He also had kept download links in the same page for a few of his songs, those that I remember now is Simarik (which later went on to become a rage in India and was also copied by someone who I cant seem to google out right now) and Sikidim (which is the basic tune for the ‘Shikdim’ song from Dhoom).
Trying to get my hands on the movies now.
Thank you for the links.
Arghh!!!! Holly Valance’s Kiss Kiss was the plagiarised version of Simarik.
Gajendra
Filmey isliye nahin dekhte hai kyonki filmein banani hai… woh to secondary reason hain. Filmein isliye dekhte hai kyonki filmon se pyar hain….bahot zyada.
Of course Mainak… I had just thrown in my perspective. Most of the time, I watch films to learn, though sometimes, I do it to enjoy them as well.
Kavita, your writing evokes such quirky exotic imagery… ‘white Moorish buildings, Outlined Blue, that oozes a casual elegance, like their inhabitants, influenced by their European neighbours in cut and clothing but retaining their original colour and hue.’ Don’t know if it’s intentional, it flows like poetry set to a strange meter. And I so love your iambic way with spellings.
Some Turkish writers (if you haven’t already checked them all out!) that are fascinating -
Elif Safak – The Bastard of Istanbul
Fuzuli (one of the greatest Turkish poets who lived in the 16th century) Leyla ve Mecnun or Layla and Majnun, and Divan which is a collection of his poems. Simple, spiritual and so deep.
Fakir Baykurt – A Report From Kuloba
and of course, the magnificently delicate Orhan Pamuk – My Name is Red, Snow.
Hello Kavita!
Yes of course I know of jaisalmerinjeopardy! Are you associated with it by any chance?? if so then pls lemme know.I was born in Jodhpur,but grew up in Udaipur and Ajmer,went to Mayo college later on and now managing portfolios in Delhi to survive.But writing and photography still remains mon passion! Will pick up a film camera the day I have enough courage and motivation. Might go to jaisal next month(bet you’re jealous!) and if I do be sure to get you some photos.
@Gajendra- You’re probably about 170 miles from Delhi..if you visit Delhi go to Paalika Bazaar sometime you’ll b pleasantly surprised what you can get your hands on! envious collection of World Cinema….’m sure Anurag would agree.
Cheers
MZ.
@Striker : Video Americain in Takoma Park for Intl Cinema and UMD lib for likes of Pasolini.
@Gopi : yes Tarkan is good Turkish Pop/ Disco type.you speak Arabic? or just like the sounds?
@ Gajendra : Dal Bhaati Choorma kay liye kuch bhi:)
@ Bhavani : Elif Shafak yes, she was in jail? while pregnant and all? then they dismissed charges ….the others, am running to the lib after this! Pamuk – will wait till everyone STOPS reading him, hate to read authors who are popular, pet peeve :(
am currently reading [ Nemirovsky done! ]
JASMINE AND STARS by FATEMEH KESHAVARZ
its a scholarly rebuttal to
READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN’s New Orientalism
In the book she mentions
SHARNUSH PARSIPUR’S Women without Men
and
FAROGH FARROKHZAAD’s poetry
[ fyi, jic [just in case ]
@Minus Zero:
Born in Jodhpur!
I lived in Ratanada and went to KN College.
Udaipur is my ALL TIME FAVOURITE place, abhi pata nahin kaisa hai? Mewaris are the true patriots.
Ajmer Rly Stn Canteen kay Cutlets are laajawaab….
Jip NGO: started by an American Lady I want to first visit and see what kind of work they do at grassroots level and then decide, yes, very very envious of your impending visit..
All the best with your filmi plans,Keep in touch
@Gajendra :
http://www.iranian.com/Arts/2000/August/Film/index.html
Good site on all things Iranian, esp Cinema.
So refreshing to read..btw intha andanga ela raastaru?
Kavita… Dal baati… definitely and thanks for the link. For some nostalgia, a link on Mt. Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, filmed by me on digicam as I forgot to take my MiniDV. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/976780/mt_abu/
MZ… thanks. u r right. I’ll give it a try when I visit Delhi next.
Hello Kavita garu,
it looks like ur wikipedia on movies..:-)
Its very interesting to read your posts and at the same time learning something about world cinema too. i watched this Battle of Algiers some time back. its must watch .
btw, I am from AP and worked in Hyd for few years and at present in US.
read somewhere in your posts, that you met Eleti.Chandra Shekar. are you going to work with him in future..
Thanks for AK and all PFCites for creating such a wonderful site.
Thanks
Krishna Gopal
@Rahul: thanx, chaala chaduvutaanu, its a natural means to ‘manchi’ writing I guess ?
@Gajendra: Mt Abu: mazaa aa gaya
last I visited was in 12th std :(((
@Krishna Gopal : First ma naanna emo ani bhaya padda!! He is Gopala Krishna!
Yeleti gaaru was very gracious in calling me to assist him after I pestered him saying I wanted to work with him etc but I had to return to the US so…
[ LOVED Anukokunda Oka Roju ]
One ‘Battle of Algiers’ is enough for a lifetime.
Hello Kavita garu,
In fact i am Gopala Krishna alias Krishna Gopal :-)..but i like it the other way….
you know, its RGV who suggested his asst dir Vamsi Krishna to change his name as KrishnaVamsi..
Yes, Eleti’s Anukokunda Oka Roju is one of recent best thrillers..Okkadunnadu is disappointing..
The riots sequences in “Battle of Algeris” seems so real..looks like real footage…
btw whats the best place to rent world cinema..i think most of them are n’t available in netflix/BBuster…
Best Wishes
Krishna Gopal
@Krishna Gopal:
Well I did the same with my name!
Thanx for that tid-bit abt RGV/Vamsi did not know.
So where in US are you?
If you have access to local County libraries they are a fabulous source for films, you can even place an order for what you want.
So are film festivals,film clubs, groups,
so try catching as many/ becoming a member etc
and University libraries…..?
I seldom rent
Kavitagaru,
Thanks for the info. i have never been to these libraries..need to check them in my place.
I am in Greenville,South Carolina. may be big cities have that advantage ie film clubs/festivals/film libraries..
btw,do you have any interest to write freelance artilces for telugu films.
Happy Christamas
For those in the Greater Washington Area:
ROMANIAN FILMS: Free Of course! This is DC
www.nga.gov
Film Series
Bucharest Stories: New Films from Romania
December 1, 8, 15, 16, 23, 29, 30
East Building Concourse, Large Auditorium
During the past decade Romania has been quietly commanding the attention of critics and cineastes with a group of talented young filmmakers from Bucharest. Corneliu Porumboiu, Cristian Nemescu, C?t?lin Mitulescu, Cristi Puiu, and Cristian Mungiu are a few of the names at the center of this creative vortex. Now celebrated by festival juries, including this year’s Festival de Cannes (the Palme d’Or was awarded to Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days), the acclaim is echoed in film journals that note a new and very successful national film movement. While its characteristics may be difficult to catalogue, the defining features include a matter-of-fact realism, accomplished casting and composition, and a generous bit of Balkan surrealism. This series includes ten programs of features and shorts and was organized in cooperation with the Romanian Cultural Institute, New York and with the support of the Embassy of Romania, Washington. Special thanks to Corina ?uteu, Ilinca Ilie, and Oana Radu.
From the Archives: 16 at 12
January 8, 15, 22, 29
February 5, 12, 19, 26
East Building Concourse, Large Auditorium
Tuesdays at noon will feature unusual historical films in 16mm from the National Gallery’s film department, including artists’ portraits and exceptional educational films on topics from prehistory to the present. Now considered an endangered format, these 16mm prints are sometimes unique copies.
England’s New Wave, 1958
@ Krishna Gopal:
Greenville is not too far from Atlanta or Charlotte is it?
They have fabulous Universities [ Emory/ NC State ] with wonderful Film Depts/Libraries, find a Telugu Student there and your life is made
Also Local Lib try chaysaara?
You should [ "you might want to!" ]
And you are most welcome to DC anytime.
Hello Kavitagaru,
Yes. Charlotte is around 90 miles from here.
Local library undi kaani,seems they dont have much collection. Probably Atlanta is best place..so many universities in atlanta.
btw, we got a common friend. Do you remember your collegue Naani (Camera Dept),for Mayabazar movie. he is one friend in my hyd industry network. he said he missed to take your contact as he went to kerala shoot,when you left for us.
never been to DC. thanks for the invitation.
@ Krishna Gopal:
Yes, I remember Naani [ Cam Dept ] very well
[ Naagu, Naani, Kumar, Bobby, OC Prakash gaaru right? ]
We had a small spat and I think we deliberately avoided each other after that!!
Please ask him to write to me, can you send his email address?
DC: anytime! Good luck with Emory
Atlanta lo Telugu vaalu chaala mandi unnaru……
K3 Jee: Been enjoying Nuwara Eliya and Yala over the last 10 days so read this wonderful post only today. Algeria took me back to a lot of things that I had put behind – books, movies and poetry. Thanks for them. And yes, your beginning had the unmistakable hint of Rebecca – “last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
Jaate jaate, another traveller poem by Edgar Allen Poe with a similar view on the futility of it all:
Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.
But he grew old-
This knight so bold-
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.
And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?”
“Over the Mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied-
“If you seek for Eldorado!”
Subrat!! Aayubovaan!!
So that’s where you are hiding
Sri Lanka is such a beautiful country and of course my Sasural!
If you have the time pls go to the Northern side too Anuradhapura/Sigirya/Polonnaruwa……
Yala: did you see the spot where Tsunami struck?
Nuwara Eliya: its been molested beyond repair like Ooty.
But you agree people are much nicer?
It must be Buddhism.
Indians come across as so brash and insensitive in comparison na?
Rebecca!! and to compare me to DdM, [-o< Thank you for Poe: priceless
You have yet to reply to my What Women Want comment :(
Pls do when you are done holidaying.
Doris Lessing’s 5th Child?
K3 – Aayubovaan!!
SL as Sasural? Interesting. I got back a few days back.
I did go to Sigiriya. Climbed up to the top in rains and it was beautiful. Visited the amazing Temple of Tooth as well. Had to do Nuwara and Tea Factory. Agree on people. Not one instance of a rude word spoken. And finally, food!! I must have put a minor marine ecosystem in jeopardy.
Haven’t read DL’s 5th Child. I have only read The Golden Notebook and padhte padhte thak gaya. That was some time back since then no DL. Nobel did tempt me for a re-visit though.
Thanks for pointing to What Women Want comment. Will reach there shortly
Hello Kavitagaru,
I knew Naani only in that team..don’t know rest of the team that you mentioned. i knew him since Shekar’s Anand days.
nani_435xtreme att yahoo is his id..ee id toh tanu yahoo msger lo chat chestadu..
btw how was your exp, working with Shekar.. i met him once, at Ramanaidu editing room ..just few days after anand’s success..he was there to cut his trailers.
btw have you heard “gamyam” film songs..sirivennela after a long time. think the diretor Radhakrishna got some film education here in usa.
@39 Subrat
Yeah he is Sinhalese.
No he does not look like Ranatunga
and if you noticed the gentle femininity of the SL women you’d understand my dad asking my husband
” How the hell did you marry my daughter? She is such a dictator! ”
You are right about the Food!! Kya khana hai, even for a veggie.
5th Child is like Never let me go
[ Kazuo Ishiguro,another fav]