How do micro elements encode conflict in Battle of Algiers?

Montage: what three meanings does this term have?

1 - Editing in any form 

2 - Editing in order to show rapid improvement over a long period of time 

3 - The combination of shots to construct a particular meaning

How does the combination of micro elements construct meaning in the scene where Ali is introduced?

Close up, high angle positions the spectator with Ali. His scruffy clothes establish him as working class and an outsider


Long shot, extra wide shot, makes Ali appear small and emphasises his powerlessness

Long shot, Ali dissolving in the distance of a setting where he does not feel he belongs

Low angle CU shot emphasises the smug and sadistic face of the aggressor, and his construction as a stereotypical white European brings in to question his presence.

Medium close up, high angle emphasises weakness and vulnerability, yet also imbued with a stoic and resigned attitude. His desire and need to punch the European man confirms his strict and clear ideology

Montage and meaning in the torture sequence 

• A sense of naturalism and verisimilitude is constructed through the representation of actual events. We cut from unflinching close up shots of torture to shots of soldiers witnessing the torture. 
• We as a spectator are positioned as an outsider with no ability to help at all. The cinematography is blunt and straightforward, with no emphasis on high or low angles. 
• In fact, the montage and cinematography construct an impassive documentary style film making that distances the spectator while at the same time, positions us directly at the point of abuse. The handheld cinematography constructs a sense of normality in the face of brutality. 
• In terms of casting, every performer resembles a hegemonically normal individual, making this sequence highly relatable. 
• The use of unpolished and non-professional acting also confirms the documentary style, with the reactions being blunt and straightforward. A complete absence of diegetic sound, which creatively symbolises the silence that has been enforced on these individuals. In combination with the discordant, dreamlike music. Played on a grand organ 

The French bombing mission on the Casbah: prelude, mission, aftermath. How do micro elements construct meaning in this sequence? 

• Sad, instrumental string music anchors emotions of sadness and uselessness. 
• The use of overhead, BEV high angle shots connote a sense of space and emphasises the extent of the damage. The MES of the lack of clothing of the men picking through the rubble constructs a sense of desperation, poverty and vulnerability. 
• The MES of the topless men also reinforces the notion that there are no emergency services or any official help that can help these people. And therefore a sense of community is also constructed, that these normal people must band together in scenes of unimaginable hardship. 
• The common man is both a victim and a saviour. 
• The diegetic music that is played in the garden party is smooth jazz, which constructs a calming and even approachable mode of address for the spectator. Yet when the officers jump in to their car, the calm music disappears, and we are confronted solely with the diegetic sound of the cars engine. Yet this threatening bass noise is seamlessly blended with the sound of a non-diegetic cello, playing a single, sustained note, constructing a sense of lamentation, loss, and impending doom. 
• This classic tension building device is an example of Chekhov's gun, and suggests an imminent and awful situation. The dialogue is highly anticipatory, completely different from the casual nature of the party. 
• The dialogue is terse and filled with anxiety, a fact which is anchored through the man in the back nervously chewing his fingers. Yet the main officer remains detached, almost dissociating from the scene, suggesting a conflicted internal monologue 
• The MES of the bomb suggests that operation is last minute and has been poorly formed. Furthermore, the nature of the act is clearly an act of terrorism, despite being official sanctioned, constructing a complex and emotionally heavy war narrative. This brutal attack constructs the French occupying forces as destructive, and using methods to suppress the native Algerian population using terror and fear. 
• The MES of the dead being carried by two shirtless men has religious connotations. The white shirt symbolises purity and innocence, which forms a binary opposition which the extremely distressing image of the child’s corpse. The shot itself makes reference to religious iconography such as the stations of the cross, and in doing so constructs the idea that the Algerians have been sacrificed for an ideology that they themselves oppose. 
• The cinematography and editing of the aftermath sequence is highly reminiscent of a news broadcast. The use of punishing long takes force the audience to look at the image of absolute human suffering, and reinforces the ideology that the French colonists are heartless, hateful, and even less than human. Within the context of the narrative, it also sets in motion and even ‘justifies’ the horrific act of violence perpetrated by the occupying forces