The Battle of Algiers Page #22

Then, a discreet knock, a remark in Arabic.

The four breathe deeply, look at each other, then smile a little.

Ali unslips the beam which, placed through an iron ring, is holding

shut the door of the hiding place. Using the soles of his feet, he

pushes against the square of wall: the light enters violently. It is

not electric light, but daylight.

Kader blinks his eyes to accustom them to the light, then goes out on

all fours; after him, Ramel, and then the others. They leave the hiding

place that Ali built in the wash-house on the terrace.

109COMPLEX OF KADER'S HOUSE. OUTSIDE. DAY.

All of them have machine guns. Ramel is very tall and robust, about

thirty years old.

Si Mourad is slightly older than Ramel. His movements are slow and

precise; his glance expresses patience and authority. Djamila is

waiting for them.

DJAMILA:

You can come out. Thank God. There were so

many this time, about ten.

Ali recloses the hiding place.

KADER:

Paratroopers?

DJAMILA:

Yes.

KADER:

What do you think? Did they come here on

purpose or by accident?

DJAMILA:

No. By accident. They asked some questions,

but they didn't touch anyone.

Ali has come out of the wash-house. The sun is high, and helicopters

are seen passing one another in the sky. On some faraway terraces,

bivouacs of paras are visible. They are guarding the Casbah from above.

The rumble of motors and the voice of the loudspeaker are heard more

clearly as they near the house.

LOUDSPEAKER:

"Attention! Attention! Inhabitants of the

Casbah! The terrorist Ben Amin has been

executed this morning. Qrara Normendine

has been arrested. Boussalem Ali has been

arrested. Bel Kasel Maussa has been

arrested. Inhabitants of the Casbah! The

NFL has been defeated. Rebel against the

remaining terrorists who want to force

you to continue a bloody and futile

struggle. People of the Casbah, the

terrorist Ben Amin has been executed.

Help us to build a free and peaceful

Algeria. Inhabitants of the Casbah, the

NLF has been defeated. Rebel against the

remaining terrorists who want to force

you to continue a bloody and futile

struggle. Attention! Attention!

Inhabitants of the Casbah! The terrorist

Ben Amin has been executed this morning.

Qrara Normendine has been arrested.

Boussalem Ali has been arrested. Bel

Kasem Moussa has been arrested.

Inhabitants of the Casbah -- the NLF has

been defeated ..."

The voice fades away and is no longer heard. At the same time, a woman

has come up from the floor below, carrying a tray of cups and a teapot.

Ali looks at her quickly, but then watching her more closely, he sees

that she is crying. When she passes near him, he stops her, places his

hand kindly on her shoulder, and asks her in Arabic why she is crying.

DIALOGUE IN ARABIC BETWEEN ALI AND WOMAN.

The woman shakes her head, tries to smile, but says nothing. Then she

enters the wash-house silently and begins to serve the tea.

KADER:

It's better to split up, to increase our

chances. We must change hiding places, and

change them continually ... In the

meantime, we must make new contacts,

replace our arrested brothers, reorganize

our sections--

ALI:

(interrupting him)

Yes, but we must also show them that we

still exist.

KADER:

Of course. As soon as possible.

ALI:

No, immediately. The people are

demoralized. Leave this to me ...

KADER:

No. Not you, or any one of us. As long as

we are free, the NLF continues to exist

in the Casbah. If they manage to take us

too, there won't be anything left ... And

from nothing comes nothing ...

RAMEL:

(intervening)

But it's also necessary to do something ...

KADER:

And we will do something, don't worry. As

soon as we have reestablished contacts ...

MOURAD:

And our movements?

KADER:

For this too we've got to change methods.

110MUNICIPAL STADIUM. OUTSIDE. DAY. FEBRUARY 10, 1957.

The municipal stadium is crowded with people. There is a football game

between two European teams. It is almost the end of the first half.

From above to the right of the guest box, there is a very loud

explosion.

Strips of flesh are hurled into the air. Thick, white smoke ... There

are screams of terror. The people try to move away in haste. They are

shoving, pushing, bumping into one another ... Then, calm returns. The

sirens of the ambulances are heard.

The stretcher, the dead carried away, scores of wounded.

111PREFECT'S OFFICE. PRESS HALL. INSIDE. DAY. FEBRUARY 25.

Ben M'Hidi is standing in front of the journalists with handcuffs on

his wrists and ankles. He is without a tie. He is smiling a little, his

glance ironical. There are two paras behind him with machine guns

ready. The picture is still for an instant; Ben M'Hidi's smile is

steady, so too his eyes, his entire face. Flashes, clicking of cameras.

1ST JOURNALIST

Mr. Ben M'Hidi ... Don't you think it is

a bit cowardly to use your women's baskets

and handbags to carry explosive devices

that kill so many innocent people?

Ben M'Hidi shrugs his shoulders in his usual manner and smiles a

little.

BEN M'HIDI

And doesn't it seem to you even more

cowardly to drop napalm bombs on unarmed

villages, so that there are a thousand

times more innocent victims? Of course,

if we had your airplanes it would be a lot

easier for us. Give us your bombers, and

you can have our baskets.

2ND JOURNALIST

Mr. Ben M'Hidi ... in your opinion, has

the NLF any chance to beat the French

army?

BEN M'HIDI

In my opinion, the NLF has more chances

of beating the French army than the

French have to stop history.

The press hall in the prefect's office is crowded with journalists of

every nationality. At the side and central aisles there are

photographers and cameramen.

Ben M'Hidi is opposite them, standing on a low wooden platform. Mathieu

is next to him, seated behind a small desk. Mathieu now gets up, and

signals to two paratroopers. Another journalist simultaneously has

asked another question:

3RD JOURNALIST

Mr. Ben M'Hidi, Colonel Mathieu has said

that you have been arrested by accident,

practically by mistake. In fact, it seems

that the paratroopers were looking for

someone much less important than yourself.

Can you tell us why you were in that

apartment at rue Debussy last night?

The two paras have moved forward and they take Ben M'Hidi by the arms.

At the same time, he answers.

BEN M'HIDI

I can only tell you that it would have

been better if I had never been there ...

MATHIEU:

(intervening)

That's enough, gentlemen. It's late, and

we all have a lot of work ...

Ben M'Hidi glances at him ironically.

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