The Battle of Algiers Page #27

Ali smiles for a moment, and runs his fingers through Omar's hair.

ALI:

Omar, Omar. C'mon, wake up. Hurry, little

one. Today you're going to see fireworks.

The child also smiles and his face relaxes, then brightens up. At the

same time, he extends his hand and pats Ali's side. Mahmoud enters the

room from the balcony. He is carrying a tray with four cups of coffee.

MAHMOUD:

It's almost time, isn't it?

ALI:

Yes.

Then Ali turns to the curtain and calls:

ALI:

Hassiba ...

HASSIBA:

I'm ready.

Ali sits down and puts on a pair of sneakers. Petit Omar has finished

dressing.

The curtain is drawn, Hassiba appears, already dressed.

MAHMOUD:

I heard the sound of a truck before ...

ALI:

Me too. But I don't think it was Sadek.

Otherwise he'd be here by now.

Hassiba is dressed in European clothes, a skirt and blouse. She nears

the table and takes a cup of coffee.

HASSIBA:

(smiling)

How is your wife now?

Mahmoud's face is expressionless. He shakes his head.

MAHMOUD:

So-so ...

Ali has finished putting on his shoes. He takes a cup of coffee. In the

same moment, outside the door is heard:

MACHINE-GUN FIRE.

The four are startled.

ALI:

(shouting)

Inside! Inside!

Simultaneously, all of them move toward the hiding place.

Mahmoud's wife appears at the door. Her face is despairing, but she

moves carefully, quickly, precisely. She closes the door. She puts the

coffee cups back on the tray, and hides everything in the sink.

She goes to the other side of the curtain. Ali is entering the hiding

place. The other three are already inside. Ali pushes the movable piece

of wall toward him, and the woman helps him.

Then, she takes a can from the night table; it is full of plaster mixed

with coal dust. The woman spreads the paste in the joints between the

bricks of the wall and the closure of the hiding place. At the same

time, shouting, shots, and the footsteps of paras are heard.

As soon as she has finished, the woman slips into bed under the sheets.

The paratroopers break into the room shouting, and make the woman get

up. They drag her outside on the balcony.

136 ABDERAMES COURTYARD. OUTSIDE. DAWN.

They drag Mahmoud's wife down from the balcony to the center of the

courtyard, where now all the inhabitants of the building are standing

-- men, women, children -- all of them with their hands to the wall, in

full sight of the paras who are guarding them.

Sadek's head is lowered. He passes along the balcony between Marc and

the captain. He stops in front of the door.

CAPTAIN:

(mumbling softly)

Here?

The Algerian nods yes. They enter.

137ALI'S ROOM. INSIDE. DAWN.

Sadek points toward the curtain. The captain signals him to go there.

The Algerian points to a spot in the brick baseboard.

The captain examines it and with his thumb, he tests the fresh plaster.

He bends down and leans his ear to the wall. He smiles as he listens to

the ...

HEAVY BREATHING.

It is the same breathing that soon after Mathieu hears, bent in the

same position as the captain. The colonel gets up and looks around him.

Four paras are ready with their machine guns aimed at the hiding place.

Others are arranging plastic charges along the wall, all of them

connected to a single fuse.

In a corner, Sadek, wearing his cap and army camouflage fatigues, is

sitting on a chair.

He is watching the scene with his eyes wide open. He is trembling. His

body is slouched forward. He seems to be lifeless, without nerves. If

it weren't for his face, he would seem to be a heap of rags.

MATHIEU:

(to the captain)

Everything ready?

CAPTAIN:

Yes, sir.

MATHIEU:

He hasn't answered?

CAPTAIN:

No, sir. Total silence.

MATHIEU:

I thought so. It was obvious.

Mathieu bends down again and leans his ear against the bricks. He gets

up again. He remains a minute in this position, lost in thought.

MATHIEU:

(loudly and markedly)

Ali ... Ali la Pointe ... You're going to

be blown up. Let the others come out, at

least the child. We'll let him off with

reformatory school ... Why do you want to

make him die?

Mathieu stops, and shakes his head. He turns to the captain:

MATHIEU:

Let's go ...

A paratrooper is unrolling a large bundle of fuse.

CAPTAIN:

Bring it down there, till it reaches

outside ...

PARA:

Yes, sir ...

Mathieu has stopped in front of Sadek. He looks at him.

MATHIEU:

Is this one still here? ... Take him away.

Two paratroopers grab the street cleaner by the armpits and almost

lifting him completely, they lead him away. Mathieu is about to go out,

then turns and takes the megaphone from the captain's hands, and places

it to his mouth.

MATHIEU:

Ali! Ali la Pointe! I am giving you

another thirty seconds. What do you hope

to gain? You've lost anyway. Thirty

seconds, Ali, starting now.

138ALI'S HIDING PLACE. INSIDE. DAWN.

Ali la Pointe's eyes are staring at the square piece of wall that seals

the hiding place. His glance is taciturn, gloomy. The others are

watching Ali. Their lips are half-open, their breasts rise and fall in

laborious breathing.

ALI:

(in deep, resigned voice)

Who wants to leave?

Petit Omar presses against Ali's arm; he looks like a son with his

father.

Mahmoud takes his head in his hands and squeezes it.

HASSIBA:

What are you going to do?

ALI:

I don't deal with them.

139ALI'S ROOM. INSIDE. DAWN.

Mathieu checks his watch; thirty seconds have passed. He moves to go

out. The four paras with machine guns are still in the room.

CAPTAIN:

(to another paratrooper)

You stay here by the door to signal the

others. When I call you, all of you come

down ...

140RUE DES ABDERAMES. OUTSIDE. MORNING.

The sun has risen to the height of the terraces.

The terraces are swarming with people.

The alley is empty and only the fuse is visible; it reaches to a small

clearing full of paratroopers. Two more colonels and a general have

arrived.

There is a paratrooper with an "Arriflex" ready to film the explosion.

The atmosphere is that of a show. Two paratroopers are connecting the

ends of the fuse to the electric contact.

On the terraces, there are Algerian women, children, and old people.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes