The Battle of Algiers Page #5

Ali rolls the gun barrel; it is empty.

The policeman slowly lowers his hands. His right hand rushes to his

holster.

Ali is ready to jump, throws away the gun, and starts to move forward.

He knocks down the policeman, who is overwhelmed, and falls backward.

The crowd moves away quickly. Ali starts to throw himself on the

Frenchman lying on the ground, but stops halfway.

A thought restrains him. He turns and sees the girl who has picked up

the revolver and hidden it again in her basket.

Then she moves away hurriedly.

Ali curses angrily, then, kicks the policeman's head twice, and runs

after the girl.

He reaches her, grabs her shoulder so roughly that she shouts.

ALI:

(in a whisper)

Bastard! ... B*tch!

The girl struggles free from his grip. At the same time, they hear

behind them ...

POLICE WHISTLES.

The girl quickens her step.

16 SIDE ALLEY WITH FRONT DOOR. OUTSIDE/INSIDE. SUNSET.

The girl arrives at a side street, enters it, and breaks into a run.

Ali is again beside her, but unexpectedly the girl enters a front door.

She bends, places the basket on the ground, removes the revolver, and

hides it in her breast beneath her shawl. She gets up again, and leaves

the basket. Ali blocks her way.

ALI:

Tell me what this joke is all about.

The girl attempts to push past him toward the door.

DJAMILA:

Let's move now or they'll catch us.

Ali grabs her by the arm, shakes her, and shouts uncontrollably:

ALI:

I want to know who sent me that letter.

What's his name?

DJAMILA:

He's waiting for you!

ALI:

Where?

DJAMILA:

We're going there ... if you don't get us

arrested first.

The girl nods toward the street where two policemen are passing by

hastily.

Ali moves backward into the shadow of the doorway. He regains control

of his nerves, loosens his cloak, and lets it fall on the basket. He is

dressed in European clothes, trousers and pullover.

ALI:

(pushing her ahead)

Move ... go ahead. I'll follow you.

The girl takes a look outside, then goes out. Ali follows her a few

steps behind. By now it is dusk.

17TERRACE. KADER'S HOUSE. OUTSIDE. NIGHT.

It is a starry night and there are few lights visible in the windows of

the Casbah. In the background, there is the triumphant neon of the

European city, the sea, the ships at anchor, the shining beams of a

lighthouse. Kader turns around gracefully, and goes to sit on the wall

of the terrace.

KADER:

You could have been a spy. We had to put

you to the test.

Ali looks at him sullenly.

ALI:

With an unloaded pistol?

KADER:

I'll explain.

Kader is a few years older than Ali, but not so tall. He is slender

with a slight yet sturdy bone structure. The shape of his face is

triangular, aristocratic, his lips thin, his eyes burning with hatred,

but at the same time, cunning. He continues to speak in a calm tone

which has an ironic touch to it.

KADER:

Let's suppose you were a spy. In prison,

when the NLF contacts you, you pretend to

support the revolution, and then the

French help you to escape ...

ALI:

Sure. By shooting at me.

KADER:

Even that could be a trick. You escape,

then show up at the address which the

brothers in prison gave to you, and so

you are able to contact me ...

ALI:

I don't even know your name yet ...

KADER:

My name is Kader, Ali ... Saari Kader ...

In other words, in order to join the

organization, you had to undergo a test.

I could have told you to murder the

barman, but he's an Algerian ... and the

police would let you kill him, even

though he is one of theirs. By obeying

such an order, you still could have

been a double agent. And that's why I

told you to kill the French policeman:

because the French wouldn't have let

you do it. If you were with the police

you wouldn't have done it.

Ali has followed Kader's logic a bit laboriously, and he is fascinated

by it. But not everything is clear yet.

ALI:

But I haven't shot him.

KADER:

(smiling)

You weren't able to. But what's important

is that you tried.

ALI:

What's important for me is that you let me

risk my life for nothing.

KADER:

C'mon ... you're exaggerating. The orders

were to shoot him in the back.

ALI:

I don't do that kind of thing.

KADER:

Then don't complain.

ALI:

You still haven't told me why you didn't

let me kill him.

KADER:

Because we aren't ready yet for the

French. Before attacking, we must have

safe places from which to depart and find

refuge. Of course, there is the Casbah.

But even the Casbah isn't safe yet. There

are too many drunks, pushers, whores,

addicts, spies ... people who talk too

much ... people who are ready to sell

themselves, undecided people. We must

either convince them or eliminate them.

We must think of ourselves first. We must

clean out the Casbah first. Only then

will we be able to deal with the French.

Do you understand, Ali?

Ali doesn't answer.

Kader has come down from the wall and looks toward the Casbah. Ali too

looks toward the Casbah, immersed in the night.

ALI:

And how many are we?

KADER:

Not enough.

18 AREAS OF CASBAH UNDERWORLD. OUTSIDE/INSIDE. DAY. MARCH 1956.

A warm spring wind, large white clouds. At the western edge of the

Casbah, from the Upper to Lower Casbah, the street of the Algerian

underworld descends to the brothel quarter.

SPEAKER:

"National Liberation Front, bulletin

number 24. Brothers of the Casbah! The

colonial administration is responsible not

only for our people's great misery, but

also for the degrading vices of many of

our brothers who have forgotten their own

dignity ..."

Shady bars for gamblers and opium smokers, shops filled with tourist

trinkets, merchants, fences, pimps, children with adult faces, ghastly

old women, and young girls, whores standing in the doorways of their

houses. The girls having their faces uncovered have put scarves on

their heads, knotted at the nape.

SPEAKER:

"Corruption and brutality have always

been the most dangerous weapons of

colonialism. The National Liberation

Front calls all the people to struggle

for their own physical and moral

redemption -- indispensable conditions

for the reconquest of independence.

Therefore beginning today, the

clandestine authority of the NLF

prohibits the following activities:

gambling, the sale and usage of all types

of drugs, the sale and usage of alcoholic

beverages, prostitution and its

solicitation. Transgressors will be

punished. Habitual transgressors will be

punished by death."

19BAR. EUROPEAN CITY FACING CASBAH. OUTSIDE/INSIDE. SUNSET.

It is dusk. In the European city, the first lights are visible. People

begin to crowd the bars for an apéritif.

An Algerian shoeshine man leaves his workbox at the entrance of the

bar. He goes to the counter. He is tall and thin as a reed. He takes

from his pocket a handful of change; his hands tremble slightly as he

counts it.

The barman recognizes him, fills a glass of wine, and places it in

front of him. The Algerian pays and takes the glass. It's probably not

his first; the trembling of his hands increases. The Algerian drinks

the wine in one gulp, then goes to the door. He waits patiently while

some Europeans enter. He goes out, picks up his workbox, and moves

away.

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