Italian film-maker Gillo Pontecorvo, who directed The Battle Of Algiers, has died at the age of 86.
Italian film-maker Gillo Pontecorvo, who directed The Battle Of Algiers, has died at the age of 86.
Pontecorvo's film depicted the brutality of both sides during the guerrilla uprising against French colonial rule in 1950s Algeria.
Pontecorvo's film depicted the brutality of both sides during the guerrilla uprising against French colonial rule in 1950s Algeria.
Shot like a documentary, the highly influential film was banned in France for some time, while its scenes of torture were cut in the US and Britain.
Shot like a documentary, the highly influential film was banned in France for some time, while its scenes of torture were cut in the US and Britain.
Twice an Oscar nominee, Pontecorvo also directed Marlon Brando in Queimada.
Twice an Oscar nominee, Pontecorvo also directed Marlon Brando in Queimada.
Later in life, he was director of the Venice Film Festival.
Terrorism lessons
The Battle of Algiers won the 1969 Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion and was nominated for three Oscars in the best director, best screenplay and best foreign language film categories.
In 2003 the Pentagon screened the film to officers and civilian experts who were considering the challenges faced by the U.S. military in Iraq, the New York Times reported.
A flier inviting guests to the screening read: "How to win a battle against terrorism and lose the war of ideas."
Later in life, Pontecorvo was director of the Venice Film Festival.
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