The “cinematographic techniques [Pontecorvo uses in his film] function to produce a visceral spectatorial response that renders the traumatic experiences of war and violence vehemently present, particularly for contemporaneous viewers watching the film a mere ten years after the events it depicts”(Chabot, 72). At this time, “Cold War states grew at once more powerful and more constrained. This was the central paradox of the period. Nuclear weapons, mobilized economics, and enlarged administrative capabilities allowed governments to escalate the promises they made to their citizens—including ‘new frontiers’ and ‘uninterrupted growth in the standard of living of the population’” (Suri, 44). It is significantly apparent to Pontecorvo’s audience the rush of violence and cruelty that came over these countries during a time of change. The film portrayed the struggle of the National Liberation Front to gain independence for Algeria and free the Algerian people from French oppression. This led Pontecorvos’s viewers to run with thoughts about challenging political authorities, therefore making the 1960’s a significant decade of conflict and change. The realism in the film permits the audience to more fully understand the terror of what went on, sympathizing with the National
The “cinematographic techniques [Pontecorvo uses in his film] function to produce a visceral spectatorial response that renders the traumatic experiences of war and violence vehemently present, particularly for contemporaneous viewers watching the film a mere ten years after the events it depicts”(Chabot, 72). At this time, “Cold War states grew at once more powerful and more constrained. This was the central paradox of the period. Nuclear weapons, mobilized economics, and enlarged administrative capabilities allowed governments to escalate the promises they made to their citizens—including ‘new frontiers’ and ‘uninterrupted growth in the standard of living of the population’” (Suri, 44). It is significantly apparent to Pontecorvo’s audience the rush of violence and cruelty that came over these countries during a time of change. The film portrayed the struggle of the National Liberation Front to gain independence for Algeria and free the Algerian people from French oppression. This led Pontecorvos’s viewers to run with thoughts about challenging political authorities, therefore making the 1960’s a significant decade of conflict and change. The realism in the film permits the audience to more fully understand the terror of what went on, sympathizing with the National