MANILA, Philippines?It may have been on the eve of the First Quarter Storm when, one hot day, I watched ?The Battle of Algiers? at the mammoth Cinerama theater, which then had the largest screen in all Manila. It also provided a delightful escape from the heat, because of its strong air-conditioning system.

I had just become the director of Gintong Silahis (GS), the cultural arm of the SDK (Samahan Demokratikong Kabataan), so I was interested in the Gillo Pontecorvo opus, because it was based on the Algerian revolt against French colonialism.

Historic event

I was completely unprepared for the film?s graphic and vivid treatment of the historic event! I swore it was a compilation of documentary footage, because that was the format used by Pontecorvo. There were stark crowd scenes, and the camera was often unsteady, as in real events.

Therefore, I was shocked to read the notice at the end of the film: Nothing was spliced in from documentary footage! Everything had been so skillfully staged that it appeared like a documentary. In fact, it included some key characters portraying themselves, along with a cast of non-actors.

I was so moved by the film that I sat through two more full showings. (To appease my hunger, I ate a couple of siopao.)

I saw it two more times with members of GS, so moved by the film was I. Yes, I waxed poetic about its virtues. In fact, I ended my Manila Chronicle review by advising viewers to see the great film twice!

Significant effect

The film had a significant effect on FQS activists, along with such ?revolutionary? films as ?Burn? aka ?Quemada,? starring the great Marlon Brando, no less. That was also directed by Pontecorvo. Propaganda films like ?The East Is Red? from the People?s Republic of China, as well as the French-Italian classic ?Z? by Costa-Gavras were other activist favorites.

During the height of Martial Law, Imelda spearheaded the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), and Pontecorvo was invited to be one of the judges. Ironically, his films (?Battle of Algiers? and ?Burn?) were banned by the regime because of their revolutionary effect on viewers. I had a chance to converse with the diminutive director and express my admiration for his works.

Somewhere among my things is a handwritten address Pontecorvo gave me, along with an open invitation to visit him in Italy when able.

?Alas, Martial Law ended many years later, so the opportunity lapsed.