HISTORY

The Representation and Writing of Torture in La Question (1958) by Henri Alleg and La Bataille d'Alger (1966) by Gillo Pontecorvo

The Representation and Writing of Torture in La Question (1958) by Henri Alleg and La Bataille d'Alger (1966) by Gillo Pontecorvo

Introduction

The aim of this exposition is to compare the representation and writing of Torture in La Question (1958) by Henri Alleg and La Bataille d'Alger (1966) by Gillo Pontecorvo. The book La Question depicts the torture carried out against prisoners by Algerians. On the other hand, La Bataille d'Alger also illustrates the Algerian torture, but it also shows the violence against civilians including women and children.

Discussion

Contextualizing La Question

The book was written by Henri Alleg and was published in 1958. The author was an arrested former editor of a famous newspaper, who penned down the horrors of torture practiced in jail. In The Question, he tells his period of detention and abuse that is suffered during the war of Algeria (Alleg, 1958, pp. n.d.). Despite the censorship, this dreadful story has greatly contributed to reveal a terrible reality, at the time totally overlooked: the torture carried out by the French army in Algeria.

Contextualizing La Bataille d'Alger

This movie is directed by Gillo Pontecorvo and was released in 1966. Filmed shortly after the Evian Accords in 1962, the film could fall into demagogy but offers instead a documented testimony and documentary history of the uprising almost Algiers (Tomlinson, 2004, pp. n.d.). The Battle of Algiers is adapted from the book Yacef Saadi, co-producer of the film and performer of his own role as commander of the FLN This film has no image archives, but refers to the true facts.

The Question of Torture

Jean Paul Sartre's preface is an eloquent and impassioned call against torture. Both Jean-Paul Sartre and Henri Alleg use the issue of ...