Newsreel Montages (Visual Imagery)
Throughout The Battle of Algiers, Pontecorvo intersperses sequences of newsreel-style montage footage in which shots look not like dramatic re-enactments but as if the camera captured the real-life events on which the film is based. This artistic choice enhances the realism of the film, making the viewer feel as though they are witnessing a documentary rather than a dramatic film. This example of visual imagery proved so effective that the filmmakers included a disclaimer declaring that they had used no actual footage of the Algerian War.
Secular Transformation (Visual Imagery)
Midway through the film, three female FLN members undergo a physical transformation to look more European so that they may carry out a dangerous mission of transporting bombs into public places. Pontecorvo shows the three women shedding their traditional Muslim veils and robes and altering their hair and applying makeup to appear part of the secular community of Algiers. The women leave the Casbah looking like supporters of the French occupation, a transformation that allows them to move through checkpoints without being searched or questioned, as well as helping them blend in with French settlers at the cafes and bars where they leave their time bombs.
Huddled Behind the Wall (Visual Imagery)
Early in the film, Pontecorvo shows an image of four FLN members huddled behind a false section of wall as French paratroopers attempt to negotiate with them to leave while nonetheless setting explosives. The four faces convey a grave resolve as they accept that they have carried out their duty and come to the end of their part of the insurrection. In this example of visual imagery, Pontecorvo represents the cross-section of gender and age that the FLN needed in order to coordinate terror attacks against the monolithic French military.
Guillotine Slice (Auditory Imagery)
While serving time in prison, Ali watches French guards walk an Arab man through the prison on his way to being executed. Pontecorvo shows the guards take the man outside and load his body into a guillotine—a heavy blade suspended over and lowered onto someone's neck. The moment the blade decapitates the prisoner, the camera cuts to Ali's face. However, in an example of auditory imagery, the viewer hears the guillotine slice off the man's head.
