If, like me, you've only seen The Battle Of Algiers and are immediately impressed by Gillo Pontecervo as a director, and then come across this movie... Well, the "message" may be very admirable and all that, but the movie is a drag. Bad editing and a strange documentary style of camera work that was fine in Battle Of Algiers which took place in our modern time, put in a period piece like this ? It just jars all the way through (i think the contrast somehow just cancels the movie out). And far too much socialist sentimentality, especially the scene on the beach after the slaves succeed in rebelling : a montage of people just walking along with the most melodramatically romantic music possible, that just goes on and on and on. I mean, if you want to deliver a "message" then you have to get an audience. This movie looks like it was made entirely for the satisfaction of the directors ego.
Review of Burn!
