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Paul Thomas Anderson Breaking Down a 'Battle of Algiers' Clip Is Basically a Full Film School Curriculum

Paul Thomas Anderson sat down with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz to dissect two cinematic touchstones—Gillo Pontecorvo’s *The Battle of Algiers* and John Ford’s *The Searchers*—and explain how they inform his latest film, *One Battle after Another*. He highlighted the guerrilla‑training reputation of *Algiers* and its use of non‑professional actors to achieve documentary realism. Anderson also praised the VistaVision grandeur of *The Searchers* and John Wayne’s morally ambiguous hero, drawing direct parallels to his own storytelling choices. The conversation reads like a condensed film‑school masterclass.