I thought the use of music Pontecorvo incorporated in his film The Battle of Algiers was well done. the use of music in the scenes leading up to the three Algerian women’s bombing the french quarter and the bombing scenes themselves were particularly effective. The music itself was very intense with a rapid and jarring beat. However what made the scenes even more dramatic was the contrast of sounds the director used. Scenes would switch off with the music or just standard sounds. I thought this was effective because when there is music that is continuously playing in the background the audience may tune it out and it loses its potency. The film however avoids this by cutting of the music and bringing it back through the use of different scenes. This prohibits the audience from sub-consciously tuning out the music and increases the effect of intense music.
I think you bring up a great point. Watching this movie without the music would change how we feel while watching the movie drastically. I’m curious as to how much would change because it really was an added dialogue to the film and was sometimes the sole form of dialogue like in the case with the group of women changing. While watching I would be anticipating something or feeling a sense of fear or foreboding which was due to the music that plays throughout the film.