Army of Shadows
L'armée des ombres
Italy, France
1969
145 Min
Color
1.85:1
English, German, French
Synopsis
Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece about the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation went unreleased in the United States for thirty-seven years, before its triumphant theatrical debut in 2006. Atmospheric and gripping, Army of Shadows is Melville’s most personal film, featuring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and the incomparable Simone Signoret as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their own brand of honor in their battle against Hitler’s regime. —The Criterion Collection
Director
Jean-Pierre Melville
Jean-Pierre Melville (born Jean-Pierre Grumbach) was an amateur filmmaker as a teenager who, after the start of World War II, began making his own independent short and feature films. He hit his stride in the ‘50s with his memorable adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s novel, Les Enfants Terribles, and, over the next 20 years, specialized in intelligent and exciting crime films, most notably Bob le Flambeur, Le Doulos (aka The Finger Man), Le Samouraï, Le Cercle Rouge, and Un Flic. Melville also acted in his own Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan, as well as Cocteau’s Orphee, Jean-Luc Godard’s À Bout de Souffle (aka Breathless), and Claude Chabrol’s Landru (aka Bluebeard). He died in 1973.
(From http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:102465 )
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trolley freak
21Dec11
As a former member of the French Resistance himself, this totally gripping drama is the most personal and maybe the best film Melville ever made. He nurtured it for a quarter of a century and managed to create an atmosphere of foreboding where his characters are constantly at risk of betrayal and imminent death. Melville regular Ventura and Signoret stand out in a film that is the summit of his directorial career....
AntioneOscar69
29Sep11
One of the best films ever made set during World War II.. which is quite an accomplishment. Gritty, haunting, great performances, tight yet deliberate direction, moody and mysterious. A masterpiece.
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Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
At the cinematheque: "Léon Morin, Priest" (Melville, 1961)
By Daniel Kasman on April 16, 2009
Above: Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Pierre Melville's Léon Morin, Priest. Image courtesy Rialto Pictures. Father the French
Blu-Ray Review: ARMY OF SHADOWS
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
The Criterion Collection’s new Blu-Ray of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows (1969) is a straight-forward upgrade of the company’s 2007 DVD. The disc features a great high-def transfer, superior sound
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A master stroke that sparks on Blu-Ray.
By MisterNovember on August 31, 2011
Jean-Pierre Melville is the master of suspense. Every scene here is filled with so much of it, I felt like I was sweating the whole movie. From the opening moment of Gerbier being transported to the… read review
[Last Time I Saw] Army Of Shadows
By lasttimeisaw on January 30, 2011
English Title: Army Of Shadows
Original Title: L’armée des ombres
Year: 1969
Country: France, Italy
Language: French, German, English
Genre: Drama, War
Director: Jean-Pierre… read review
Untitled
By Andhika Eka Buana on February 11, 2010
dang ! looks like i need to revised my statement that the best decade of cinema is the 70’s. Sure, There’s The Godfather and the so-called A Clockwork Orange. but After all, recent discoveries such… read review
Untitled
By Francis on November 28, 2009
Melville’s compositions are often very good to great, but his films aren’t. Critics hailed this as a great film about the French Resistance. The only problem with that assessment is that Army of Shadows… read review
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Army of Shadows
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DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
