Army of Shadows
L'Armée des ombres
France
1969
145 Min
Color
French
L'Armée des ombres
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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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 New Wave and how do you proceed? By casting the star of
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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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By Jimmy on June 29, 2009
Do whatever you must do to get hold of this movie. I’m no spring chick, I’ve watched lots and lots of movies, but I saw this for the first time on HDNet last weekend & I was stunned. So much… read review
Untitled
By Christopher Smith on May 17, 2009
Fascinating, if uneven, historical thriller from director Jean-Pierre Melville. Excellent cinematography (even if it is a bit too murky at times), period production design, and authentic European locales… read review
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By Dylan on December 11, 2008
What can I say about this marvellous film that hasn’t already been said? There are many, many reasons why Army Of Shadows appeared at the top of so many critic’s lists in 2006. I couldn’t even begin… read review
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Army of Shadows
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DVD
Buy the DVD from The Criterion Collection.
