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Army of Shadows



The most personal film by the underworld poet Jean-Pierre Melville, who had participated in the French Resistance himself, this tragic masterpiece, based on a novel by Joseph Kessel, recounts the struggles and sacrifices of those who fought in the Resistance. Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and the incomparable Simone Signoret star as intrepid underground fighters who must grapple with their conception of honor in their battle against Hitler's regime. Long underappreciated in France and unseen in the United States, the atmospheric and gripping thriller Army of Shadows is now widely recognized as the summit of Melville's career, channeling the exquisite minimalism of his gangster films to create an unsparing tale of defiance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• High-definition digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Pierre Lhomme, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Alternate 2.0 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary from 2006 featuring film scholar Ginette Vincendeau
• Interviews from 2007 with Lhomme and editor Françoise Bonnot
• On-set footage and excerpts from archival interviews with director Jean-Pierre Melville, cast members, author Joseph Kessel, and real-life Resistance fighters
• Jean-Pierre Melville et "L'armée des ombres" (2005), a short program on the director and his film
• Le journal de la Résistance (1944), a rare short documentary shot on the front lines during the final days of the German occupation of France
• Restoration demonstration by Lhomme
• Trailers
• PLUS: An essay by critic Amy Taubin, along with (for the Blu-ray) a piece by historian Robert O. Paxton and excerpts from Rui Nogueira's Melville on Melville

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This is certainly going to be a BFI release in the next few months (it's currently on theatrical release in the UK); judging by the BFI's editions of LEON MORIN PRETRE, LE DOULOS and LE CERCLE ROUGE it'll have a fine transfer with excellent features (most likely a Ginette Vincendeau commentary).

Wow, that was a great trailer. I hope this movie does get into the CC. Does anyone know who wrote the music they used in the trailer?

Vincendeau told me that she is working with the BFI on the DVD, though she said that she was weary of recording a full-length commentary. It's a film like no other; perhaps the best film about the Resistance yet made - certainly the most personal. It has been very difficult to see the film over the last decade and prints were always poor, so this re-release is most appreciated. I'd be surprised if Criterion release their DVD this year, although, Le samourai came out of nowhere last year, so you never know.

Gordon McMurphy wrote:Vincendeau told me that she is working with the BFI on the DVD, though she said that she was weary of recording a full-length commentary. It's a film like no other; perhaps the best film about the Resistance yet made - certainly the most personal. It has been very difficult to see the film over the last decade and prints were always poor, so this re-release is most appreciated. I'd be surprised if Criterion release their DVD this year, although, Le samourai came out of nowhere last year, so you never know.

I'm sure she meant "wary" rather than "weary" - I'd hate to think she was getting tired of Melville! Her chapter on Melville's war films in her "An American in Paris" is so full of insight and enthusiasm, it had me rushing to watch those films all over again. It is, as you say, a superb film about the Resistance, though it is also, in its own way, one of the greatest gangster movies (swap cops for Nazis and gangsters for Résistants).

Kinsayder wrote:

Gordon McMurphy wrote:Vincendeau told me that she is working with the BFI on the DVD, though she said that she was weary of recording a full-length commentary.

I'm sure she meant "wary" rather than "weary" - I'd hate to think she was getting tired of Melville!

D'oh! #-o

Ginette Vincendeau wrote:L'Armee des ombres is being released theatrically by the BFI, next Spring, and the DVD will follow.
For this I broke my resolve not to do a commentary again, as it is so much work, but for L'Armee I'm prepared to do it.

I was surprised that the Criterion of Le samourai did not feature an audio commentary by Vincedeau, but it seems that she likes to prepare thoroughly - her BFI commentary for Le cercle rouge is magnificent, I feel; exhaustive, insightful and never dull! Vincedeau's scene-specific commentaries and intros on Le doulos and Le Morin, pretre are also excellent.

An American in Paris is indeed a great read. Well worth picking up.

While it's invariably compared to his crime thrillers the mood and tone of L'Armee des Ombres is completely dofferent. Exceedingly downbeat and depressing it's the film Munich WANTED to be, but isn't.

I saw this last nite at NYC Film Forum.

Fuckin-a, man... This film is a gift that keeps on giving. We're dealing with a film that deals directly with the fabric of memory. Clearly Melville had his memories he was dealing with & wanted to communicate his process of swimming along the moods of his mind as he reflected, to communicate what time & emotion had done to the visual tapestry of memory (perfect little title screen opening the film which runs something along the lines of "Oh bad memories I accept you, for you are my youth.."

His film here sees his visuals even more icy-warm (strange, seemingly impossible description but to me that's Melville.. a visual gunsteel coolness that is loaded to the bursting point with warmth) than LE CERCLE ROUGE, in fact his blue lens/blue lighting is taken to the greatest extreme here.

The world of espionage, particularly the necessary silences of a resistance-during-occupation, seems to topically & emotionally suit Melville's chilly & damp, heaavily loaded style of filmmaking. There is a burst of action near the beginning of the film which has one of the most amazing lead-ins to a visceral & psychological explosion I've ever seen.

A perfect film for DVD, as there is so much here to explore-- more importantly absorb-- once you've grasped what's happening in many of the initially ambiguous scene-setups. Completely opposite of a more plot-driven film or melodrama where the first couple of viewings "give" you the bulk of the mise-en-scene, this, the most poetic of Melville, will give a broad variety of returns from viewing to viewing, based on the disposition of the viewer, and progression along # of viewings.

Don't miss.

I too saw this at Film Forum last night and thought it was Melville's best film.

No, this is NOT a perfect film for DVD. Great directors like Melville need to be seen on FILM.

Huge JPM fan here, but for me his gangster films work better. Some of the coincidences in AoS seem almost Mi:3esque (NTTAWWT). Top 5 JPM, maybe.

Silence and Armee would indeed make an interesting pairing, each representing a contrasting form of resistance: passive in Silence, active in Armee.

However, I'm not sure that Mathilde in Armee, though a powerful character, represents a great advance in Melville's depiction of women. She is probably the most masculine woman in all of Melville's films, and is useful to the group of Résistants because she is effectively a tough male figure who can pass amongst the enemy in various female disguises. There is no sexual or romantic element to her character, and the moment she does reveal a hint of femininity, by showing compassion for her daughter, she becomes what women generally become in Melville: a source of mortal danger for the male heroes. This is not a weakness of the film, it is simply a consistent theme in Melville: femininity=trouble.

Wow; what an amazing film. I just caught it at the AFI in DC. Of the four Melville films I've seen, this is by far my favorite. Or maybe I just really "got" Melville this time...Even during those quiet moments when nothing is really happening (in terms of action), you can feel the tension that these characters are feeling, as well as the ever-present paranoia.

And that firing squad scene! The whole scene was the strongest part of the film for me, particularly as he prepares himself, then turns and sees the machine gunner. I cannot wait for Criterion to release this. If you get a chance, go see this movie!

Barmy wrote:No, this is NOT a perfect film for DVD. Great directors like Melville need to be seen on FILM.

Excellent! Swooping down outa the sky... whoomp! Barmy! Yes, I love your dvd collection Barmy, dedicated to the work of horrible directors.

Barmy. lol

I need to catch my breath, slow down on the standup.

Kinsayder wrote:Silence and Armee would indeed make an interesting pairing, each representing a contrasting form of resistance: passive in Silence, active in Armee.

However, I'm not sure that Mathilde in Armee, though a powerful character, represents a great advance in Melville's depiction of women. She is probably the most masculine woman in all of Melville's films, and is useful to the group of Résistants because she is effectively a tough male figure who can pass amongst the enemy in various female disguises. There is no sexual or romantic element to her character, and the moment she does reveal a hint of femininity, by showing compassion for her daughter, she becomes what women generally become in Melville: a source of mortal danger for the male heroes. This is not a weakness of the film, it is simply a consistent theme in Melville: femininity=trouble.

I'm not sure that's a fair proclamation-- everybody is fucking up in Melville. Everybody is a danger to everyone else. Delon's (ex) wife in SAMOURAI is a solid comrade at heart in a film of relentless doublecross, in fact the one person who strains to remain a true ally. LE FLAMBEUR's after hours barmaid (can't recall character's name) desperately tries to keep Bob on the quieter safe and narrow. Melvilles films seem so doom-laden & fatalistic, the atmosphere so thoroughly soaked with danger, it seems like a sacred element floating in the air beyond the control of all the characters.. this is what keeps his films in the noir mold for so many minds-- helplessness viz kicking & screaming before the hands of fate.

In Flambeur, two of the three female characters betray the male gang. In Samourai, the role of the mistress is more interesting and complicated as it's split into two parts (reflecting Jef's schizophrenia?): the light (the reliable Jeanne, whom Jef rejects) and the dark (the pianist, who draws him to his own death). While it's certainly true that "Everybody is a danger to everyone else" in Melville, I think it's worth remarking how, in the masculine world of Melville's films, weakness and danger are often shown to originate from the feminine side. Notice, for example, how in Armee the traitor in the first act is an effeminate youth.

Roger Ebert's review

I've always loved Melville, but his movies were just entertainment to me. Army of Shadows on the other hand, is so much more. It is difficult to believe the film was made 1969. To me it played as an allegory of what is in the minds of the Iraqi insurgents in 2006. (Ironically the film bombed on initial release, with the French press accusing it of being pro-Gaulist. Which, from what I know about French politics is an absurd charge. It was never even given a US release).

There are any number of sequences in this film, that are about as memorable anything in cinema history. Dialog is minimal -- so much is conveyed in the eyes of the brilliant cast. One wordless scene of people dancing in a small London bar during a bombing raid is just breathtaking.

Melville was in fact in the resistance, so Army of Shadows carries absolute realism and authenticity to go with its searing cinematic achievement. Go! Now!

I'm now officially obsessed with JPM. I saw Army of Shadows last week here in LA and agree with every single glowing comment. It kills me that I thought I knew what I was talking about when it came to JPM because I own (and love) Le Cercle Rouge, Le Samourai and Bob le Flambeur. I didn't realize that for all intents and purposes I was still a JPM virgin.

The question is how do I get my hands on his other films? I just ordered Un Flic from Amazon, but that appears to be the only other Region 1 title available. Do I need to get an all region player? For those of you who have seen some of his other films, how do they measure up?

Carson Dyle wrote:For those of you who have seen some of his other films, how do they measure up?

Essential for understanding Melville's versatility are his early masterpieces Le Silence de la Mer (currently unavailable on DVD) and Les Enfants terribles (very nice edition from BFI). In both cases he brilliantly channels the tone and worldview of the writer he is adapting: Enfants is as great an expression of Cocteau's 'voice' as the best of Cocteau's own films, and Silence anticipates Bresson's mature style by a few years.

Also excellent for seeing another side of Melville is Leon Morin, pretre.

Un Flic is minor but very entertaining, with a lovely opening sequence of a bank robbery with the bank located by the seashore. Everything emerges from the morning fog. And Richard Crenna is really great in it.

I think JPM's last 4 films were his best--Samouraï thru Un Flic. Rare to see an older director finish with such a flourish.

John Woo is remaking Cercle Rouge.

There's an interesting interview with the film's cinematographer Pierre Lhomme here.

I've just been looking at the new Spanish edition of Armée. It's the same restored print as the French Studio Canal edition (supervised by Pierre Lhomme), but now with added English subtitles (sample below) and English menus. The bonus 30-minute documentary on the French disc is not included.

By saying the last 4 Melville flicks were my faves, I don't mean to dismiss the earlier work, although I think it is a bit spotty. I think "Un Flic" is underrated.

I can't believe how poorly treated JPM has been in terms of DVD and US circulation of film prints. In particular because he can appeal to mainstream as well as arthouse audiences.

I saw "Silence" many years ago and barely remember it. I saw a screening of "Enfants" just last weekend and think it is an amazing film. I also think "Le Doulos" is underrated. "Second Breath" was re-released in NYC a few months ago and frankly I didn't think much of it.

Barmy wrote:I think "Un Flic" is underrated.

I agree. It was actually one of first Melville films I watched and I really enjoyed it. A fine exercise in all the things that make his work so fantastic. I am dying to see Army Of Shadows but as Montreal's once decent rep house has fired the programmers and started showing "AMC arthouse" fare (ie. films released by major studio "independents") I will have to wait until DVD. I was glad to catch Le Cercle Rouge on the big screen though back when they were still showing rep fare.

I also agree about Le Doulos - I saw it on VHS years ago but unfortunately the copy I rented had the ending cut off! I would love to see Criterion do that one right.

Spanish DVD with optional English, Spanish, German, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Dutch subtitles is now available from xploitedcinema.

Review HERE.

At long last, this film has hit the upper midwest. I don't have much to add to the chorus of praise except to heap accolades on Lino Ventura and Simone Signoret. Even though this is Signoret's only work with Melville, it's so obvious that she "gets" him. For the most part, she always underplayed (even in a camp role like Nicole in Les Diaboliques), but her performance style meshes perfectly with Melville's vision in this role. And Ventura, even though he only appears in one other Melville film, deserves a place next to Belmondo and Delon as a quintessential Melville hero. Where Belmondo is perfect when he's playing cocky and ironic (even when portraying a priest), and Delon is perfect he's playing introspective and vulnerable, Ventura has the ideal combination of all of those qualities needed to play a top resistance leader.

Oh! And I got such a warm feeling when I saw Serge Reggiani emerge from the basement for his cameo. Perfect scene.

The image is wonderfully dark and almost totally drained of color in this film. I hope that survives in the DVD. The one screencap posted above from the French DVD looks just a bit too bright (but maybe that's just my monitor). Anyone know why Decaë didn't shoot this? Too busy working for Sydney Pollack?