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ARMY OF SHADOWS Send This Review to a Friend
The restored “Army of Shadows,” French director Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 drama set in the time of the French resistance to the German occupation is a masterly film that sweeps us back not only into a historical period but into a way of filmmaking that has burnished Melville’s reputation. Filmed in his typically low-key style, “Army of Shadows” is gripping throughout and although created in a later era, seems as if it were made in the period depicted. It establishes a you-are-there atmosphere, and the events are constantly harrowing.
A great plus is the casting of Lino Ventura in the lead as a brave underground hero. Ventura has a stoic face reminiscent of Jean Gabin. His acting works perfectly in synch with Melville’s modest style. The story involves a group of resistance fighters who must learn to be ruthless, even with anyone of their own who is a traitor, and not even to take chances that someone might expose the group.
It is also gratifying to see Simone Signoret in a key role. Others in the cast contributing to the feeling of reality and the tension include Serge Reggiani, Paul Crauchet, Christian Barbier, Claude Mann, Paul Meurisse and Jean-Pierre Cassel.
“Army of Shadows” glorifies the resistance, although there was also France of the collaborators, and that whole epoch remains a sore point in modern French history.
But as a film that reminds us vividly of the past, this beautifully restored example of Melville in top form is powerful, and the fact that it was never released in the United States makes this current booking at the Film Forum a major film-going opportunity on all counts. A Rialto Pictures release.
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