| | | A Film by Jean-Pierre Melville.
Features: DVD, French, English, Subtitled, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece about the French resistance went unreleased in the United States for thirty-seven years, before its triumphant debut release 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 fight against evil.
"...a white-knuckler all the way..." Jami Bernard, New York Daily News
"A film masterpiece...a superb, coolly accurate portrait..." Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"...a brilliant and relentless thriller..." Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly
"Not just one of the great films of the '60s but one of the great films, period..." Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
"...a hugely compelling tribute to the French Resistance movement...a genuine epic flair..." William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
Well-known for his influential crime films (LE SAMOURAI, LE CERCLE ROUGE), director Jean-Pierre Melville explores the lives of French Resistance fighters in his moody World War II masterpiece, ARMY OF SHADOWS. Restrained and controlled, the film follows Philippe Gerbier (Lino Ventura) and other members of the underground as they carry out clandestine missions against Nazi occupiers. And while there are some exciting scenes (air drops, escape attempts), the film largely avoids action-film histrionics. Its tone is a subdued one and tension results from its quiet moments, interrupted by brief, jarring violence. This is appropriate, given the film's subject matter. Silence is the guiding principle of espionage and the film's look--bruised and penumbral--reflects the tenuous position of its characters, who live divided, imperiled existences. There is no glib heroism in ARMY OF SHADOWS; there are only people living through untenable situations, acting as is necessary and sacrificing, perhaps, everything.
| Features | Archival Excerpts From French Television Programs | | Audio Commentary By Jean-Pierre Melville Historian Ginette Vincendeau | | Audio: French Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | New & Improved English Subtitle Translation | | New High-Definition Digital Transfer Of The Recent Full Restoration | | New Interviews With Lhomme & Editor Francoise Bonnot | | Plus: A Booklet Featuring Critic Amy Taubin & Historian Robert Paxton | | Scene Selection | | Short Documentaries: Jean-Pierre Melville Et L'Armee Des Ombres & Le Journal De La Resistance | | Subtitles: English | | Theatrical Trailers |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Army of Shadows - DVD By: Chris Cabin - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 5/15/2007 6:27 PM | |
It's hard to imagine a cinematic culture where a monumental achievement like Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film Army of Shadows would fall into obscurity, but then again we just recently got our eyes on Killer of Sheep. The reasons behind the withholding of Melville's unreleased French resistance epic are plentiful; they stretch from the arguable lack of commercial appeal of the film to its controversial, striking opening shot of German soldiers goosestepping down the Champs Elysees, two decades after they had actually commandeered the country....read the full review |
| Army of Shadows (Criterion Collection) - DVD Review By: Jason Morgan - Cinema Blend DVD Reviews Published on: 7/3/2007 5:47 PM | | Filmed in 1969, but only released in the U.S. last year, Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows follows the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation during World War II. Yet, this sweeping epic doesn't capitalize on vast battles between massive forces or national war strategies. Army of Shadows is a personal film that follows a handful of freedom fighters as they struggle with wartime murder, failed missions and the memory of an ideal. ...read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Image |
| Release Date: 5/15/2007 |
| Running Time: 145 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1969 | | Catalog ID: 1693 | | UPC: 00715515023726 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: French | | Available Audio Tracks: French | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
4 stars out of 5 -- ARMY is a rare gem -- truly important and a testament to French cool under fire." 06/14/2007 p.114Chicago Sun-Times 10 of 10
Jean-Pierre Melville's "Army of Shadows" is about members of the French Resistance who persist in the face of despair. Rarely has a film shown so truly that place in the heart where hope lives with fatalism...This is not a war film. It is about a state of mind...Yes, there are moments of excitement, but they hinge on decisions, not actions. Gerbier at one point is taken prisoner and sent to be executed. The Nazis march their prisoners to a long indoor parade ground. Machine guns are set up at one end. The prisoners are told to start running. Anyone who reaches the far wall without being hit will be spared -- to die another day. Gerbier argues with himself about whether he should choose to run. That is existentialism in extremis. - Roger Ebert
Reel.com 10 of 10
It's a sad commentary on the current state of filmmaking when the best film of the year so far is actually 37 years old. Making its long delayed American debut in a crisply restored print overseen by original cinematographer Pierre Lhomme, Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969) is a towering achievement that makes other films look downright puny in comparison. This riveting, cryptically told adaptation of Joseph Kessel's 1943 novel about the French Resistance in World War II stealthily works its way under your skin. Masterfully restrained yet frequently nerve-wracking, with sequences on par with Hitchcock at his most tension-filled, this film is one of Melville's best, right up there with his noir-drenched crime dramas, Bob le Flambeur (1955) and Le Samourai (1967). - Tim Knight
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