Philippe
Gerbier, a civil engineer, is captured and held in a prison camp in France,
1942, under Nazi occupation. The Nazis however are unaware that they have in
their custody one of the French Resistance’s chiefs. Gerbier escapes and with
his compatriots unleashes a brutal counterstrike operation against them in
Marseilles.
The
film is very personal to French auteur Jean-Pierre Melville
as he was a member of the Resistance himself (as well as co-writer Joseph Kessel). It
is Melville’s best film in an illustrious career (which included the very cool
assassin drama Le
Samourai). Melville worked with composer Eric Demarsan, cinematographers Pierre Lhomme and Walter Wottitz, and production
designer Theobald Meurisse on
the film.
It
stars Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Simone Signoret, Claude Mann, Paul Crauchet, and Christian Barbier.
Army
of Shadows is a sensational film for many reasons, and should appeal to those
looking for wonderfully artistic and aesthetically engaging cinema as well as
those looking for a compelling WWII film. Melville uses color to convey tone and
mood exceptionally here, and his restrained performances and minimal dialog
seem to only increase the tension and the film’s ability to emotionally
engross. It is brutal and beautiful. Fans of war films cannot miss this one
(and that goes for those looking to see all the great films of French cinema,
as this truly one of the best).
Trailer: Here
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