Army of Shadows

Army of Shadows (1969) - 8.5/10

First Viewed: 4/12/08

Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
Cinematography by Pierre Lhomme and Walter Wottitz

Starring Lino Ventura as Philippe Gerbier, Paul Meurisse as Luc Jardie, Simon Signoret as Mathilde, Claude Mann as Claude le Masque, and Christian Barbier as Le Bison

Jean-Pierre Melville's film is about members of the French Resistance fighting a losing war against Nazi occupiers during World War II. The plot revolves around a resourceful man named Gerbier and his experience, presented in chronological order, with the Resistance. Initially, Gerbier, who we know very little about, is quarantined by the French government, but manages to escape and meet up with his cohort of fellow revolutionaries, led by the mysterious Luc Jardie.

Melville, through his use of a de-saturated color scheme and perfectly framed compositions, effectively paints a dour world where the dignity of life, once taken for granted, has been thrown out the window in favor of the disturbingly machine-like order imposed by the Nazi regime.

Gerbier's internment is merely a precedent as other revolutionaries are subsequently hunted down by the Nazis. The Resistance fighters, in their struggle against the Nazis, find that they themselves have to resort to committing terrible acts such as killing off their own members, whether because they are traitors or give away vital information while under duress.

Melville's fascinating thriller unfortunately suffers from a strange, halting story structure. For instance, when a Resistance member is captured by Nazi agents, Melville spends over half an hour with various episodic scenes that help the audience better understand the various members of the Resistance. This badly-timed focus on character development detracts from the suspense that is inherent in a seemingly imminent rescue.

Nevertheless, Melville's film is a powerful statement about the atrocities that occur when the appreciation of life is literally drained away by war.

Random Musings:

I learned a cool new word yesterday: Sesquipedalian = Long-winded