L'Armée des ombres (Army in the Shadows) (1969)
Average Rating: 8.6/10
Reviews Counted: 73
Fresh: 71 | Rotten: 2
Originally made in 1969, this recently reissued classic is a masterful examination of the inner workings of the World War II resistance efforts.
Average Rating: 8.4/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 23 | Rotten: 1
Originally made in 1969, this recently reissued classic is a masterful examination of the inner workings of the World War II resistance efforts.
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Average Rating: 4.4/5
User Ratings: 6,476
Movie Info
In this war drama set during the French Resistance of WW II, a courageous fighter escapes Gestapo headquarters and returns to Marseille. There he and his gang capture a traitor and throttle him. They then try to rescue a Resistance fighter in Lyons. As they do so, the hero is again captured and his partner killed. Again the hero escapes just before he is executed. He then finds that a female partner has been captured. To avoid having her daughter forced to work in a Nazi brothel, the woman has
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Cast
-
Lino Ventura
Gerbier -
Paul Meurisse
Luc -
Jean-Pierre Cassel
Jean-Francois -
Simone Signoret
Mathilde -
Serge Reggiani
Barber -
Claude Mann
Le Masque -
Christian Barbier
Le Bison -
Paul Crauchet
Felix -
Alain Dekock
Legrain -
Alain Libolt
Dounat -
Albert Michel Jr.
Gendarm -
Alain Mottet
Commander of the camp -
-
Marco Perrin
Octave Bonnafous -
Jean-Marie Robain
Baron de Ferte-Talloire -
Georges Sellier
Colonel Jarret -
Hubert DeLapparent
Aubert
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All Critics (77) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (71) | Rotten (2) | DVD (12)
As close to a masterpiece as any film you're likely to see this year.
Top CriticA film to be seen and savored for its moral magnitude.
The glacial pacing can be an irritant as the film unfolds -- I repeatedly wanted to speed things up -- but Army of Shadows won't leave you alone after you've seen it.
From the first sight of German soldiers goose-stepping past the Arc de Triomphe to a postscript that spells out the fate of characters whose moral confusion is all too real, Army of Shadows is a movie of its time -- and ours.
For anyone interested in the impact of war on ordinary men, Army of Shadows proves a sobering and invaluable experience.
This memorable movie movingly pays tribute to those who chose not to remain silent, to those ordinary men and women who chose to do extraordinary things... from the shadows.
"Jean-Pierre Melville cherishes paradox and free thinking," and both elements are on beautiful display in his masterpiece.
one of those blessed pictures in which all elements, from its writing through to its editing, coalesce into a work of profound philosophical and emotional unity
As bleak as it is compelling, it will leave you wondering if these freedom fighters haven't done more damage to each other than they have to the Nazi aggressors.
a stunning, globetrotting spy masterpiece
Rich in the elegance, assurance and quasi-formality that often define Melville's style.
The fascination comes in minute observation of the Resistance soldiers' mannerisms, demeanor and interaction.
It's hard to believe that Melville's 1969 masterpiece--one of the most accurate chronicles of the French Resistance--never got released in the US until 2006; Splendidly acted, this film draws on the helmer's own experience.
Although it has several suspenseful sequences, "Shadows" is not a spy thriller, precisely. It's much more along the lines of a melancholy mood piece...
A superb contribution from an A-class film-maker.
One of the masterpieces of its era and its genre.
ARMY OF SHADOWS is a remarkable and superb film, and American audiences should be rejoicing that is finally (if belatedly) has reached theaters.
A fascinating picture of bureaucratic drudgery, even in the middle of war and occupation.
Unlike the romantic images of freedom fighters perpetuated by the popular media, Melville's movie is stripped of self-congratulatory hero worship and other puffery.
There is nothing more to say, except 'Go.'
Rare is the film that actually improves with time. Among that handful is the 1969 French thriller Army of Shadows.
Melville stages riveting set pieces, tense little nuggets of men striking in the dark and dealing out death.
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Movie: ID: 326298407 Title: L'Armée des ombres (Army in the Shadows) Release Date: 1969-09-12 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 6 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Armee im Schatten (DE)
- Army in the Shadows (L' Armee des ombres) (UK)
