L'Armée des ombres (Army in the Shadows) (1969)

97% of critics liked it
(73 reviews)
94% of users liked it
(6,220 ratings)

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… More 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 informed upon the others. She is then released and subsequently killed by another Resistance fighter for revenge. The screenplay is based on Joseph Kessel's novel and became filmmaker Jean Pierre Melville's magnum opus. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 20 min.
Directed By: Jean-Pierre Melville
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Sep 12, 1969 Wide
On DVD: May 15, 2007
Studio: Rialto Pictures LLC.

Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
A film to be seen and savored for its moral magnitude.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
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.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
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.
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
For anyone interested in the impact of war on ordinary men, Army of Shadows proves a sobering and invaluable experience.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Place it squarely in the category of overlooked gems.
Glenn Heath Jr., Slant Magazine
"Jean-Pierre Melville cherishes paradox and free thinking," and both elements are on beautiful display in his masterpiece.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
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
Anton Bitel, Film4
after falling out with the filmmaker on Le Deuxieme Souffle, Lino Ventura agreed to work with Melville again only on condition that they never speak directly to each other on set.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
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.
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
As close to a masterpiece as any film you're likely to see this year.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
a film that tests your nerves and will, which is why it is such a fitting portrait of men and women risking their lives for a pursuit they may never live to see successful
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
a stunning, globetrotting spy masterpiece
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
It took decades for the film to be rediscovered, reassessed and proclaimed a masterpiece.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
Rich in the elegance, assurance and quasi-formality that often define Melville's style.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
The fascination comes in minute observation of the Resistance soldiers' mannerisms, demeanor and interaction.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
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.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
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...
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
A superb contribution from an A-class film-maker.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
One of the masterpieces of its era and its genre.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Unembellished and matter-of-fact. Melville masterfully spotlights the French Resistance without martyring the Nazi regime that spawned it.
danny d

a great depiction of french resistance, melville blends substance with his usual stylistic approach. the film falters at many points with a lack of clarity and direction to the shifty plot, and the film is almost entirely without emotion, but it has striking images and flawless… More
a great depiction of french resistance, melville blends substance with his usual stylistic approach. the film falters at many points with a lack of clarity and direction to the shifty plot, and the film is almost entirely without emotion, but it has striking images and flawless direction in its portrayal of horrific events. overall very good film.
El Hombre I

Heroism to Melville isn't the pretty picture Hollywood gives us in its' sanitized war films. This is a grim film where those pursuing a noble cause don't have the opportunity to even enjoy it as they must be prepared for the possible worst. Melville's filmmaking… More
Heroism to Melville isn't the pretty picture Hollywood gives us in its' sanitized war films. This is a grim film where those pursuing a noble cause don't have the opportunity to even enjoy it as they must be prepared for the possible worst. Melville's filmmaking style is slow and deliberate giving the viewer an anti-heroic account of the early days of French resistance to the Nazi Occupation which is both restrained and terrifyingly tense. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=armyofshadows_web.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/armyofshadows_web.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Bruce B

This Movie is from the Criterion Collection, Spine Number 385. This movie was made 39 years ago, and was voted best film of 2006. About the French Resistance during World War II. A true Masterpiece. A Must See. In French with English Subtitles. Only bad part is the German Soliders… More
This Movie is from the Criterion Collection, Spine Number 385. This movie was made 39 years ago, and was voted best film of 2006. About the French Resistance during World War II. A true Masterpiece. A Must See. In French with English Subtitles. Only bad part is the German Soliders have no subtitles. Will find its way in my collection.
Michael G

For the most part this movie is nooze fucking city! The first twenty minutes and the last half hour were the only parts of this movie that really had me going. The cinematography had its high points, but that was about it. Between this and Le Samourai, I'm going to make it a… More
For the most part this movie is nooze fucking city! The first twenty minutes and the last half hour were the only parts of this movie that really had me going. The cinematography had its high points, but that was about it. Between this and Le Samourai, I'm going to make it a point to run in the opposite direction whenever I hear Jean-Pierre Melville's name mentioned.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" starts out in 1942 in occupied France as civil engineer Philippe Gerbier(Lino Ventura) is being brought to a prison camp where he is imprisoned with men of almost every nationality. The only other person he considers recruiting to the… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" starts out in 1942 in occupied France as civil engineer Philippe Gerbier(Lino Ventura) is being brought to a prison camp where he is imprisoned with men of almost every nationality. The only other person he considers recruiting to the French Resistance is a young Communist but before they can finalize their escape plans, Gerbier is transferred to the Gestapo. While waiting at Gestapo headquarters with another prisoner, Gerbier makes a daring escape.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]In Marseilles, Gerbier is the chief of a resistance cell that includes Felix(Paul Crauchet), Le Bison(Christian Barbier) and new recruit Le Masque(Claude Mann). Together, they share the unpleasant task of killing a traitor to the cause. Later, Felix meets an old friend, an ex-pilot, Jean-Francois(Jean-Pierre Cassel), and recruits him to the Resistance.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Army of Shadows" is a very compelling epic thriller about the French Resistance during World War II, told from different points of view. The movie wisely chooses to focus on the everyday details of the characters' non-glamorous heroics, thus giving the movie an honest and authentic feel. [/font]
Chris B

Melville's L'Armee des ombres (Army in the Shadows) is a sad and truly realistic film about the French Resistance fighters of WW II. It notes and graphically shows their struggles and the everyday risks that they take in order to stand up to the Germans. The film… More
Melville's L'Armee des ombres (Army in the Shadows) is a sad and truly realistic film about the French Resistance fighters of WW II. It notes and graphically shows their struggles and the everyday risks that they take in order to stand up to the Germans. The film isn't an action heavy one but more of a fleshing out of day to day lives and missions of the Resistance Fighters. While there are some scenes of extreme brutality and images of the results of torture on our heroes. In the end, the film feels very personal and tells the stories of the men and women (the incredible Mathilde played by Simone Signoret) and the lengths they went to in order to stand up for themselves and their country. Recommended!
Alec B

More films need to be made about the French Resistance during WWII. It shows that war with all the moral complexities that really existed. The fact that it is seen as the "good war" is a preposterous notion. People on all sides did some really fucking terrible things in the… More
More films need to be made about the French Resistance during WWII. It shows that war with all the moral complexities that really existed. The fact that it is seen as the "good war" is a preposterous notion. People on all sides did some really fucking terrible things in the name of their country. As for the film, its a meticulously crafted thriller that keeps you on your toes at all times.
Dimitris S

The price of espionage troops.Ventura,Signoret,Meurisse,the all-star cast of Melville was ready to drum the front-line of A-class film-making,of which the remains of it some decades later are distant echoes,entangled subplots,why...I'll admit only Hitler was missing!
Tom S

Some really beautiful photography, but it just never pulled me in.
MJS M

After a disastrous release in France, this Jean-Pierre Melville film was never distributed abroad and it lingered in obscurity until it finally got an American theatrical release two years ago and was distributed on DVD by Criterion. With that release it got a major critical… More
After a disastrous release in France, this Jean-Pierre Melville film was never distributed abroad and it lingered in obscurity until it finally got an American theatrical release two years ago and was distributed on DVD by Criterion. With that release it got a major critical re-discovery and was hailed the best movie of 2006 by a few smart-ass critics. It's great to see this was re-discovered as it really is a great film, and one of the best looks at a resistance movement I've seen on film. A great thriller that reminded me a lot of The Conformist, and probably a predecessor of the 70's paranoid thriller.