Army of Shadows: Out of the Shadows
By May 14, 2007
Beware, major spoilers ahead. Elegant, brutal, anxiety-provoking, and overwhelmingly sad, Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 Army of Shadows was released theatrically Read more »
- France
- 1969
- 145 minutes
- Color
- 1.85:1
- French
- Spine #385
SYNOPSIS: Jean-Pierre Melville’s masterpiece about the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation went unreleased in the United States for thirty-seven years, before its triumphant theatrical debut 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 battle against Hitler’s regime.
Cast & CreditsOpen
Cast
| Philippe Gerbier | Lino Ventura |
| Luc Jardie | Paul Meurisse |
| Mathilde | Simone Signoret |
| Jean-François | Jean-Pierre Cassel |
| Le masque | Claude Mann |
| Félix | Paul Crauchet |
| Le bison | Christian Barbier |
Credits
| Director | Jean-Pierre Melville |
| Screenplay | Jean-Pierre Melville and Joseph Kessel |
| Producer | Jacques Dorfmann |
| Cinematography | Pierre Lhomme |
| Based on the novel by | Joseph Kessel |
| Art direction | Theobald Meurisse |
| Sound | Jacques Carrere, Alex Pront and Jean Neni |
| Editing | Françoise Bonnot |
| Sound editing | Robert Pouret |
Disc Features
SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET:
- New high-definition digital transfer of the 2004 restoration, supervised by director of photography Pierre Lhomme
- Optional Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 soundtrack
- Audio commentary by film historian Ginette Vincendeau
- New interviews with Lhomme and editor Françoise Bonnot
- Archival video excerpts, including on-set footage and interviews with Melville, cast members, writer Joseph Kessel, and real-life Resistance fighters
- Jean-Pierre Melville et “L’Armée des ombres” (2006), a short program on the director and his film
- Le journal de la Résistance (1944), a rare short documentary shot on the front lines of the final days of German-occupied France
- Film restoration demonstration by Lhomme
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring critic Amy Taubin, historian Robert Paxton, and excerpts from Rui Nogueira’s Melville on Melville
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